Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 8

Welcome to the midway point of the 2024 NFL season which is flying by. Kicking things off in Week 8 is an NFC showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. The FullTime Fantasy Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 8 has all the insight you’ll need to win your fantasy football matchups and bets.

The Vikings are coming off their first loss of the season. They won’t have much time to prepare traveling to Los Angeles on short rest. However, LA’s struggles on both sides of the ball make a good rebound spot.

Meanwhile, the Rams just got their second win of the season and are 2-1 at home. Additionally, key reinforcements will give Sean McVay and his staff a better shot at hanging around in a game where they are home dogs.

Minnesota is a 3-point favorite and the total has risen 1.5 points up to 48.

Matchup

TEAM	OFFENSE	PASS	RUSH	YDS/PLAY	POINTS
Minnesota Vikings	24	20	21	10	11
Los Angeles Rams	26	21	29	20	25

Despite the records, these teams are similar offensively. The biggest difference is in scoring efficiency. Minnesota scores 23.6 points per contest. Conversely, the Rams only score 19.

Defensively, the Vikings allow 340.3 yards per game compared to LA’s 364.3. The Vikings are worse against the pass and the Rams allow 151.7 on the ground- third-worst in the league.

Cooper Kupp is expected to return, which will boost LA’s middling passing attack. But trade rumors persist. Fantasy managers are concerned with usage and potential.

For Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores, the Vikings will try to keep the Rams guessing with stunts and pressure. Reaching a multiple-possession lead would lead to a favorable game script to run the ball.

Minnesota Offense

We’ve seen this out of Sam Darnold before. A hot September is followed up with crashing back down to earth. After posting top-10 numbers in the club’s first four games, Darnold has one TD pass and two interceptions in his last two games. However, the Rams can’t mount the same pressure as the Jets and Lions. Darnold will have more time.

The Rams have allowed 10 touchdown passes and picked off five balls. Meanwhile, Darnold has a 12-to-5 TD-to-INT ratio himself. View this as an average situation for Minnesota’s passing attack. Subsequently, Darnold is a borderline QB1/2.

Aaron Jones was questionable last week but still produced 116 yards and a touchdown. This week’s matchup is much more appealing. The Rams surrender the tenth-most fantasy points for running backs, making Jones a strong RB1 with top-6 potential.

Ty Chandler will spell Jones. However, Chandler does not have standalone value. Therefore, he’s little more than a DFS dart throw in a week with no teams on bye.

WR Justin Jefferson enters this game as fantasy football’s No. 4 wideout. Jefferson has eclipsed 15 fantasy points in every game this season. Subsequently, he’s a locked-in top-5 wideout facing a Ram’s secondary that has exceeded expectations. However, No. 1 wideouts have given them trouble all season.

Like Jefferson, Jordan Addison is deployed all over the field. That will allow O’Connell to scheme him into favorable matchups against a Rams’ secondary that has been beaten deep. View Addison as a strong WR3 with WR2 upside.

Jalen Nailor runs a route on 55% of the Vikings’ snaps. However, Nailor has a pair of games with a single catch to go along with three games with a score. He’s a TD-or-bust WR5.

T.J. Hockenson has been a limited participant in practice. Hockenson hasn’t played since tearing his ACL late last season. However, there is a chance he will play. If he does, Hockenson will be on a snap count, making him a risky fantasy proposition. However, the Rams allow the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. So Hockenson (if active) and Johnny Mundt have fantasy appeal.

Los Angeles Rams Offense

The Vikings allow plenty of fantasy production to quarterbacks. Three opponents in a row have posted QB1 numbers with multiple TD passes. However, Minnesota also leads the NFL with 11 interceptions. Therefore, it’s a modest matchup for QB Matthew Stafford, who has only thrown four picks but has an appallingly low three TD passes.

Also, Stafford is coming off his worst effort of the season against a beatable Raiders’ secondary. If LA’s struggling offensive line continues to cede pressure, Stafford will be in for a long night. Therefore, he’s not a recommended start except in deep Superflex formats.

Volume and role dictate that RB Kyren Williams is matchup-proof. Williams’s 86% snap rate leads all NFL running backs by a wide margin. Minnesota ranks eighth against running backs, allowing only 20 fantasy points per game. But Williams has found the end zone in every game this season. He remains an every-week RB1 despite the matchup.

There are trade rumors involving WR Cooper Kupp, who hasn’t played since Week 2. If those rumors are true there is some risk of starting Kupp. However, Kupp is a must-start with WR1 potential against a Vikings secondary that allows the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Think double-digit targets.

Assuming Kupp mans the slot, Tutu Atwell’s role shouldn’t change. Atwell has run 63% of his routes from the perimeter as LA’s main deep threat. Atwell has caught six balls in back-to-back games and four-plus in his last four. He offers WR4/flex value in a fantastic matchup.

Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson will be the Ram’s other two wideouts. Robinson hasn’t topped 50 yards in a month and is coming off a season-low nine yards. Both options are nothing more than cheap DFS options.

At tight end, Colby Parkinson’s 34 targets are tied for ninth in the league. However, Parkinson isn’t doing much with the opportunities, ranking 22nd with 6.8 PPR points per game and failing to top 25 yards in any contest. Middling fantasy option at best.

Prediction & Best Bet

In their last 25 games as favorites, the Vikings sport a 21-4 record. Conversely, the Rams are just 6-19 straight up in their last 25 as underdogs. Those figures are similar against the spread this season as the Vikings are 5-1 ATS and the Rams are 1-5 versus the number.

Minnesota is also 7-1-2 ATS in their last 10 road games. With the Rams’ O-line issues and Minnesota’s pass rush, I see this as a rebound game for the Vikings.

UPDATE: After doing more research I’m switching sides. The Vikes are coming off of playing Detroit and are on short rest. Additionally, almost 90% of the public money is on Minnesota but the line hasn’t budged. Smells like a trap I’m avoiding.

Best Bet: Rams +3 ✅

Thanks for reading our Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 8.

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