Our second Thursday night game of the 2021 NFL season sets up to be a far less exciting one. Tonight, the Washington Football Team, without their starting quarterback, squares off with the New York Giants in the nation’s capital. While it may not be the most exciting game, there’s still a handful of angles that provide a ton of value from a DFS perspective on SuperDraft given the multipliers.
Top three picks
Taylor Heinicke, QB, Washington Football Team (1.2x score multiplier)
After the crushing injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick that will have him sidelined for the foreseeable future, Heinicke stepped in, and frankly, he looked good doing it. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown as the Football Team attempted to come back against the Chargers. He gets a much softer secondary Thursday against the Giants. The Giants’ defense was just torched for over 250 yards and two touchdowns by Teddy Bridgewater.
The expectation is that the Football Team will rely on Antonio Gibson and the ground game tonight. However, it’s incredibly hard to leave a quarterback out of your build on a one-game slate. This makes Heinicke the preferred option with a better matchup and better multiplier.
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants (1.3x)
While the Giants’ loss was ugly in just about every facet, Shepard and his rapport with QB Daniel Jones was a lone bright spot. This isn’t anything new, either, as Shepard has averaged eight targets per game over the last two seasons with Jones at the helm, it’s simply been a matter of whether he’s on the field.
He replicated that rapport in Week 1, reeling in seven of nine targets for 113 yards and a touchdown. While the Giants’ ground game will have fits all day with the front seven of Washington, Jones should be looking Shepard’s way early and often in the slot when the pocket collapses. With a 1.3x multiplier, it’s hard to ignore the projected volume here.
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team (1.6x)
Thomas is not a sexy play by any means, but he showed that he had the immediate trust of Heinicke last week. Netting zero catches before he came into the game, Thomas finished with a 3-30-1 line and was the recipient of Heinicke’s only passing touchdown in the red zone.
As mentioned previously, it’s likely that the Football Team relies on the ground game, but Thomas should operate as a safety blanket for the backup QB whenever he is throwing, and given his role in the red zone, he has some nice upside at a 1.6x multiplier.
Champion rankings (with multiplier):
1. Taylor Heinicke (1.8x)
2. Sterling Shepard (1.95x)
3. Daniel Jones (1.65x)
4. Logan Thomas (2.4x)
5. Antonio Gibson (1.5x)
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
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