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Chiefs vs Chargers
By Matt Morrison (@dynastyjerk)
There hasn’t been a Thursday Night game that I have been more excited for all season. Not only should this be a fantastic real life football game, but it has major fantasy implications because it is the first game of the Dynasty Owner playoffs. I will get into this more later, but there aren’t many offensive players from each team that I would not want to start. Before I get too excited about Week 15, let me recap the Value of the Game (VOTG) from last week.
Value of the Game Recap
Last week I wrote my article with the thought that there was virtually no chance Dalvin Cook would suit up. That was ultimately a wrong assumption and one that affected my VOTG. I picked Alexander Mattison to be that player. Unfortunately for everyone who has Mattison on their Dynasty Owner roster, he was a non-factor in this game as he only had six rushing attempts and zero receptions. By contrast, Cook played and had his best fantasy performance of the season to the tune of 41.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. Instead, the night’s biggest value was K.J. Osborn. Osborn was given increased usage due to Adam Thielen’s ankle injury. Osborn and Kirk Cousins connected on a 62 yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. That all but guaranteed he would be the Value of the Game as he has a salary of $890,693.
| Week 14 Actual | Salary | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| K.J. Osborn | $890,693 | 3 | 83 | 1 | 17.3 |
What To Watch For
As I mentioned earlier, I want just about every offensive piece that I can get in this game. The hope for all Dynasty Owners with a player in this game is that it turns into a shootout and the game gets out of hand early. Both teams scoring at least four touchdowns is not out of the realm of possibility. I look for both Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes to have multiple touchdowns. I look for the game’s top receiving options (Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce) to all have over five receptions. Finally, I look for neither defense being able to be on the field continuously. I think scores will happen early and often tonight which will only provide little rest for both defenses.
A current line of Chiefs -3 seems a little generous to me especially with them being on the road. I would pick the Chargers to cover the spread. What I don’t think is generous is the number of points Vegas assigned to the over/under. It is currently at 52. I like this game to go over and be closer to the 54-55 point range. Like most of you reading, I hope this doesn’t turn into a defensive struggle as I have several high profile players in this game.
Starters
I would be comfortable starting every player on this list. There aren’t many players left off…
Justin Herbert ($6,644,688)
Patrick Mahomes ($45,000,000)
Austin Ekeler ($6,125,000)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($2,705,393)
Darrel Williams ($1,600,000)
Keenan Allen ($20,025,000)
Mike Williams ($15,680,000)
Tyreek Hill ($18,000,000)
Jared Cook ($4,500,000)
Travis Kelce ($14,312,500)
Bench
Jalen Guyton ($540,000)
Mecole Hardman ($1,248,763)
As you can see, I am confident there will be a lot of scoring and moving the ball down the field tonight. The only players who I would not consider starting are the third receiving options for each team.
Value of the Game
I struggle with this prediction more than any other that I have done this year. The struggle isn’t because of a lack of talent to project scoring. Rather, the struggle comes from a lack of cheap salary options in this game. With great weapons come great salaries. For this reason, I will once again be taking a Bench player as my VOTG. While I am not predicting it, all it would take is a single play from Jalen Guyton to make him the best value. Because of his low salary, virtually any touchdown or big play will give him the title for the matchup. Here is how I think his night will end up…
| Week 15 Projection | Salary | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Jalen Guyton | $540,000 | 2 | 64 | 0 | 8.4 |
There’s no doubt that this isn’t the sexiest prediction I’ve ever made for Thursday Night Football, but if it hits, it will give Guyton the VOTG. This is what a salary of $540,000 does for an explosive player.
Thank you all for reading. Take care and be safe.
TheJerk