Josh Allen, Sam LaPorta Top DFS Picks for Bills-Lions TNF — SkimNews
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- Josh Allen delivered 334 passing yards and 2 touchdowns plus 23 rushing yards and 2 scores in Week 1, and now faces a Lions defense that allowed Saints QB Tyler Shough 410 yards and 3 touchdowns — a matchup the source flags as exploitable on a short week.
- Sam LaPorta opened 2026 with 5 catches for 48 yards on 8 targets (second-most among all tight ends), including two red-zone looks, giving him weekly touchdown upside against a Bills team that allowed Houston tight ends 8 catches for 64 yards in Week 1.
- The Bills-Lions TNF game carries an over/under of 54.5 and kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET at the new Highmark Stadium, framing it as a high-total shootout that complicates DFS salary-cap decisions.
- DFS expert Mike McClure, with more than $2 million in career winnings, runs a model that simulates every snap using matchups, statistical trends, and injuries, and has finished tied for first in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million once.
- Sione Vaki is listed as Detroit's nominal replacement for injured back David Montgomery, while Bills receiver Josh Palmer scored in Week 1 — both cited as lower-salary options to offset stars.
- LaPorta played only 9 games in 2025 before back surgery cut his season short, but was on pace for a career-high 923 receiving yards before the injury, underscoring why the model still projects him as a high-ceiling Thursday play.
Why it matters: With a 54.5 over/under and a Lions defense that just gave up 410 passing yards to New Orleans on a short week, McClure's model is anchoring Thursday's DFS slate on Allen and LaPorta as high-ceiling cores, while Vaki and Palmer offer salary-cap relief under the cap.
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