Jets vs. Browns Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy DraftKings for TNF

We've reached the end of the road, fantasy fans, at least for Thursday night action. The New York Jets will visit the Cleveland Browns for the final 2023 edition of Thursday Night Football.

The Browns have become more fantasy-relevant in recent weeks with Joe Flacco breathing new life into their passing attack. The Jets continue to yield mixed results, with the occasional good game from Breece Hall and/or Garrett Wilson providing managers with solid value.

It's going to be a fun way to kick off Week 17. Let's dive a bit deeper into the matchup and some of our top DFS plays for the TNF finale.

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While there's no guarantee that the Browns will hold serve at home on a short week, that seems like the likeliest outcome. Cleveland has plenty to play for—a win puts it in the postseason—while the Jets do not.

From a fantasy perspective, though, managers should tread carefully with Browns players. Flacco ($6.1K) is probably a safer QB option than Trevor Siemian ($4.9K) though neither has an ideal matchup.

The Jets have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, while the Browns have surrendered the fourth-fewest. Cleveland's defense has also performed much better at home, while Flacco is facing his former team and could have some tendencies exposed.

While Flacco is a serviceable sleeper in standard fantasy formats, neither QB is a great option for week-long DFS games.

It's a similar situation at wide receiver too. It's impossible to dismiss Cleveland's Amari Cooper ($7.2K) after he went off for 11 catches, 265 yards and two touchdowns last week, but both he and Wilson ($5.8K) are boom-or-bust plays for Week 17.

The Jets and Browns have allowed the fewest and third-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers, respectively.

Hall ($7.0K) is the clear top running back to roster in this matchup because of his workload. Cleveland tends to split carries between Kareem Hunt ($4.7K) and Jerome Ford ($5.3K) and the two serve different roles. Hunt gets the goal-line work, while Ford has the higher point-per-reception (PPR) ceiling.

A three-RB stack makes plenty of sense in this matchup, though. Hall should see plenty of all-around work, while New York has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Fans who enjoy watching individual matchups will get a great one on Thursday night. Cooper is rolling, but he'll likely face a heavy dose of Sauce Gardner this week. While Gardner hasn't generated as much buzz as he did as a rookie, he's still playing at an elite level.

Gardner has allowed an opposing passer rating of only 82.7 in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference.

Because of this matchup, managers should consider Elijah Moore ($3.9K) as a sleeper alternative—possibly replacing Hunt in the flex due to Hunt's touchdown dependency.

Moore has caught at least two passes in every game with Flacco under center. The two played in New York together, and there's a level of rust. If Cooper can't consistently break free, Moore could quickly become a go-to target for the Browns.

Flacco frequently turned to Moore in his first Cleveland start, and the young wideout caught four passes for 83 yards.

Moore will also be motivated to face the team that traded him in the offseason. That could potentially lead to a bit of a fantasy breakout for the 23-year-old. It's worth noting that the only 100-yard game of Moore's career came in 2021 with Flacco under center.

At tight end, Cleveland's David Njoku ($5.7K) is a far better option than New York's Tyler Conklin ($3.2K). Njoku has been Flacco's other go-to target, and he's having the best stretch of his career.

Though he was overshadowed by Cooper's record-setting day (franchise single-game receiving yards) last week, Njoku still caught six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. In the previous two weeks, he totaled 10 catches for 195 yards and three scores.

Managers shouldn't hesitate to put Njoku in their TNF lineups, and he's a strong play in week-long games. The heavy attention Cooper will draw could open things up for the 27-year-old tight end, and the Jets haven't exactly shut down the position anyway.

The Jets have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2023.

Conklin can pretty much be ignored in all formats because A.) he doesn't play a huge role in the Jets offense and B.) the Browns have very rarely allowed opposing tight ends to have big days.

For the season, Cleveland has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position. Conklin might salvage a start with a touchdown grab, but his floor is extremely low.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.

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