Jaguars vs. Saints Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy DraftKings for TNF
Week 7 will open with another Thursday night game, and this one should be good. The 3-3 New Orleans Saints will host the 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars in a pivotal contest for both teams.
There are some injury questions heading into this one, as Trevor Lawrence (knee), Ryan Ramczyk and James Hurst are among the players battling ailments. It should be a fun game, though, both for casual fans and daily fantasy sports (DFS) enthusiasts alike.
Below, you'll find some general DFS tips for Jags-Saints, along with some of our favorite plays for Thursday night.
Get the latest DFS values at DraftKings.
General DFS Tips for TNF
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The biggest piece of advice we can give this week is to wait as long as possible to set lineups. Lawrence may be able to go, but there's no guarantee that it won't be C.J. Beathard in for the Jags at kickoff.
"Jaguars' QB Trevor Lawrence told reporters today that he's 'optimistic' he will play Thursday night vs. the Saints, 'but of course we'll have to make that decision on Thursday.' Lawrence is dealing with a knee sprain," ESPN's Adam Schefter posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lawrence ($9.600) is the most expensive QB option in this matchup, but he's had a much higher floor than Derek Carr ($8.8K). While Lawrence has thrown a touchdown in five of six games and topped 200 yards in five of six, Carr has had two games with no touchdown passes and three with fewer than 200 yards.
At running back, it may be better to trust Orleans' Alvin Kamara ($10.4K) over Jacksonville's Travis Etienne Jr. ($10.2K). There isn't much of a price difference, and Kamara has an extremely high point-per-reception (PPR) floor.
Since returning from suspension in Week 4, Kamara has recorded 23 receptions and reached 84 scrimmage yards in every game.
The Saints have designated Jamaal Williams ($4.2K) for return from injured reserve, but even if Williams plays, it shouldn't significantly impact Kamara's PPR value.
That said, doubling up on Kamara and Etienne would be a terrific strategy for this week. The Saints haven't had a truly consistent receiver with Carr under center, and Lawrence's knee could create issues in the Jaguars' passing game.
Given the uncertainty at receiver, a three-RB stack—utilizing Williams as a budget flex option—could be the way to go in this game.
Trust Chris Olave This Week
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Saints wideout Chris Olave has had some down games this season, including a four-yard stinker in Week 4. However, there aren't a lot of dependable receiver plays in this matchup, and Olave is the most trustworthy.
After recording just three receptions and 16 yards between Weeks 4 and 5, Olave returned to form against the Houston Texans last Sunday. He caught seven passes for 96 yards in the loss.
Olave could have similar numbers against a Jaguars defense that has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts this season.
Valued at $9,000, Olave is the priciest receiver available for Thursday night. However, he's not substantially more expensive than Calvin Ridley ($8.4K), who has been even more up-and-down in 2023.
Ridley has logged two games with more than 100 receiving yards and four with 40 or fewer yards. Trust Olave as WR1.
Target Evan Engram at TE, Consider Brenton Strange for Value
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The Saints' Taysom Hill is the priciest tight end in this matchup at $6,200. He has some upside since the Saints tend to use Hill as a runner and a gadget quarterback. Hill is also coming off his best game of the season as a pass-catcher (seven receptions, 49 yards).
However, there's a lot of volatility with Hill, who has logged one or fewer receptions in every other game this year.
Jacksonville's Evan Engram ($5.8K) is a smidge cheaper and much more dependable. He has a tough matchup but a very strong PPR floor.
New Orleans has allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. However, Engram has been a regular piece of the passing puzzle, catching at least four passes in every game while averaging six receptions.
Alternatively, managers can consider Jaguars rookie Brenton Strange as an extreme budget play. At just $1,000, Strange could allow managers to load up on more expensive options like Kamara, Etienne and Olave.
There's some breakout potential with Strange, who had two receptions, 27 yards and a touchdown in Week 6.
*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.
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