Are you in search of some DFS picks on DraftKings for the Thursday Night Football (TNF) showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders?
Well, look no further! A stack of Davante Adams and Aidan O’Connell are only a few of my top DFS plays for the Week 15 contest on TNF. Let’s find some fantasy football wins before Sunday’s slate!
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Las Vegas Raiders Top TNF DFS Picks on DraftKings
Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders ($16,800) – Captain
Those of you who have watched Adams dominate year in and year out for the last five seasons are likely having a tough time watching him play in such an underwhelming offense this season.
His 78 receptions for 867 yards and four scores through 13 games have him on track to finish with fewer than 1,300 yards and 11 scores in a season for the first time since his injury-riddled 2019 campaign.
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The last time the Raiders faced off against the Chargers, it was rookie QB O’Connell’s starting debut in the NFL, which led to eight receptions for 75 yards for Adams back in Week 4.
Fast forward to Week 15, and the Chargers defense is giving up 261 passing yards per game, which makes this a matchup for Adams to potentially exploit in a big way.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers ($11,000)
Perhaps no player symbolizes the struggles of the Chargers’ offense throughout the 2023 season more than RB Austin Ekeler.
He is on pace to finish with his lowest rushing and reception totals since 2020 and is by far having his worst season in the efficiency department on the ground with just 3.65 yards per carry in 2023.
Making matters worse for Ekeler’s fantasy outlook for the remainder of the season is that QB Justin Herbert just had season-ending surgery on his index finger, which could severely lower the number of scoring opportunities we see from Los Angeles moving forward.
For those of you who want to look at Ekeler in an optimistic light, backup Easton Stick peppered Ekeler with five targets in the second half of their 24-7 loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Ekeler may not have the fantasy ceiling we’ve become accustomed to over the last two seasons with Stick under center, but he should still be busy enough to justify a place in this DFS lineup.
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders ($3,000)
Starting RB Josh Jacobs sustained a quadriceps injury against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, which has caused him to post his lowest rushing total since back in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
Now, according to a recent report from Mitchell Renz, Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce did detail that if Jacobs is active for this game it would be “the Josh Jacobs show,” so I would only go this route if Jacobs is inactive.
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If Jacobs misses his first game of the 2023 season on Thursday, then RB Zamir White profiles as the better candidate to see early-down and short-yardage work on the ground against the Chargers.
If the Chargers manage to get out in front, Ameer Abdullah will likely see the passing down work, so this play does come with some risk.
Aidan O’Connell, QB, Las Vegas Raiders ($9,600)
The O’Connell experiment at quarterback for the Raiders has been a bit up and down, to say the least. Well, the lowest of these down moments is the zero points he generated against the Vikings on Sunday.
Fortunately, a matchup against a struggling Chargers secondary and his advantage in starting experience under center in comparison to Stick’s should be enough to make him the preferred fantasy option at QB for this DFS slate.
Las Vegas Raiders Defense ($4,200)
Speaking of Stick’s inexperience under center, in essentially one half of football against the Broncos in Week 14, the former North Dakota State product fumbled twice and was sacked while throwing no touchdown passes in a negative game script.
Despite the Raiders generating no offensive points against the Vikings last week, their defense did a great job holding the Minnesota offense to just three points, which included five sacks of Joshua Dobbs.
Expect the Raiders’ defense to continue to have success with Stick under center and potentially without his top WR Keenan Allen for this game.
Los Angeles Chargers Defense ($4,400)
Remember when I pointed out that O’Connell made his starting debut against this Chargers defense earlier this season? Well, that outing was rough, to say the very least.
O’Connell was sacked seven times, fumbled three times, and threw an interception … Yikes.
He also has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3-to-5 over his last four games. While O’Connell may have some success through the air against this struggling Chargers secondary, he is likely to still make his fair share of mistakes too.
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