The 7-1 Detroit Lions travel to Houston to play the 6-3 Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football this week. The Lions have been the best team in the NFC through their first eight games played thus far even though they lost superstar pass rusher Aiden Hutchinson against the Dallas Cowboys. The Texans have been up and down this season thanks to injuries and poor offensive line play. Here’s a look at the DFS slate for SNF this week.
Detroit Lions vs. Houston Texans DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players we are heavily leaning on in this game. These players are in a good spot to have a solid performance and a favorable matchup.
David Montgomery ($6,100 Draft Kings, $8,000 FanDuel)
Montgomery has been one of the studs with Jahmyr Gibbs creating the “Sonic and Knuckles duo” that has Detroit rolling on all cylinders at the moment right now. Montgomery has had a subpar couple of weeks for his standards these last three games, but the run game will be a major part of this game plan for Detroit on Sunday Night Football, I expect Montgomery to bounce back and find the end zone a couple of times this week.
Nico Collins ($7,900 Draft Kings, $8,800 FanDuel)
Nico Collins is returning from injury this week against Detroit’s weak pass defense. Collins was on track to top his 2023 season with Stroud before he got hurt a month ago. The No. 1 option for Houston will feast against the Lions’ secondary if the Texans’ offensive line gives Stroud time to throw this weekend. Collins has been averaging over 23 points per game in fantasy this season in the games he’s played in before the injury.
Detroit Lions vs. Houston Texans DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.
Joe Mixon ($7,700 Draft Kings, $9,000 FanDuel)
Joe Mixon has averaged 23.9 fantasy points on Draft Kings this season but Houston is facing the fifth-best defense against running backs this season in the Lions. The interior defensive line and linebackers for Detroit play the run so well. Mixon is going to be a downplay this week because Detroit will be able to take away the run effectively, especially in obvious run situations.
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($8,100 Draft Kings, $9,000 FanDuel)
Amon-Ra St. Brown has been an excellent play in DFS lineups ever since the Seahawks game as he has found the end zone in every game from that point until the present day. The “Sun God” will have a tough matchup this week against Derrick Stingley so I would hesitate to start him in daily fantasy on Sunday for the Detroit and Houston matchup.
Total Apex Lock of the Game
Jahmyr Gibbs ($7,100 Draft Kings, $8,400 FanDuel)
Gibbs has been one of the studs that has Detroit rolling on all cylinders at the moment right now. Gibbs has found the end zone in each of the last three games for the Lions up to this point and has been able to take advantage of the Detroit offensive line for big plays in this offense. The run game for the Lions will be electric once again on Sunday against the Texans and will be most thanks to Gibbs even against the 4th-ranked run defense.
Total Apex Fade of the Game
Tank Dell ($7,400 Draft Kings, $7,200 FanDuel )
With the return of Nico Collins for the Texans, Tank Dell’s opportunities will dwindle. The argument could be made that Dell could have more opportunity because the Lions will pay more attention to Collins, but the fact is that Stroud targets Collins a lot more than Dell when both guys are playing.
Dell finally had a productive day against the Jets where he had 6 receptions for 126 yards last Thursday, but expect a pedestrian day for the former Houston Cougar this weekend because of the lack of targets.
Conclusion
The Detroit Lions ball control style of play will put the Houston Texans in more obvious pass situations meaning the interior pass rush for the Lions will be able to get to CJ Stroud. The return of Nico Collins should help the passing game be more consistent at times for the Texans but the duo of Gibbs and Montgomery will be enough for the Lions to put them to 8-1 heading to the second-half stretch of the season. This game should be excellent and close this weekend if the offensive line for Houston holds up enough.
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