Through two weeks, we have a clearer picture of how the Texans will employ their stable of veteran running backs. Mark Ingram is the starter with 40 rushing attempts after having just 72 all of last year with the Ravens. Phillip Lindsay is the change-of-pace back, while David Johnson has won the job on pass-catching downs. All three have found the end zone this season, so there’s appeal with each of them for your Thursday Night Football NFL DFS lineups.
Ingram’s production has resulted more from quantity than quality, so can you confidently make him one of your NFL DFS picks against the Panthers’ No. 1 defense? As for Lindsay and Johnson, they have boom-or-bust potential, so how should they factor into your NFL DFS strategy? Before locking in any NFL DFS picks for Thursday Night Football on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy football picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a predictive data engineer and pro DFS player with almost $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action in every game, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to Texans vs. Panthers and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Panthers vs. Texans
One of McClure’s top NFL DFS picks for Thursday is Texans receiver Brandin Cooks, who is coming off a 9-78-1 stat line versus the Browns. That performance came on the heels of Cooks lighting up the Jaguars in Week 1 with five grabs for 132 yards.
Cooks has averaged 129.3 receiving yards over his last four games while also scoring four touchdowns over that span. Cooks has been targeted an astonishing 21 times this season, while no other Texan has been targeted more than six times. That shows the team’s reliance on him in the passing game, and he’s in line for another huge game on Thursday Night Football.
Part of McClure’s optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Carolina quarterback Sam Darnold, who had 305 passing yards and two touchdowns in Week 2. The former Jet has 584 passing yards on the season to go along with three touchdowns and just one pick.
With less pressure on him, the Panthers are getting the very best of Darnold, who has at least 275 passing yards in each game. This is just the second time in his career that he’s posted 275-plus yards in back-to-back games and has a strong shot at making it three in a row come Thursday Night Football.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Texans vs. Panthers
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Thursday Night Football. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So who is Mike McClure putting in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Panthers vs. Texans? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with nearly $2M in winnings, and find out.