Let’s face it, this is not a great slate. Monday night we watched two (well, one) powerhouse offenses show out. Now, for Thursday night, we’ll watch two of the least effective offenses. Both teams are struggling to stay healthy and put points on the board. Just to make this game interesting, you need to play DraftKings lineup with our Showdown Picks.
Each team is toward the bottom of the league in offensive touchdowns. Neither has over 300 yards total rushing yards. The Jets find themselves last in passing yards. None of these stats paints a pretty picture of what is to come. With Brett Rypien set to make his first career start for the Broncos, and an ineffective Sam Darnold on the other side of the ball, fantasy points will be hard to find.
But, here is the good news, the prize pools for this contest are the same as the others. Even a bad slate gives you the opportunity to walk away with a little more money in your pocket. So to that end, we’re here to help you make build a lineup with our showdown picks. Why not look for the silver lining in what could be a terrible storm?
As always, the players below are not meant to be considered a “core four.” These are simply players to consider as you are building your lineups. Play one, play them all, it is entirely up to you. Our job is to help you see the reasoning behind selecting these players and how they can help you win. We wish you luck on your DraftKings Thursday Night Showdown Picks.
Showdown Picks: Broncos vs. Jets
Noah Fant – Captain $13,500; Flex $9,000: TE Denver
You could basically summarize this play as such: follow the targets. Last week Fant was targeted 10 times. Granted, nine of them were by Jeff Driskel. Regardless, it’s clear Fant is a focal point of the Denver offense. Looking at the Broncos receiving corps, this should come as no surprise.
Rookie standout Jerry Jeudy drew a majority of Rypien’s attention on Denver’s last drive against the Buccaneers. Be that as it may, with a week of practice, it’s likely Fant sees his fair share of looks Thursday night.
On a slate where uncertainty abounds, the volume for Fant makes him all but a lock. He will command an unworldly ownership percentage. In this case, you almost can’t get away from that. The Jets have allowed three touchdowns to tight ends in the last two weeks. So if someone on this Broncos offense has a chance to score in this game, our money is on Fant.
Tim Patrick – Captain $7,500; Flex $5,000: WR Denver
With Courtland Sutton out for the season, it’s all hands on deck at wideout for the Broncos. Two of those belong to Patrick, who found his way into the endzone last week. Someone will have to step up as a viable WR2 in Denver. Patrick looks like he might be the one. Last week, he registered his second four-catch game of the season, notching 55 yards in the process. If he manages to replicate that line on Thursday, you would be in for 3x return on his salary. Not a bad investment on a thin slate
Almost all of his targets came on two drives and the majority of them came with Rypien as quarterback. Maybe he will see an uptick given a full game with the new signal caller. It won’t take much to have this payoff and the temptation to roll him out in the captain slot is not crazy. The truth of the matter is, the Jets defense is scaring no one. This bodes well for Denver receivers if their quarterback can get them the ball. Of course, that is a big IF.
Kalen Ballage – Captain $8,700; Flex $5,800: RB New York
Once you dig through the obvious names on this Jets roster, it’s a literal coin flip as to who to trust. So, in this case, we have to search a little lower on the depth chart for help. That help, for better or for worse, is Ballage. His value certainly does not come from his ground game. In his two games so far this season, he has accounted for three carries for 13 yards. Where Ballage can get it done for you Thursday night is through his pass catching.
Last week, he was targeted five times by Sam Darnold. He turned one of them into a clutch 21-yard reception on what was the Jets only scoring drive. Thursday night, Darnold will once again take the field with limited resources at wide receiver, even if Crowder can play. It’s likely he will have to lean on his backs to help on the check downs. What we saw last week is the potential for Ballage to break one for a decent game. If you expect the Jets to be playing from behind in this game, this is your play.
Braxton Berrios – Captain $10,800; Flex $7,200: WR New York
Admittedly, with Jamison Crowder set to return for this slate, Berrios takes a value hit. Luckily for us, it’s not a giant hit as the depth past Crowder still puts Berrios in a favorable position. Last week, he scored the only Jets’ touchdown while snagging all four of his targets for 64 yards. This is his second straight productive week as he scored against the 49ers as well. In that matchup, he caught six passes for 59 yards.
He’s proven to be a reliable target and one that could still see his fair share of volume should Crowder prove ineffective. The Broncos allowed Scott Miller to gain over 80 yards last week. It stands to reason that Berrios can find success against their secondary much the same. At the very least, he fits nicely into a Jets stack even with Jamison Crowder.
