Thursday Night Football Spotlight

Down to the Wire Pickups

Fantasy playoffs are starting to heat up as we enter week 15 of the NFL Season. Below are a few options for some waiver pickups for Thursday Night Football to help keep your season alive.

Derek Carr

At about a 53% rostered percent on ESPN, Carr is the number 12 fantasy quarterback overall. Carr has had some really solid fantasy games this season and this week should be no different. Carr should put up respectable numbers in a must-win game against a middle of the pack Chargers defense. Quarterbacks have averaged 21 fantasy points against the Chargers this season, with a high of 42 points from Tom Brady. 

Nelson Agholor

Leaving Philly was the best thing for Agholor. Nelson’s connection with Carr has been impressive. Together, Nelson and Carr have found the endzone seven times this season, tying Nelson with Waller for a team high. Agholor is only rostered in 36% of ESPN leagues, so he is available as a solid flex option. He has been targeted heavily over the past two weeks, receiving 11 targets vs the Jets and 9 targets against the Colts.

Tyron Johnson

While Guyton is the bigger name, Johnson was the guy to fill in for Mike Williams last week after Williams was injured. Johnson caught six of seven targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. He should be available in every league and is only worth a pickup if Williams doesn’t play. Low floor play with the potential to boom, but is dependent on many different factors. 

Ryan’s Pick Six

Now it’s time to dive into some betting lines for Raiders versus Chargers on Thursday Night Football. We’ll look through some player props and game lines and see what pops out at first glance. 

Spread/Moneyline

The spread sits at +/-3.5, and I personally like the Raiders -3.5, even though the Raiders have been kind of disappointing as of late. They are running out of time to get back on track and know they need to make some moves. After back to back weeks of overlooking their opponents in what should have been easy wins, I see the Raiders bouncing back in a big way in what should be a high scoring game. The combo of Raiders -3.5 and over 54.5 is at +320 on FanDuel, which should be easy cash on Thursday Night Football.

Props

Most of the player props have not dropped yet at least on FanDuel. But I most likely ride the over on both Carr and Herbert passing yards. The over/under should be around 265.5-275.5. Keenan Allen props should be interesting when they are posted. If his catches are set at 5.5, I like the over, especially if Williams is out. Allen has gotten at least 10 targets in four straight games. Keenan to find the end zone at least once for his ninth touchdown this season is also a good bet.  

Wallers props feel very similar to Keenan, as he is just too good for the defense to really shut down. Waller is their leader in targets, yards, catches, and tied for the team lead in touchdowns. He is by far Carr’s most trusted and favorite target. Waller has been targeted early and often on a weekly basis, so over 6.5 on catches should be an easy play. He has caught at least 7 passes in three of his last four games. For yards, Waller’s prop is at 62.5 and the over has a good chance to hit in the first half. Waller has gone over that in three of his last four, with the exception of their disaster against Atlanta. The Chargers have some solid safeties, though I still think Waller puts up his numbers. 

Total Points

While the Chargers offense has not been as high scoring of late, the Jets dropped 28 on the Raiders. I like the Chargers over 24.5 total points even though they have not hit 25 points the past three weeks. The safest pick of the game would have to be Raiders total points over 27.5. They they have scored at least 30 in eight of their 13 games, including five straight in less than ideal showings. 

Ryan Pesciotta

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