Week 10 kicks off on Thursday night with the 6-3 Baltimore Ravens hosting the 4-5 Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium.
Ahead of this Thursday Night Football showdown, who are the best players to plug in your DFS lineup? Using DraftKings’ prices, let’s build a lineup that could win big on Thursday!
Week 10 TNF DFS Picks
- CAPTAIN: Derrick Henry ($16,800)
- FLEX: Joe Burrow ($10,400)
- FLEX: Ja’Marr Chase ($10,800)
- FLEX: Justin Tucker ($5,400)
- FLEX: Mark Andrews ($4,200)
- FLEX: Jermaine Burton ($2,200)
DFS Strategy: Captain Derrick Henry Leads the Way
Derrick Henry has been virtually unstoppable this season. He is currently the overall RB1, averaging 22.4 fantasy points per game.
Henry is leading the NFL in rushing yards (1,052), and he leads all skill-position players with 13 total touchdowns (no other player has more than eight). Henry has a touchdown in 10 straight regular-season games, including three multi-TD performances.
Derrick Henry just scored his ONE HUNDREDTH career rushing touchdown 💯 pic.twitter.com/GC1Kal3Btp
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) November 3, 2024
He’s been extremely consistent; Henry has six top-10 finishes in his past seven games.
Now, he faces the second-worst run defense in the NFL (behind only the Dallas Cowboys), per EPA, so this could be a smash spot for Henry. When Henry faced the Bengals in Week 5, he rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries (6.1 yards per attempt).
You could argue that Chase or Burrow make more sense as the captain, especially since they are cheaper, but it’s just really hard to bet against Henry right now.
Attacking the Ravens’ Weak Secondary
The Ravens have the NFL’s best run defense, allowing a league-low 75.7 rushing yards per game. However, Baltimore’s pass defense is on the opposite end of the spectrum.
The Ravens are allowing 280.9 passing yards per game (worst in the NFL) and 2.0 passing touchdowns per game (third worst in the NFL). Also, Baltimore is allowing the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers (28.0) and the third-most FPPG to quarterbacks (24.1).
The Bengals are going to attack the Ravens through the air — it’s just a matter of figuring out which receivers will go off. Tee Higgins has missed the Bengals’ last two games with a quad injury and he is doubtful for Thursday night, which narrows down our options.
Knowing how much Baltimore’s secondary has struggled this season, Burrow and Chase feel like locks for any DFS lineup on Thursday night.
Chase has caught at least five passes in five straight games, and he has seven scores over his past seven games. When Chase faced the Ravens in Week 5, he totaled 44.3 fantasy points on DraftKings thanks to 10 catches, 193 yards, and two touchdowns.
JA’MARR CHASE LEAVES THE RAVENS DEFENSE IN THE DUST 💨
pic.twitter.com/NQdEAgMSYV— PFF (@PFF) October 6, 2024
Aside from Burrow and Chase, there are several options to attack the Ravens’ biggest weakness. Andrei Iosivas has four touchdowns this year, including one last week, but he isn’t really a target-earner. Tight end Mike Gesicki is coming off his best game as a Bengal: a five-catch, 100-yard, two-TD performance against the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, Baltimore has been better against tight ends than they have defending wide receivers.
Then, there’s Jermaine Burton, who was inactive last week for missing the Bengals’ Saturday walk-through practice. The third-round pick is the most explosive weapon of the bunch, and he’ll be determined to have a big bounce-back game after last week’s embarrassing DNP. Head coach Zac Taylor recently confirmed that Burton will play on Thursday.
Prior to being ruled out last Sunday, there were reports that Cincinnati planned to make Burton a major part of its game plan against the Las Vegas Raiders. Taylor confirmed this, telling reporters that Burton was going to be “a big part of the plan.”
Now, with Higgins out, expect Burton to have a major role in Week 10. He is a talented deep threat, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him score a touchdown against this Ravens secondary.
Vintage Mark Andrews Performance?
This season, Mark Andrews has been frustrating from a fantasy perspective because he has been splitting the snaps with Isaiah Likely. In six of nine games, Andrews has played 55% of snaps or fewer.
However, Likely is dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss practice on Monday and Tuesday, so it’s possible that Andrews will play significantly more this week.
This is the perfect matchup for Andrews to make the most of this increased playing time, as the Bengals have struggled to defend tight ends all season.
Against tight ends, Cincinnati allows the second-most touchdowns per game (.56), fifth-most fantasy points per game (8.3), seventh-most receptions per game (5.7), and eighth-most receiving yards per game (58.4).
Could Andrews deliver a vintage performance? That would be incredible, but even if he just finds his way into the end zone once, he’ll be worth the $4,200 cost.