Tonight the Cleveland Browns are hosting the Denver Broncos in the featured Thursday Night Football matchup, and Yahoo Fantasy is offering NFL DFS single-game contests. The general concept of creating a team remains the same, but this is a one-game player pool. The twist is that any position player can be rostered, and one is designated to receive a 1.5x multiplier on their Yahoo fantasy points. Using Awesemo’s expert NFL projections and rankings, these are the top Yahoo NFL picks for the Week 7 Thursday Night Football game tonight.
Yahoo NFL Picks: Week 7 Thursday Night Football
Top SUPERSTAR Options
The SUPERSTAR position will get a 1.5x multiplier on their Yahoo points in the single-game format.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos – $19
This is going to be an interesting game with so many players dealing with injuries and a plethora of understudies getting their turn on the Thursday Night Football stage. Courtland Sutton has been getting better each week as he works his way back from a knee injury that cost him most of last year. In the two most recent games, he had 11 and 14 targets, 15 total receptions for 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Coming off a season-high 71 snaps, he is a priority target tonight and deserves strong consideration for the SUPERSTAR multiplier.
Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos – $24
Though Teddy Bridgewater is dealing with a foot issue, he is expected to be under center tonight. Fortunately, running is not a major part of his game, and as long as he is at least somewhat able to move around the pocket, he should be able to perform his game-manager role. The Broncos allowed a season-high five sacks on Sunday and have ceded multiple in every game this season. Despite the shaky offensive line, Bridgewater has multiple touchdowns in four of his five games (excluding the game he left early due to injury).
Case Keenum, Cleveland Browns – $20
Baker Mayfield is out with a shoulder injury that will require postseason surgery. He may be able to return at some point this season, though it will be a pain management issue with his torn labrum. Case Keenum is a 10-year veteran and a solid backup, but it has been two years since he last made a start. Keenum is the true definition of a journeyman, starting games for five different teams throughout his career. This is a fair salary for someone that is going to have the ball in his hands on most plays. The only downside is that he will be without the team’s two best running backs, and the two best wide receivers are questionable with their own health issues.
Yahoo NFL Core Picks
Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos – $19
Even the Yahoo salary algorithm realizes that this duo is in a nearly even timeshare. Both are fine options, and even going against the solid Cleveland rushing defense, they should each see 8 to 10 carries and a couple of targets. Typically it would not be smart to utilize both of these players on the same roster, but the uncertainty around the entire Cleveland offense makes their established (albeit shared) workload more appealing than under typical circumstances.
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos – $16
Tonight is all about opportunities, and while Noah Fant gets a downgrade if Jerry Jeudy is able to return, or if it ends up being Drew Lock under center, he still has his specific role. Fant had double-digit targets in two of the last three games, and he had at least six receptions or a touchdown in four of six.
D’Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns – $15
Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are out with calf injuries. That leaves D’Ernest Johnson as the running back with the most experience on the Cleveland roster. Johnson played four seasons for South Florida before he tried his hand at making an NFL roster. In 2019 he played eight games for the Orlando Apollos of the AAFL. After the league folded he was able to make the Browns roster as a special teamer who could get a little work as a running back in a pinch. Through three seasons he has 40 carries for 198 yards and 10 catches for 92 yards on 12 targets. Johnson will get the first crack at the backfield opportunities, though Demetric Felton and possibly John Kelly will also get looks. Felton converted from wide receiver to running back in his senior year at UCLA, and Kelly was a sixth-round draft pick by the Rams back in 2018 who has been on and off the Cleveland practice squad the last two years.
Yahoo NFL Value Picks
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns – $13
Tonight there are no truly expensive players and a lot of injury uncertainty. If Jarvis Landry is unable to return from his knee injury or Odell Beckham Jr. is a no-go with his shoulder issue, Donovan Peoples-Jones will move up the receiving pecking order and should see half a dozen targets.
Final Thoughts
This is certainly a strange situation with no real stars on either side and most players in timeshares, stepping into new roles or getting opportunities because of injuries. While a typical NFL game is wildly unpredictable, this game is unlike any featured prime time matchup seen in quite a while.
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