NFL

FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 3 Thursday Night

Which players should you roster for in single-game DFS action for Thursday's Miami-Jacksonville clash?

If you had Aaron Jones in lineups on Sunday, life was good. Maybe you've decided to invest some of those winnings on FanDuel's Thursday Night Football single-game slate.

We have an all-Florida battle tonight as the Miami Dolphins head north to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags are 3.0-point home favorites with an over-under of 48.5 points on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Did I mentioned we have facial hair beef between the quarterbacks?

If you are new to the single-game slate, here is a brief rundown. The salary cap remains at $60,000 and scoring is unchanged from the full roster game, but we don't have to worry about individual positions. Instead, single-game slates feature five flex spots. Kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5-times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial. This past offseason our Brandon Gdula did a deep dive on single-game strategy. It's worth checking out before you make your lineups.

Let's break down this slate!

MVP Candidates

Gardner Minshew ($16,000): For a team that was supposedly tanking this season, the Jags are a late field goal away from being 2-0. Minshew has had a lot to do with their success, completing more than 75 percent of his passes for 512 yards and six touchdowns. With new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden calling plays, the Jaguars are quietly 10th in schedule-adjusted offense this year, per our numbers. As good as the Jaguars' offense has been, the Dolphins' defense has been the opposite, ranking next to last by our numbers. Opposing quarterbacks have burned them for 25.7 (Cam Newton) and 34.5 (Josh Allen) FanDuel Points in the opening two weeks. Let's keep rolling with Minshew Mania at home and stack him with D.J. Chark ($13,000) against a Dolphins secondary that will be without Byron Jones.

Ryan Fitzpatrick ($15,000): The Beard continues to sling it at 37 years of age and gets a ripe matchup against a Jags defense that ranks dead last in Passing Success Rate allowed. Fitzpatrick has nearly 80 attempts through two weeks as the Dolphins have struggled to stop opposing offenses, forcing him to throw to keep up. A workload split between the three running backs also narrows down our player pool of Dolphins. Fitz's projection of 17.5 FanDuel points trails Minshew's slightly, but you do save $1,000, and he should be the lesser rostered option of the two quarterbacks.

James Robinson ($14,000): The undrafted rookie from Illinois State was looking to secure a roster spot just a few weeks ago, and he now finds himself firmly atop the depth chart. Even with veteran Chris Thompson ($9,500) as a backfield mate, Robinson has a 58% snap share through two games, compared to only 37% for Thompson. Robinson's floor should be around 15 touches, and he showed Sunday he can also be an asset receiving, garnering four targets. Facing a Dolphins defense that ranks 27th in Rushing Success Rate gives Robinson a boost, especially if the Jags can stay in a positive game script.

Value Plays

Michael Gesicki ($10,500): Maybe offensive coordinator Chan Gailey doesn't hate tight ends after all. The third-year man from Penn State caught 8 of 11 targets last Sunday against the Bills for 130 yards and a touchdown on his way to 23 FanDuel points. That's a major increase over his five targets in Week 1, and he faces a Jaguars defense that just allowed Jonnu Smith to find the paint twice on only five targets. With Sunday's blow-up game, Gesicki now leads the 'Fins in every receiving category and is a great play at just $10,500.

Laviska Shenault ($7,500): Shenault was one of my favorite rookies coming into the year. The Colorado product was used all over the field in college and had 42 rushing attempts in his career, including some as a Wildcat quarterback. It's nice to see that his versatility is being incorporated into the Jags' offense, as the rookie has seven rushing attempts and six receptions through two weeks. His $7,500 salary frees up a lot of options, and given how the Dolphins' defense has struggled stopping the run or pass, 'Viska could easily hit two-times value.

Isaiah Ford ($7,000): With DeVante Parker dealing with a hamstring issue last week and Preston Williams struggling to turn targets into receptions, Ford saw nine targets against Miami, just one fewer than Gesicki. He brought in seven of those for 76 yards and 11.1 FanDuel points. Parker was limited both Monday and Tuesday but did get in a full session Wednesday. That may dampen Ford's outlook slightly, but he should still see a decent workload in a game in which the over/under continues to rise.



Ryan Bobbitt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ryan Bobbitt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Drummerinabox. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.