It’s Thursday which means one thing (whether teams like it or not) - Thursday Night Football will happen. Neither team has been particularly impressive, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t starters, especially in deeper leagues, that can get you off to a great start this week. Likewise, there’s a few guys who should sit it out until next week. Let’s take a look.
Quarterback
Start?
Jared Goff
Surprisingly, Jared Goff has put up decent numbers. There’s a chance with a deep roster you could go to Jared and still put up fight. If you have the option though, I’d skip it. SF has a more competitive defense than they get credit for while Goff’s points came against Washington and Indianapolis.
Sit
Brian Hoyer
Let’s be honest, if Brian Hoyer is your starter you either have Antonio Brown & Julio Jones in your lineup, or you auto-drafted. Either way you’re not getting far with Hoyer in what is likely a low scoring game.
Wide Receiver
Start
Cooper Kupp
He’s a risky investment because of LA’s tendency to disappoint on offense. However, Kupp has become Goff’s favorite target and despite his slump last week against a decent secondary, Kupp has high PPR potential and injuries for the 49ers could lead to big plays in the middle.
Sit
Pierre Garcon
He’s SO tempting, especially in PPR due to the high volume targets. Carlos Hyde is the only player with the same amount of targets as Garcon. However, the Rams pass defense is top 5 currently and Hoyer is suspect in the passing game. Thursday night games are unpredictable so you might get lucky but the outlook is not good.
Running Back
Start
Todd Gurley
Coming off his best game since his rookie season, Todd Gurley is going against a team he historically plays very well against. He had a fumble bug last week and while that’s cause for concern, he also had 88 receiving yards and a TD with 48 receiving yards and a TD. He’s a definite start.
Carlos Hyde
Hyde has put up good fantasy numbers against Seattle and Carolina, two stout defenses that give up little on the ground. The Rams aren’t giving up huge chunks either so don’t expect a breakout but Hyde still presents a solid start in the run and passing game.
Defense/Special Teams
This is a coin flip. To be honest, both of these defenses are stronger than their records indicate. Neither team has an especially powerful passing attack but both running backs have big play ability. Traditionally I don’t start defenses on short weeks due to fatigue issues.