3 Best NFL FanDuel Picks Plays for Commanders at Packers on Thursday Night Football

Two fun quarterbacks.

Two teams with Super Bowl aspirations.

Two teams that won easily in Week 1.

We could have another fun one tonight between the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders.

It doesn't hurt that I'm expecting points here, which means we can dabble in the spicy market for our FanDuel Picks lineups.

Which categories stand out to me for tonight's slate? Let's check it out.

What Is FanDuel Picks?

FanDuel Picks is a peer-to-peer fantasy game where you build a lineup of 3-6 athletes and select whether you believe each will reach “more” or “less” than their listed stat projection.

Enter your lineup into contests to compete against other players. Get enough picks correct and you’ll win a share of cash prizes.

FanDuel Picks NFL Plays for Commanders at Packers in Week 2

Austin Ekeler More Than 0.5 Touchdowns (Spicy Pick)

We all love Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and he had some fun runs in Week 1. His role should expand.

Austin Ekeler was still the lead back, though, and that's unlikely to change on a short week.

Ekeler led the team with a 51.6% snap rate, according to Next Gen Stats, and that was 59.1% through the first three quarters (before the game was salted away). He had 2 of 10 red-zone chances, as well, a part of the field in which he has always excelled.

Even with what I think are pretty modest projected usage rates for Ekeler, I have him at a 34.2% chance to score in my any-time touchdown model. That's high enough to include this in a lineup given the spicy label.

Tucker Kraft Less Than 37.5 Receiving Yards

Whenever the Packers are healthy, it's going to be tough to get Tucker Kraft up to a number this high. There are just too many mouths to feed, even if he is a talented player.

Kraft finished Week 1 with an 18.2% target share, which was 4 total targets due to the hyper-positive script. He was around there last year at 15.1%, and with that volume, he had less than 37.5 receiving yards in 11 of 18 games (including the playoffs).

Neither Dontayvion Wicks nor Jayden Reed carries an injury designation for this game, meaning they escaped Week 1 without an aggravation. There are enough guys on this team who can earn targets where we should lean toward the "less" category, and Kraft is my favorite candidate of the bunch.

Zach Ertz Less Than 31.5 Receiving Yards

Although it's not as crowded as the Packers', the Commanders' pass-catching room is deeper now. That could give Zach Ertz the squeeze after a great year last year.

The Commanders did not waste time in getting Deebo Samuel integrated last week as he led the team with 10 targets. After a long training camp holdout, Terry McLaurin had just four while Ertz had five.

McLaurin's role will rise as he gets more ramped up. Once that happens, he and Samuel are likely to control the lion's share of the team's looks. Ertz is the most likely guy to lose volume.

In that opener, Ertz had just 26 receiving yards, and he had less than 31.5 in 9 of 20 games last year. As McLaurin's volume rises, I think we're likely to see Ertz's FanDuel Picks stats start to decline, and I want to get ahead of that tonight.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.