Today’s Best Bets
Sam Choudhury
Finally, you can turn your sports knowledge into real cash by investing in an athlete’s entire career. Prices rise and fall with every hit, huddle, and headline — and you can buy and sell instantly or hold for as long as you want. Three times a week, FTN will feature a player and his Mojo value — is it time to buy, sell, hold or short? Click here to get in on the Mojo action.
We’re back.
Thanks to Isiah Pacheco’s 107 rushing yards on just 15 carries Sunday, my Mojo portfolio enjoyed an 8.09% increase in just one day. That puts us right back to even on our initial $1,000 investment.
With both the Thanksgiving and Sunday slates filled with fantastic matchups, now is the perfect opportunity to make up the difference in my FTN Company battle with Benny Ricciardi and Josh Gross.
Here is my investment plan for the fantastic three-game slate on Turkey Day.
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
It’s important to examine teams based on their most recent trends. Sometimes looking at the macro view of a season is completely misleading when compared to the most recent games. The Detroit defense is a perfect example.
Over the entire season, the Lions are allowing the eighth-most fantasy points (20.1) to opposing running backs, including the second-most touchdowns (12). However, over the past five games, Detroit ranks 22nd in fantasy points per game (15.8) and have allowed just three touchdowns. The Lions put forth their best defensive performance against the run this season, holding Saquon Barkley to just 22 yards on 15 carries (1.5 YPC).
New York did find success through the air, with quarterback Daniel Jones posting 341 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and two total touchdowns. Rookie wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson saw a season-high nine receptions with 100 receiving yards, and Darius Slayton added five catches for 86 receiving yards.
Now the Lions must face a Bills team that is already in Detroit, having traveled Saturday to play the Browns in Detroit due to the snow in Buffalo. They bring a much tougher offense than the Giants and provide several investment opportunities against the Lions. For Detroit, this will be a rough matchup against a Bills team that ranks third overall in DVOA per FootballOutsiders. Here are my favorite Mojo investments for the first game on Thanksgiving Day.
Gabe Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ dynamic wideout has resided in the shadows of Stefon Diggs but presents an explosive skill set that can post a huge performance indoors against Detroit. The Lions rank just 26th in DVOA against opposing WR2s, and Gabe Davis should draw great confidence from Robinson Sunday. After two disappointing weeks (WR61 and WR45), Davis has 17 targets the past two contests. Davis’ price at Mojo is at $13.51 per share, 2.57% below his average for the last month.
Isaiah McKenzie, WR, Buffalo Bills
Still only 27 years old, the most attractive part of Isaiah McKenzie’s Mojo profile is his price. He is currently just $4.50 per share and hit a career high of $5.89 per share Sept. 19 of this year. That was after posting seven receptions (on nine targets) with 76 receiving yards and a touchdown, equating to the overall WR10 performance for Week 3. McKenzie missed Thursday’s practice due to an illness, which directly affected his limited use in Sunday’s 31-23 win over Cleveland. This presents a nice “buy-low” spot for McKenzie, who would easily post a similar stat line to Week 3. The Lions improved run defense provides opportunities in the passing game, and I’m taking a shot on McKenzie to provide a nice ROI to start off the Thanksgiving slate.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
I don’t see a ton of value in this game, especially because I project Dallas to win comfortably against an injury-ravaged Giants roster. However, there is one player I am targeting in this game.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Dallas Cowboys
My one target would be Dallas tight end Dalton Schultz, who continues to see an increase in his snap share. Schultz has now posted consecutive weeks of at least an 80% snap share and should have big-play opportunities. Due to his injuries and limited usage, Schultz’ Mojo price has dropped from a preseason career high of $10.05 per share to the current value of $8.15 per share. We even see the benefit of a dip after last week’s limited usage, as a direct result of the Cowboys’ surprising blowout victory. While Tony Pollard has been an integral part of the offense the past few games, I still see enough opportunities for Schultz to turn a nice late-season profit for investors.
New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings
The last game on the slate provides the best investment opportunities. I see two players that are worth strong consideration to finish off a profitable Thursday.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
The 24-year-old Rhamondre Stevenson has taken over the backfield for the Patriots, one of the most favorable places to reside for weekly production. He has posted four consecutive games of top-12 fantasy running back output and is ready to catapult past his career-high Mojo price of $8.77 per share. Stevenson currently is trading at $8.65 per share and faces a Vikings defense that has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, including the sixth-most receiving yards per game. I’m all-in on Stevenson as a player with tremendous value in a plum matchup Thursday.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
The trade to Minnesota has been a huge positive for T.J. Hockenson, who has quickly ascended to second receiver option for the Vikings. He has seen 28 targets over the past three games, translating to 21 receptions. Both rank second during that time to Travis Kelce. Hockenson’s current price is trading around $10.84 per share, well-below his one-year high of $12.42 per share. His price has risen 0.80 cents since the trade and has plenty of room to grow. With a plum Week 14 matchup against Detroit, Hockenson is the one player on this slate I am looking to invest in for multiple weeks.
