Thursday Night Football kicks off NFL Week 7 tonight and that means we have NFL DFS Showdown contests to play. The Arizona Cardinals, who welcome back all-pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins following a 6-game suspension, host the New Orleans Saints in a battle of 2 desperate teams. Both have opened the season at 2-4 and are in dire need of a win tonight to stay a part of the 2022 NFL playoff picture. The 43.5 game total may not indicate a huge barnburner, but we have seen both teams put up some solid point totals this season and both teams are struggling in pass coverage. There are also a few NFL injuries we are keeping tabs on, so as you build those winning DFS lineups keep a close watch on who is in and who is out for tonight’s action.
MVP/Captain
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, ARI
Welcome back, Nuk! It’s been a rough six weeks without him and we’re going to witness first-hand just how much he was missed by his team. There is no Marshon Lattimore in the secondary for the Saints and their next best corner, Paulson Adebo, is not at 100 percent. The rest of the Cardinals’ receiving corps is pretty average, at best, so look for a boatload of targets. After all, it’s not like he’s working his way back from an injury; expect him to go all out tonight.
Kyler Murray, QB, ARI
With the ground game banged up and up against a pretty solid run defense, Murray should probably take it to the air with frequency. Opposing quarterbacks have been pretty efficient against the Saints, posting a 98.1 passer rating and allowing 9 passing touchdowns. Murray gets his top target back tonight and is good for some rushing yards, as well.
Chris Olave, WR, NO
Considering our inability to trust the Saints with regard to who gets the rushing touchdowns, at least we know which receiver is likely to get the majority of targets and red-zone looks. Olave missed last week while recovering from his concussion, but he has been back at full practice for a few days and doesn’t seem to be showing any ill effects. If these 2 teams start going back and forth in the second half, Olave could see a ton of work — especially if it’s Jameis Winston under center.
Be sure to check out our full New Orleans Saints vs Arizona Cardinals predictions
Mid-Tier DFS Plays
Taysom Hill, TE, NO
Ugh. Time for all the Taysom-truthers to come crawling back out of the woodwork, right? The problem here is that it’s boom or bust so you either have to fully commit or stay away completely. And by fully commit, I mean, if you are a single-lineup player and want to use Hill, you have to do it assuming that Kamara won’t be getting into the end zone and that whomever the Saints quarterback is, he will be neutered with regard to touchdowns. The choice is yours. Maybe build a second lineup without him just to protect your investment.
Jameis Winston/Andy Dalton, QB, NO
We believe Dalton will get the start and Winston, who was removed from the injury report, will be available as the backup. That should mean we see Winston in the second half if the Saints are behind and the offense has been rendered ineffective. You will probably see low ownership on both guys because of the possibility of a mid-game shift. If you are looking to differentiate from the pack, hoping for a second-half Winston breakout is probably your best play.
Alvin Kamara, RB, NO
If Dalton stays in the game and it’s competitive, then Kamara could be in play for some heavy passing/check-down work. That’s usually the way it goes. You obviously have to be concerned with Hill poaching all the red and green-zone rushing work, so the touchdown upside for Kamara is seriously limited. Arizona does rank last in DVOA against running back pass-plays, so Kamara works if you think the game stays close and Dalton stays in. You could try and hedge by using Kamara and Hill together, but that’s a big commitment for your budget.
Eno Benjamin/James Conner, RB, ARI
We are awaiting word on Conner’s status for the game and won’t know until warm-ups, apparently. The 2 are close enough in price that you can build a lineup with Conner and then just make the pivot if he is out. The Saints’ run defense is solid, but they have given up 120.8 rushing yards per game and they have allowed five rushing touchdowns on the season. If Conner gets the nod, use him. Benjamin will have a complementary role but likely wont be featured near the goal line. If Conner is out, then you should be fine with Benjamin carrying the majority of the workload.
Zach Ertz, TE, ARI
Even with Hopkins returning, Ertz warrants your consideration because his role probably stays similar to what it’s been in recent weeks. He handles the underneath routes, and while he failed to record a single red zone look last week he is still sought out by Murray in the endzone. Ertz may not see the 9 targets per game average he has seen over the first 6 games, but after leaning on him so heavily Murray isn’t just going to stop — even if the Saints usually do a good job against the tight end.
Tre’Quan Smith, WR, NO
The snaps distribution should be interesting to see with Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry out. Callaway has seen more snaps, but it’s Smith who is looked at inside the endzone more — or at least that’s how it feels. The DFS sites have Smith as a much higher-priced option as a result, so if you’re looking to pivot off Olave but not go completely contrarian, then Smith is your guy.
Marquez Callaway, WR, NO
If you want to pivot off Olave and want to be a lot more contrarian, then Callaway is going to the play. He actually could have/should have had a touchdown last week, but it got batted out of his hands at the last second. His snap percentage was slightly higher than Smith’s last week; he saw 7 targets to just 3 for Smith, so maybe he is not so contrarian after all.
Rondale Moore, WR, ARI
He saw 10 targets last week, which will put a ton of Rondale-truthers on him, but you have to pull back on your enthusiasm as he will lose targets with Hopkins back. He and Ertz are likely to share the underneath work, but given some of the injuries to the Saints’ secondary, he could be worth a flier if you think Murray gets him in stride for some yards after the catch.
A.J. Green, WR, ARI
Green knows his days are numbered following the Robbie Anderson trade and maybe that motivates him to do better with regard to getting separation downfield. With Hopkins likely to garner most of the attention from the Saints’ defensive backs, Green could find his way into a long pass or 2 — possibly even for a touchdown.
Get our best Thursday Night Football prop bets
Dart Throw DFS Plays
Juwan Johnson, TE, NO
Every so often Johnson becomes a little bit of a DFS darling, and the 6 targets he saw last week have to be encouraging. Both Dalton and Winston have leaned on him at times and consider the Cardinals rank 29th in DVOA against the tight end and are allowing an average of nearly 80 yards per game to them.
Robbie Anderson, WR, ARI
Here’s your ultimate dart throw. Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury already said that Anderson — if he even plays — will be limited, so we’re not banking on much. But we do know his specialty is the long touchdown and who’s to say he doesn’t make a big splash in his first game?
For additional NFL DFS Week 7 coverage, check out our full coverage on Fantasy Alarm
Pickswise is the home of free NFL Picks and NFL Odds. Check out the latest NFL Prop Bets and NFL Parlays as well as expert NFL Underdog Picks and NFL Computer Picks.
