Thursday night kicks off Week #15 action in the NFL, and it features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the St. Louis Rams. The Vegas bookmakers have given the edge to the Rams, but it’s only a 1.5 point edge. Because the Rams have home field advantage, they are given a slight edge anyway, so this truly is anyone’s game. Let’s take a look at how things look from a daily fantasy sports perspective and see if we can find anything of value when you draft your fantasy football roster.
The big story of the 2015 season before the first game was Tampa Bay’s rookie quarterback, Jameis Winston. The number one draft pick was slated to have one of the best rookie seasons ever, and then disappointed right out of the gate. However, he has begun to turn his season around, and the fortune of the Bucs. The team is now 6-7, and has played far better in the last half of their season than they did their first half. It’s been quite the turnaround, and a lot of that is because of Winston. He’s averaging 235.4 yards per game on the season, and has been performing in cycles for the season. He certainly has potential, but he’s still too immature at his position to lead a team. He can be a great fantasy player, but when this will be more consistent is up in the air. It’s probably best to pass on him for your roster this week.
The other alternative at QB is the Rams’ Nick Foles. He has an average of 186.5 yards per game, which is far worse than Winston’s numbers, but has a better team of running backs to rely on. Another problem with Foles is that he has 10 interceptions on the season, which is an instant turnoff if you are thinking of picking up a cheap QB. Foles really isn’t a good choice, and going with Winston for Thursday night is the obvious choice.
The Rams have a great core of running backs to fall back on, and this is why they are such a strong team, comparatively. Todd Gurley in particular is a good choice as he has 975 yards on the season and 8 touchdowns on the season. He almost has 90 yards per game, as well, and as Foles keeps struggling, Gurley will keep seeing the ball in his hands more and more. With the weak defense of Tampa Bay, Gurley could have a monster game Thursday. He’s definitely worth a look, even if he is a bit overpriced. Paying a bit isn’t a problem if you’re going to get a return on your money, and that seems like a given with Gurley.
Other players to consider for this game include Tampa Bay wide receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson and St. Louis tight end Jared Cook. The thing about Cook is that he doesn’t have a single touchdown this season, though, although he is a top 15 TE when it comes to yards. If Foles has a decent game, that could change, though, giving Cook some underdog value for this particular game.
It’s probably not a good idea to go with either defensive unit for this game. The over/under for this game isn’t very high at 41.5 points, but both defenses are weaker than average and it’s not worth the risk. There are other opportunities that will be far better at not much more expensive on Sunday for you to choose from. Defenses don’t score a lot of fantasy points, but you are going to find better value elsewhere.
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