Thursday Night Football Seahawks at Bears
First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! It is the last Thursday night game for the 2024 NFL regular season.
The fantasy football season has ended for many managers who didn’t make it this far into the playoffs. With the holiday season being the main focus this week, we get it if you’ve checked out. But there are many other ways to keep football exciting, and tonight’s game is an excellent example of that. Building a lineup is as fun as playing the slots, and can enhance your game experience. In this article, I’ll point out some DFS value picks to help build your team around.
Game Preview
This Thursday night’s matchup features the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) traveling to take on the Chicago Bears (4-11) in an NFC matchup. The Seahawks are on the brink of elimination as they are the 9th seed in the NFC and are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. They need two things to happen to be able to achieve their playoff aspirations and clinch the 7th seed. First, they must win against the Bears, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to lose against the Carolina Panthers this week. On the other hand, the Chicago Bears relished their offseason hype by drafting quarterback Caleb Williams, surrounding him with offensive weapons, and establishing a solid defense. However, their record does not support those of a well-rounded team. All the Bears can do is play their hearts out in their last game of the season, especially that it is a home game and end the season on a high note. Tune in at 8:15 pm EST only on Amazon Prime and your local channel (local broadcast area).
DFS Value Picks
$11,000 Fanduel
Charbonnet is a solid running back who can carry a backfield by himself, as we have seen numerous times. The reality is that he is a compliment to Kenneth Walker III and usually splits the backfield with the veteran when healthy. Charbonnet always has the potential to produce solid fantasy points for team owners, especially out of the backfield, where he is proficient in pass-catching.
Charbonnet looks to be in line to receive most of the running back workload in Week 17 against the Bears. With Kenneth Walker III (ankle) dealing with another injury, Charbonnet has delivered high-end fantasy output in each of his four starts in relief of Walker this season. The highlight of those starts was a 38.3 PPR fantasy point outburst in Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite only logging four starts and receiving limited volume in his other games this season, Charbonnet is the RB26 on the season. He should have solid running lanes all night long and will continue to be a significant factor in the passing game as well. Charbonnet has been banged up this week with an elbow injury. However, he has been practicing fully and appears to be in good shape to receive a heavy workload in a must-win game for Seattle.
$7,500 Fanduel
Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant is not a player you can trust to lead your team to a fantasy championship this week, but he is a value pick in DFS. Fant has been a prominent part of the Seattle offense all season. He usually is the third option in the vertical game behind D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Fant is a solid option in DFS leagues as he faces a favorable matchup against the Bears.
The Chicago Bears are middle-of-the-road against opposing tight ends in fantasy. Fant receives solid target volume in Seattle’s offense, but his yardage is often capped, and his touchdown upside is limited. Rookie tight end AJ Barner seems to be the team’s preferred tight end target in the red zone, also a underdog pick tonight. Fant has earned at least four targets in seven straight games.
$12,000 Fanduel
Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen has produced a lot of fantasy points over the past few weeks, and I’m excited for him to end the season again. He has impressed me over the course of the latter part of the year, recording multiple touchdowns and consistently scoring double-digit points for fantasy owners.
Allen has been a touchdown machine lately, and he has a good chance to return to the end zone during Thursday night’s contest against the Seahawks. Allen has five touchdowns in his last five games. While most of Allen’s productivity can be attributed to his sudden spurt of touchdowns, we can’t ignore that he has been a high-volume option for Caleb Williams, racking up nine receptions and 141 yards against the Detroit Lions in Week 16. As it stands, Allen may be the most dependable fantasy option in Chicago.
$8,000 Fanduel
Kmet is a sneaky sleeper that can produce a solid number of points during any week. He is known for finding soft spots in the defense and capitalizing on that. It wouldn’t surprise me if he recorded a handful of receptions against the Seattle defense in a good matchup. The 25-year-old ranks 14th among fantasy tight ends in 2024, but most of his production has come from outlier games. Through 15 contests, he has posted double-digit fantasy points (PPR) just thrice. Fantasy managers can justify benching or even dropping the 25-year-old as fantasy championships arrive and Kmet remains a non-factor. In DFS, he’s a somewhat of a bargin, and a decent add to your roster build in daily fantasy.
Prediction
The Seattle Seahawks will defeat the Chicago Bears 34-31 to end the regular season.
