NFL Week 8 gets underway with a Thursday Night Football showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are listed as 3.5-point home favorites, while the total sits at 44.5 points.
Both of these teams entered the season with playoff aspirations, but both have some work to do. The Vikings are currently sitting at 3-3, putting them in last place in the highly competitive NFC North. They’re still playing without starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and they may regret their decision to let Sam Darnold walk in free agency.
The Chargers got off to a phenomenal start this season, but they’ve dropped three of their past four games. That puts them at 4-3, tied with the Chiefs in the AFC West and one game behind the Broncos.
Let’s dive into all the top DFS options for Thursday Night Football.
NFL DFS Stud Picks
This game is a bit light on star power, but Justin Jefferson is still one of the top receivers in football. He hasn’t had his best production in 2025-26, but he’s had to deal with subpar quarterback play for most of the year.
That said, Jefferson has seen a clear uptick with Carson Wentz under center of late. He has double-digit targets in three straight games, and he’s gone for at least 123 yards in three of them. Despite failing to score a touchdown over that stretch, Jefferson has still posted games of 25.6 and 22.3 DraftKings points.
Jefferson has commanded elite utilization all season. He has a 30% target share, and he has 41% of the team’s air yards. He also has 31% of the end zone targets, even though it has only resulted in one touchdown.
That makes Jefferson a player who could continue to improve as the season progresses. Not only is he getting more opportunities with Wentz under center, but he should see some positive touchdown regression at some point as well. Jefferson has at least nine scores in three of the past four seasons, and the lone exception was when he was limited to just 10 games played.
The Chargers stand out as a bit of a mixed bag from a matchup standpoint. They’re currently 10th in pass defense EPA, and they’ve allowed the eighth-fewest PPR points per game to opposing receivers. However, their defense hasn’t been quite as strong in recent weeks: they’re 29th in pass defense EPA since Week 4.
Ultimately, Jefferson has the top ceiling projection among the non-quarterbacks by a pretty substantial margin. He is very expensive, but on a slate without a ton of studs, he’s certainly worth considering.
Justin Herbert is the other stud option, though his production hasn’t been stud-like for most of the year. He erupted for 30.92 DraftKings points vs. the Chiefs in Week 1, but he followed that up with five straight games of fewer than 20 fantasy points.
Herbert did manage to bounce back with a monster performance in Week 7, racking up 32.9 DraftKings points vs. the Colts. However, that was a game where the Chargers trailed throughout, and he attempted 55 passes. That was the third-highest volume of his entire career, and it blew away his previous best since Jim Harbaugh took over as coach.
The good news is that the Chargers have been far more pass-heavy overall this season. They’re currently second in the league in Pass Rate Over Expectation, with only the Chiefs edging them out in that department. It gives Herbert a pretty safe weekly floor, even if he isn’t going to attempt 50+ passes very often.
Unfortunately, Herbert will have to navigate one of the toughest possible matchups this week. The Vikings are third in the league in pass defense EPA, and they’ve allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs.
Still, $10,400 is a very reasonable price tag for a QB in the showdown format, and Herbert leads all players in projected Plus/Minus on this slate. He’s also popping in the optimal Sim Labs lineups more than 75% in the FLEX spot. Ultimately, Herbert could be a little overvalued at Captain, but he’s tough to avoid altogether.
NFL DFS Midrange Picks
Wentz will make his fifth start of the year for the Vikings, and he’s unsurprisingly fared pretty well in Kevin O’Connell’s QB-friendly system. We’ve seen Kirk Cousins and Darnold post huge numbers in that system in the past, and Wentz has averaged 268.0 passing yards in his four outings.
Like Jefferson, his biggest issue has been a lack of touchdowns. He’s thrown just five passing TDs to four interceptions, and he has just one passing TD over his past two starts.
O’Connell has not been afraid to let Wentz air it out. He’s attempted at least 42 passes in two of his past three outings, and he’s responded with 300+ yards in both contests. The Vikings are underdogs in this matchup, so Wentz could be looking at another sizable workload on Thursday night. His efficiency with those throws remains a question mark, but there’s plenty of upside here.
With Aaron Jones currently on IR, Jordan Mason has solidified his spot atop the Vikings’ RB depth chart. That said, he hasn’t quite been a bell-cow. He’s played on 67% of the team’s snaps in four games without Jones, and he’s handled 71% of the rushing attempts.
Mason’s biggest calling card for fantasy purposes is his short-yardage role. Even before Jones went down with an injury, Mason was getting nearly all the opportunities around the goal line. That gives him solid touchdown-scoring upside in most weeks. The Chargers have also been vulnerable against the run this season, ranking 27th in rush defense EPA.
Unfortunately, Mason has seen almost none of the pass-catching work out of the Vikings’ backfield. He’s played more in long-yardage situations following the injury to Jones, but he still has just a 5% target share for the year. He’s failed to earn a target in two of his past four contests, so he’s providing virtually nothing in that department.
That makes him a game script-dependent option with a wide range of outcomes. If the Vikings can keep this game close, Mason has plenty of upside against the Chargers’ subpar run defense. If they fall behind, Mason could fall out of the game plan entirely.
