Fantasy Football Thursday Night Football Preview, Week 3

This week’s version of Thursday Night Football might not sound like it’s all that appealing, but there are plays to be had so we’re here to break them down.

If you looked at the NFL schedule during the preseason and saw this game on the Thursday Night Football schedule, you probably kind of groaned and rolled your eyes. Thursday football isn’t always the best in terms of quality but this game is actually kind of interesting. We have two squads that might be playing better than people would have thought, especially on the defensive side of the ball for both teams. Let’s figure out who we can start on each side of the ball.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns offense hasn’t quite found their groove yet, scoring 21 and 18 points so far. It hasn’t helped that they had the Josh Gordon drama unfold literally the night before the game last week so being on a short week after another heart-breaking loss isn’t the best spot to try to use this offense, especially because the Jets are in the top five of total yards allowed and they tied for the sixth least amount of points given up. Tyrod Taylor has been a little ragged as a passer so far, completing barely 50 percent of his passes and sitting under six yards an attempt. He’s the QB13 in standard leagues but his value has come almost totally on the ground so far. I’m not terribly excited to use him, even in 2QB leagues this week.

Jarvis Landry is a start every single week, no matter what because he’s now the clear and far away wide receiver 1 in this offense with no Gordon. He has 22 targets which is good for a 32 percent target share on the Browns. Despite a tougher matchup, you play him and don’t give it a second thought. Antonio Callaway is also super interesting if you’re playing the single game slate for DFS. Not only did he play more snaps than Rashard Higgins(on short notice with the Gordon situation), he nearly tripled him a aDOT and got a rushing attempt. In addition, he about tripled Higgins from a fantasy points per snap percentage. David Njoku is getting 20 percent of the targets which is great for a tight end and is fifth in the league right now among tight ends. The production isn’t there yet but I do feel like it’s coming sooner than later. It’s just a little concerning starting him on a short week but he’s very difficult to trust right now.

The running game isn’t that fun to look at either. Duke Johnson has been totally invisible with just five touches last week. Coach Hue Jackson says he’s going to be more involved, but I trust Jackson about as far as I can throw him. For the record, that’s not far. I’m a weakling. Carlos Hyde is a top 20 back right now in half point PPR but that’s just because of the two touchdowns he’s scored. His efficiency from the preseason has vanished as he sits at 2.8 yards per carry. The Jets are giving up only 87 rushing yards a game so I’d like to get away from Hyde if I can. I love the Browns D/ST at home in a game where they might finally win and they’ve been good this year.

The @Browns defense is BALLIN' pic.twitter.com/xnEC9vGSah
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) September 18, 2018

The PPG looks a little high, but keep in mind they’ve played the Steelers and the Saints. In the two games they haven’t faced the Browns, the Steelers put up 37 and the Saints put up 40.

Starters – Jarvis Landry, Browns D/ST, David Njoku

Potential Starters – Antonio Calloway, Tyrod Taylor, Carlos Hyde

New York Jets

I hope Brian doesn’t read this, but rookie quarterback Sam Darnold came back to Earth a little bit this past week. Now, being a rookie and his age would lead you to believe he’s going to have some ups and downs but this is a poor spot for him. I really believe in the Browns defense here and they have made life tough on two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

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Since I don’t expect much from the passing game, Quincy Enunwa is the Jets answer to Jarvis Landry with a 34 percent target share. I would absolutely start him, especially in a PPR league. As far as a secondary receiving option, Terrelle Pryor might actually be emerging as the go to guy in this offense. He’s seen 11 targets through two games compared to six targets for Robby Anderson. Both those receivers have basically the same aDOT so I’d lean towards the target share at this point. Pryor is simply a DFS dart throw and someone I want to keep an eye on as the season moves forward.

The running game is kind of a pain right now. Both Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell are getting about 40-50 percent of the snaps and Crowell is getting about 40 percent of the rushing attempts while Powell is more involved in the passing game with almost 14 percent of the targets. It’s a pretty unappealing spot for the backs and I likely wouldn’t want to tangle with them. The Browns really cleaned up their rushing defense against the Saints after James Conner and the Steelers gouged them in Week 1. The defense for the Jets has been excellent, but they’ve also played the Dolphins who didn’t pass for over 200 yards and the Detroit Lions, who were a nightmare on Monday Night Football in Week 1. The Browns defense have definitely had the harder road.

Starters – New York D/S, Quincy Enunwa, Bilal Powell in PPR

Potential Starters – Isaiah Crowell, Terrelle Pryor

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Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest DFS news and fantasy football analysis heading into Week 3!