Ravens vs. Chargers Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy DraftKings for SNF
The Sunday Night Football matchup this week should be a fun one, with a Super Bowl contender in the Baltimore Ravens (8-3) traveling to face a Los Angeles Chargers team (4-6) that always seems to play close games they often find unique ways to lose them.
There are also a number of solid DFS options between the teams, and we've put together an optimal lineup if you're doing a matchup solely between those teams on DraftKings.
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QB: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens ($7,700)
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You could go with either Justin Herbert or Lamar Jackson here and it wouldn't be a terrible option, but Jackson gets the nod for one reason in particular—the Ravens defense has been the second stingiest unit against opponents in fantasy football this season.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have been the second friendliest defense against opposing quarterbacks. So left with the choice between two legitimate QB1 options, go with the better matchup, which in this case is Jackson.
RB: Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers ($8,100)
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You need to start two running backs, Austin Ekeler is the best option available and you'll have the budget to make up for his hefty price. He's an obvious selection. Moving along.
RB: Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens ($6,200)
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Gus Edwards somewhat quelled the talk of a potential Keaton Mitchell uprising last week, rushing 12 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns while adding two receptions for eight yards. His 14 touches trumped Mitchell by five (eight carries for 33 yards, one catch for eight yards), though the two had nearly identical snap counts:
Edwards is the player more likely to get the short-yardage and goal-line touches, making him the player you want to start in your lineups out of this backfield platoon. Mitchell is a threat to break off a big play at any time, but Edwards' touchdown consistency keeps his ceiling just as high.
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Wide Receivers and Flex
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OK, here's where it gets weird.
You're going to start Keenan Allen ($8,800). Duh. But after that, a bunch of players come into Sunday with questionable designations.
If healthy, you want to start Zay Flowers ($5,600) and Odell Beckham Jr. ($3,800) as your two other starting wideouts. For one, the Chargers give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts each week, while the Ravens give up the fourth fewest.
But it's also really, really hard to trust any Chargers' wideouts behind Allen since the injuries to Mike Williams III and Joshua Palmer. Quentin Johnston ($4,000) has been unreliable all season and dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass last week. Plus, you won't have the budget for him in a lineup that allows you to start Jackson, Ekeler, Edwards and Allen.
But while Johnston has been meh, Jalen Guyton ($3,300) turned six targets into four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 10 before a groin injury kept him out of action last week. If he's healthy, he's a better flex option than Johnston.
If Flowers, Beckham or Guyton can't go, that's where things could get tricky. If Flowers is out, you can go with Mitchell ($4,900) at the flex and go cheap at wideout. If Flowers is available but Beckham or Guyton can't go, you probably want to roll with Nelson Agholor ($3,100), who has similar numbers to Rashod Bateman ($3,200) this year but two more touchdowns. That gives him slightly more upside as your backup plan.
You could also swap Jackson for Herbert ($7,300) at quarterback and have enough budget for Johnston, or make a change at defense (more on that later). But giving up upside at quarterback for a disappointing player like Johnston doesn't feel like the right allocation of resources.
TE: Donald Parham Jr., Los Angeles Chargers ($3,100)
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This is a total coin flip since Mark Andrews isn't available, but Parham's four touchdowns on the season gives him enough upside to warrant the spot, especially with Gerald Everett questionable heading into Sunday. The money-makers are at different positions in this matchup, so Parham makes sense as a cheap selection.
D/ST: Baltimore Ravens ($3,100)
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The Ravens average 2.6 more DFS points per week than the Chargers on defense and it's only costing you $200 more. In this lineup construction you already have $300 to spare, so it's a fine expenditure.
If you need to get creative around wideout or flex, however, you can save some money by going with the Chargers defense. Chances are, it won't cost you too much in a game that probably will be a bit of a shootout anyway. But the Ravens are the better choice.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
