DFS Thursday Night Football Breakdown: Cardinals vs. Seahawks

Week 4 begins Thursday with the Cardinals hosting the Seahawks. Both teams are 2-1 heading into the matchup, which puts them one game behind the 49ers atop the NFC West. This divisional battle also brings a Thursday Night Football DFS slate. Let's dig into each position for the single-game contests on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Quarterback

This matchup brings two very different quarterbacks to choose from: Kyler Murray ($10,800 DK, $13,000 FD) can do damage with his legs, posting 107 rushing yards through three games this season, while Sam Darnold ($10,000 DK, $12,000 FD) has never run for more than 222 yards in a season over his career, but he does have a 70.3 percent completion rate through three games with his new team.

The key to deciding between these two quarterbacks is the defensive matchup. Both defenses have done a good job at limiting points, with the Cardinals allowing 17.0 points per game and the Seahawks allowing 15.7. However, the Cardinals have allowed the third-most passing yards per game in the league. The Seahawks have also generated five interceptions. In two games against the Seahawks last season, Murray was held to 25 rushing yards and was picked off three times. Despite Murray's rushing upside, Darnold is the more appealing option for this game.

Running Back

Zach Charbonnet ($5,400 DK, $6,800 FD) is officially listed as questionable after he sat out Week 3 with a foot injury. In his absence, Kenneth Walker III ($10,400 DK, $11,600 FD) recorded two rushing touchdowns and finished with 38 yards on 16 carries. While he is officially questionable, signs point to Charbonnet possibly returning after practicing this week. Even with him in the fold in Week 2, Walker ran for 105 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries against the Steelers. Charbonnet had a touchdown in Week 1, but he has run for just 57 yards on 27 carries. Walker has the highest upside of the two, but both are intriguing options.

The Cardinals have lost James Conner for the season after he suffered a foot injury in Week 3. He has been their leader in the backfield, receiving at least 200 carries in three of the last four seasons. Next up on the Cardinals' depth chart is Trey Benson ($8,800 DK, $9,200 FD), who was a third-round pick last year. During his rookie season, he averaged 4.6 yards on 63 carries. This season, he has averaged 6.0 yards on 21 carries. Serving as his backup moving forward should be Emari Demercado ($3,800 DK, $4,200 FD), who has played just eight offensive snaps this season. The Seahawks are a difficult matchup, but a leading role still makes Benson appealing.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

The clear top wide receiver option for this game is Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($11,000 DK, $13,000 FD), who has 22 receptions for 323 yards and one touchdown this season. He has accounted for 39.7 percent of the team's targets and 55.0 percent of their air yards. He also has an average depth of target of 12.2 yards. Behind him on the depth chart are Cooper Kupp ($7,000 DK, $7,400 FD) and Tory Horton ($5,800 DK, $5,400 FD). Kupp is a big name, but he has posted 31 or fewer receiving yards in two of three games this year, and his average depth of target is just 8.0 yards. Horton has produced a touchdown in back-to-back games, but he will be a risky option with his 11.0 percent target share. Still, given his cheaper salary, he might be worth the risk.

It has been a quiet start to the season for Cardinals' top wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. ($7,800 DK, $9,800 FD), who has 10 catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. He also had a big drop last week that could have improved his production. What's concerning is that he has been targeted on just 16.0 percent of his routes run this season. Given his salary, he comes with plenty of risk. There really isn't another wide receiver to be excited about on the Cardinals. Michael Wilson ($3,400 DK, $5,000 FD), Greg Dortch ($3,200 DK, $3,000 FD) and Zay Jones (concussion) have combined for just 16 targets through three games. Jones has been ruled out for this matchup, but that still doesn't leave Wilson or Dortch with much upside.

The receiving option that stands out for the Cardinals is tight end Trey McBride ($9,800 DK, $10,800 FD), who leads the team with 24 targets after leading them with 147 last season. In his two meetings with the Seahawks last season, he combined for 19 receptions for 203 yards on 29 targets.

The Seahawks don't funnel many targets to their tight ends, with AJ Barner ($2,800 DK, $4,400 FD) and Elijah Arroyo ($800 DK, $2,600 FD) having combined for 11 this season. Barner did score a touchdown in Week 2, but both should be considered as nothing more than dart throws.

Kicker

Chad Ryland ($4,800 DK, $6,200 FD) has missed two of his eight field goal attempts this season after converting 87.5 percent of his kicks last year. For his career, he is 7-for-10 on attempts of at least 50 yards. Jason Myers ($5,000 DK, $7,000 FD) went 9-for-12 on his attempts from at least 50 yards last season and has made both tries from at least that far this season. He has been a reliable option, making at least 83.3 percent of his field goal attempts in each of the last three seasons.

Defense/Special Teams

Scoring could be at a premium in this game with how well both defenses have played. However, the Cardinals ($4,400 DK, $6,000 FD) and Seahawks ($4,000 DK, $7,200 FD) have had favorable schedules. The three quarterbacks that the Cardinals faced this season were Spencer Rattler, Bryce Young and Mac Jones, while the Seahawks have played against Brock Purdy, Aaron Rodgers and Rattler. Both defenses will be tested more by the two quarterbacks in this game.