The Chargers have a trio of receivers who have all delivered solid fantasy production this season: Quentin Johnson, Keenan Allen, and Ladd McConkey. McConkey entered the year expected to lead the team in receiving, but the other two have been the superior fantasy options so far. Johnston’s average of 16.2 PPR points per game ranks 10th at the position, while Allen is slightly behind in 11th. McConkey is all the way down in 33rd at 12.4.
That said, McConkey is clearly trending in the right direction. He’s scored at least 14.9 DraftKings points in three straight games, and he’s coming off a massive 15 targets last week. That was good for a 26% target share, which was his best mark since Week 1. He outpaced both Allen and Johnston from a target standpoint in that contest, and as the cheapest of the trio, he leads the group in projected Plus/Minus on Thursday.
Allen racked up 14 targets last week, so he was also extremely involved. He still leads the team with a 25% target share for the year, and he’s been pretty consistent. He has double-digit fantasy points in five of seven games, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in four of them.
Johnston is the most volatile of the group. His target share can fluctuate, but he is the team’s clear big-play threat at the position. His Average Depth of Target (aDOT) is more than 3.5 yards higher than both Allen and McConkey, and he leads the team with five receiving touchdowns.
Allen has had the best correlation with Herbert this season (+0.82), so he makes for the most logical stacking candidate. Interestingly enough, McConkey has actually posted a negative correlation with his quarterback, though it’s not over a massive sample.
Jordan Addison is the No. 2 receiver for the Vikings, and he’s a very talented player in his own right. His aDOT is slightly higher than Jefferson’s, so he’s more of a downfield threat. Addison racked up 44% of the team’s air yards last week, and he also commanded a 30% target share.
Addison has gone for 100+ yards in two of his three outings, and he has a touchdown in the lone exception. As a result, he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in all three games. His salary hasn’t budged over that time frame, so he stands out as an excellent value in our NFL Models.
The injuries continue to pile up at RB for the Chargers. They were already down both Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, and Hassan Haskins will join them on the sidelines on Thursday.
That leaves Kimani Vidal as the team’s clear top running back vs. the Vikings. He had already occupied that role over the past two weeks, logging 66% of the snaps and 71% of the carries, but Haskins has siphoned off a solid chunk of work. With him now out of the picture, Vidal could be a true bell-cow in this contest.
It makes him a clear value at just $7,000. Only Herbert has a better projected Plus/Minus on this slate, and no player is showing up in the optimal lineup simulations at Captain more frequently.
Orande Gadsden is another mouth to feed in the Chargers’ passing attack. He started the year as a backup, but the rookie TE has taken on an increasingly large role as the year has progressed. He’s had a route participation of at least 77% in back-to-back games, and he’s racked up a 20% target share in those contests. Those are fantastic numbers for a tight end.
Gadsden has posted a positive Plus/Minus in both contests, and he broke out with a monster game in Week 7. He finished with 32.4 DraftKings points, and his 164 receiving yards were the top mark by a tight end so far this season.
It’s easy to get excited about his prospects moving forward, and he grades out well in our NFL Models. That said, his target share was just 18% last week. If Herbert doesn’t throw the ball 50+ times in this contest, his production could come crashing back to reality.
NFL DFS Value & Punt Picks
- Defenses & Kickers – These options are always in play in the single-game format. The kickers have the best projected Plus/Minus marks of the group, and Cameron Dicker appears the most undervalued in Sim Labs. His optimal lineup rate checks in at 29.0%, while his projected ownership is closer to 25%.
- T.J. Hockenson ($4,800 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel) – Hockenson was once considered one of the top tight ends in fantasy. However, he hasn’t had the same level of production this season. He’s been asked to do a lot more blocking than usual, which has hampered his ability to get downfield. His aDOT is a paltry 5.0 yards, while his target share sits at 19%. That’s not a particularly appealing combination, though his reduced price tag keeps him viable.
- Jalen Nailor ($3,600 DraftKings, $4,600 FanDuel) – Nailor is the Vikings’ No. 3 receiver, and he’s on the field pretty frequently. His route participation has dipped to 62% since Addison returned to the lineup, but he still has a respectable 13% target share in those contests.
- Zavier Scott ($3,200 DraftKings, $3,800 FanDuel) – Scott has served as Mason’s backup recently. He’s been a bit more involved as a pass-catcher – he’s been targeted on 23% of his routes run over the past four games – so he could benefit if the Vikings get in a trailing game script.
- Tre’ Harris ($3,000 DraftKings, $3,200 FanDuel) – Harris was a second-round pick for the Chargers in 2025, but with a crowded depth chart ahead of him, he hasn’t had a ton of opportunities as a rookie. His best performance unsurprisingly came with Johnston sidelined in Week 6; otherwise, he’s averaged 2.2 PPR points across his other six outings.
- Nyheim Hines ($200 DraftKings, $1,000 FanDuel) – With Haskins sidelined this week, Hines could take on a larger role. He was elevated from the practice squad following the injury to Hampton, though he’s yet to see much playing time. He has a proven skill set as a pass-catcher, so he could see work in those situations in particular. That would give him some appeal at a minimum price tag.
Pictured: Justin Jefferson
Photo Credit: Imagn
