The 10-5 Baltimore Ravens travel to Houston to take on the 9-6 Texans for a Netflix Christmas Christmas special at 4:30 pm EST. The Texans are coming off a loss last Saturday against the 14-1 Kansas City Chiefs, as they suffered a brutal season-ending injury with wide receiver Tank Dell.
The Ravens are coming off a dominant win against the 10-5 Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday and are looking to take the AFC North with a win. Houston will likely remain the AFC South winner regardless of a win or loss due to their win over the 7-8 Indianapolis Colts, who are fighting for a wildcard spot.
Ravens vs. Texans DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players that we are leaning on heavily in this game. These players are in a good spot to put together a solid performance and have a favorable matchup.
Lamar Jackson ($8K DraftKings, $8.6K Fanduel)
Regardless of salary, Lamar Jackson is worth putting in most lineups. Although the Texans have a deadly pass rush duo with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, their secondary has been beaten up with Jalen Pitre out. While Derek Stingley Jr. has been shut down, the Ravens thrive off touchdowns to their tight ends and one-on-one mismatches, like deep plays to Rashod Bateman or Zay Flowers underneath. Jackson is on pace for a career year and could win his 3rd MVP this season.
Dalton Schultz ($4.1K DraftKings, $5.5K Fanduel)
While many will look to the high-priced Nico Collins, he will be the chalk and get a lot of attention from Marlon Humphrey. Baltimore’s secondary has been much improved in the past month or two, and I would look toward Dalton Schultz instead at a cheaper cost. He will be the number two target for the Texans and could end up catching a touchdown in Houston. The Ravens have been exploited by tight ends in the past as well. A double tight-end play with Schultz and either Mark Andrews or Isaiah Likely makes sense for this game.
Ravens vs. Texans DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.
Zay Flowers ($6.4K DraftKings, $7.5K Fanduel)
Zay Flowers, who was questionable with a shoulder injury, is active for this game. However, it could be a heavy dose of the run game and Bateman has been Jackson’s guy on big plays. It would take a intermediate crosser that Flowers would take to the house for him to pay off. While he gets the manufactured touches underneath, it does make it touchdown equity a bit lower than the tight ends.
CJ Stroud ($6K DraftKings, $7.3K Fanduel)
With no Tank Dell and a few offensive line injuries, I would fade CJ Stroud despite a chance for garbage time passing volume if the Ravens lead early in this game. He will be popular due to saving salary but there could be a chance the Baltimore defense blankets him like they have in the past.
Total Apex Lock
Derrick Henry ($8.2K DraftKings, $9.2K Fanduel)
Based on his history with Houston when he was a Tennessee Titan, Derrick Henry should go off like he has in the past against the Texans. Now with Baltimore, Henry is coming off a massive game against the Steelers and it could be another heavy workload for him with no Justice Hill, who is out with a concussion. The way the Ravens can limit the Texans pass rush is with the run game, including more usage for Henry and Jackson’s legs on the ground.
Total Apex Fade
Joe Mixon ($7.7K DraftKings, $8K Fanduel)
While Joe Mixon has been great at times, he has been nutralized recently against tougher run defenses like the Chiefs last week. Now, he faces the top unit against the run in the Ravens. Although the Texans are at home, I don’t think they will have a lead early for Mixon to thrive. Most likely, it would be a Ravens early lead and then Houston will have to catch up and throw. The one caveat is that Mixon does have most of the touchdown equity near the goaline and can catch a few passes. It would take some massive runs and breakaways away from Baltimore’s defense due to poor tackling.
