A huge AFC North battle is upon us as Joe Burrow and the Bengals travel to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. It’s an actual quarterback matchup we want to watch on Thursday night! What a concept! Both teams are coming off losses and desperate to bounce back. Here are the bets and DFS plays I’m making tonight.
Best Showdown Options for Thursday Night Football
Captain’s Crown: TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens ($13,200)
Andrews went for 5/45/1 in Week 2 against Cincinnati and has seven touchdowns in ten career games against the Bengals. The Bengals’ defense has given up 15.7 DK points to tight ends on average this season, with only Denver and Houston conceding more per game. Opposing TE1s have averaged just over 100 yards per game against Cincinnati over the last three weeks. This is an absolute smash spot for Andrews.
Captain Consideration: WR Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals ($10,200)
You could place the captain’s crown on the worthy head of Ja’Marr Chase, but I’m going to take the discount I receive with Boyd. Tee Higgins is out once again, and Boyd saw twelve targets last week in his absence. Baltimore’s defense will pose more of a challenge for the Bengals than Houston did last week, but this is still a good spot for Boyd.
Flex Play: QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens ($10,800)
If I have to choose one quarterback to roster in this matchup, it’s Jackson. The Bengals have given up 19.4 DK points per game to opposing quarterbacks, including 22.9 in Week 2 to Jackson, which included two passing touchdowns and 54 yards rushing. Lamar will look to bounce back after throwing a season-high two interceptions against Cleveland last week.
Flex Play: RB Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens ($5,600)
Even though John Harbaugh seemed to forget about him after the first half, Mitchell still put up 13.6 DK points against Cleveland last week. Harbaugh says Mitchell will be even more involved this week against Baltimore, and the dynamic rookie costs $600 less to roster this week than last week. Gus Edwards’ touchdown streak will come to an end, and I’ll play the dynamic rookie instead.
Flex Follow-Up
- WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals ($11,000)
- QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals ($10,000)
- DST Baltimore Ravens ($4,600)
- K Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,000)
Bargain Bin: TE Tanner Hudson, Cincinnati Bengals ($2,600)
After getting called up from the practice squad prior to Week 9, Hudson has 10 catches on 12 targets in two games. Sure, there’s a carousel of tight ends for the Bengals, but I’ll ride the hot hands of Hudson this week. If you need to save more money because you went heavy at the top, use the dart throw below.
Dart Throw: TE Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals ($400)
Sample costs $2,200 less to roster than Hudson and $2,600 less than Irv Smith Jr., but he played the most snaps out of any Cincinnati tight end against Houston and has converted seven targets into five receptions over the past two games.
Best Bets For Thursday Night Football Week 11
Cincinnati will be in desperation mode, but it won’t be enough on a short week and on the road. Baltimore will be the first AFC team with eight wins, and the Bengals will slide farther into the AFC North cellar.
Final Score: Ravens 28, Bengals 17 (Baltimore -3.5, UNDER 45.5)
Prop Bets
- Keaton Mitchell OVER 35.5 rushing yards
- Mark Andrews to SCORE anytime touchdown