Week 8 kicks off with the Chargers hosting the Vikings on Thursday Night Football. The Chargers come in with a 4-3 record, while the Vikings are 3-3 and sit last in the NFC North. Let's dig into each position for the single-game contests on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Quarterback
The Chargers fell into a big hole early last week against the Colts, which forced Justin Herbert ($10,400 DK, $13,400 FD) to throw a lot as the team tried to play catchup. He finished with 55 pass attempts, which he turned into 420 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. After finishing with a modest 23 passing touchdowns last season, he already has 13 through the air this year. Meanwhile, the Vikings have allowed the 10th-most yards per pass attempt in the league, so Herbert has plenty of upside Thursday.
Carson Wentz ($9,000 DK, $11,400 FD), who will start in place of J.J. McCarthy (ankle) again, threw for 313 yards against the Eagles last week, but he had two interceptions and failed to throw for a touchdown. His results have been a mixed bag since taking over, throwing for over 300 yards twice but fewer than 240 in the two. He also has just five touchdowns to go along with four interceptions. The Chargers have only allowed seven touchdown passes across seven games, and they have given up the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt. Wentz might be facing an uphill battle in this matchup.
Running Back
The Chargers will need to continue to cobble together their backfield with Hassan Haskins (hamstring) joining their list of running backs who are out for this game. Not only does Kimani Vidal ($7,000 DK, $8,800 FD) have a clear path to carries, but he also has been targeted nine times over the last two games. Still, with all of the weapons that Herbert has at wide receiver and tight end, the Chargers could deploy a pass-heavy approach in this game. Vidal's salary is reasonable enough to warrant consideration, but his upside might still be limited.
While the Chargers are searching for options at running back, the Vikings could get Aaron Jones Sr. ($6,600 DK, $8,200 FD) back from his hamstring injury; he is officially listed as questionable. In his absence, Jordan Mason ($8,600 DK, $10,600 FD) led the way with 282 rushing yards and four touchdowns over four games. The Vikings could choose to ease Jones back into action if he plays, especially with how well Mason has performed. Of the two, Mason is the top option to target with the Chargers allowing the fifth-most yards per carry to running backs in the league.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
There will be no shortage of appealing wide receivers to choose from in this game. The highest upside comes with Justin Jefferson ($11,800 DK, $13,400 FD), who has been targeted at least 10 times in each of the last three games, piling up 22 receptions for 328 yards in that span. The only negative is that he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1. His teammate Jordan Addison ($7,400 DK, $8,400 FD) is available for a far cheaper salary and is also very appealing. Across three games since returning from suspension, he has 18 catches for 283 yards and one touchdown on 26 targets.
The Chargers have a stellar three-headed monster at wide receiver that is made up of Ladd McConkey ($7,600 DK, $7,800 FD), Keenan Allen ($7,800 DK, $10,200 FD) and Quentin Johnston ($8,000 DK, $9,200 FD). They all have similar salaries on DraftKings, which makes picking between them a little tricky. For those who want to chase big-play upside, take a chance on Johnston; he has an average depth of target of 12.2 yards and already has eight receptions of at least 20 yards. Last season, he had 12 catches of at least 20 yards across 15 games. That being said, McConkey might be the better value option on FanDuel.
T.J. Hockenson ($4,800 DK, $7,200 FD) remains the top tight end for the Vikings, receiving at least five targets in each of their last four games, although his 4.5 average depth of target led to no more than 49 receiving yards in a game during that time. Meanwhile, Oronde Gadsden II ($5,800 DK, $8,000 FD) has much more upside thanks to his 8.0 aDOT. While he was quiet early on, he has caught 14 of 17 targets for 232 yards and one touchdown over his last two games. He's the tight end to take a chance on in this matchup.
Kicker
Cameron Dicker ($5,400 DK, $6,400 FD) is a perfect 15-for-15 on field goal attempts for the Chargers. Since the start of the 2023 season, he is 17-for-21 on attempts of at least 50 yards. Will Reichard ($5,000 DK, $6,600 FD) has converted 13 of his 14 field goal attempts this year, including four of five from at least 50 yards.
Defense/Special Teams
The Chargers ($4,400 DK, $6,200 FD) and Vikings ($4,000 DK, $6,800 FD) both rank inside the top-half of the league in sacks. The Chargers have generated six interceptions, but the Vikings only have two picks. One of the most concerning stats for the Chargers' defense is that they have allowed 10 rushing touchdowns, which is the second-most in the NFL (Titans, 12). Meanwhile, the Vikings have only allowed four scores on the ground.
