The Falcons and Panthers kick off Week 10 on Thursday Night Football. These two NFC South squads just played each other in a wild Week 8 game that saw the Falcons escape with a 37-34 overtime win, and if Thursday night's game is anything close to what we saw a couple of weeks ago, NFL DFS players will be in a treat. This matchup might not wow the casual fan, but there are talented offensive players on both teams, which should help those in FanDuel single-game contests put together competitive lineups.
Before we break down our picks, here are the notable scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the "MVP" is multiplied by 1.5, but he doesn't cost any additional money like the "Captain" in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel's default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDs, and there are no bonuses for 300-yard/100-yard games like on DraftKings.
MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How to win a FanDuel single-game contest
FanDuel Single Game DFS Picks: Falcons vs. Panthers Week 10 Thursday Night Football
$60,000 budget, need at least one player from each team
MVP (1.5x points): RB Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons ($14,000)
Patterson made his long-awaited return last week against the Chargers after missing the previous four weeks with a knee injury, scoring 17.8 FanDuel points thanks to two rushing touchdowns. Even though he only had 44 yards on 13 carries, it was nice to see him back on the field. Patterson has a favorable matchup against the Panthers, who allow the third-most FanDuel points per game (25.7) to RBs this season. Carolina's defense got embarrassed by Bengals standout RB Joe Mixon last week, who had five total touchdowns. Patterson doesn't have that high of a ceiling, as he shares the backfield with Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley. However, he can score at least 20 FanDuel points in this prime-time contest.
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FLEX QB Marcus Mariota, Falcons ($17,000)
The veteran quarterback had one of his lowest-scoring performances last week against the Chargers (7.56 FanDuel points), but it was due to the Falcons' ground attack making plays. Mariota should be back in the 15-point range on Thursday against this inconsistent Panthers' defense. In their first meeting in Week 8, he scored 24.42 FanDuel points. Carolina's defense allows 16.8 FanDuel points per game to QBs this season, and if the Falcons running game can keep the offense balanced, Mariota will have some opportunities in the passing game.
FLEX RB D'Onta Foreman, Panthers ($11,000)
Foreman did not do much in last week's blowout loss (3.1 FanDuel points), as Carolina was playing from behind for most of the game. However, even with the return of Chuba Hubbard (ankle), Foreman should play better this week against a Falcons' defense, that he torched for a season-high 31.8 FanDuel points (118 yards and three TDs on 26 carries) in Week 8. The vet won't have another 26 carries on Thursday, but he should see at least 15 rushes, which is more than enough for him to pay off his salary.
FLEX WR Terrace Marshall Jr., Panthers ($9,000)
With Robbie Anderson in Arizona, Marshall has blossomed as the Panthers' No. 2 WR. Over the past two weeks, the second-year wideout has posted 10.7 and 12.8 FanDuel points, respectively. He scored his first career touchdown in last week's game against the Bengals and has been targeted 15 times over the past two games. We should see more targets coming toward Marshall's way, as the Falcons' defense allows the second-most FanDuel points per game to WRs (37.4) this season.
FLEX TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons ($8,500)
Pitts has not lived up to his preseason expectations thus far because of injury and not getting the ball in the Falcons' run-centric offense. However, that should not deter DFS players from putting Pitts in their single-game lineup, as he played well against this Panthers' defense in Week 8. In their first meeting, Pitts posted a season-high 16.5 FanDuel points. Carolina's defense has done well covering tight ends, only giving up 8.6 FanDuel points per game, but Pitts is a matchup nightmare and Mariota knows he has to get him involved for this offense to succeed.
