Week 7 of the NFL is back tonight, as the New England Patriots take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field tonight at 8:15.  The matchup is expected to be a shootout with two of the best offenses in the league facing off on primetime.  Both teams are coming off a win in week 6 with the Pats taking down the Jets 27-14, and the Bears holding off the Falcons to secure the 31-23 win.  The two teams face off tonight in what should be a great matchup.  

FanDuel TNF Showdown gives players a $60,000 salary to choose six fantasy players total, including one MVP whose points and salary are multiplied by 1.5x.  Here, we will dive into the best plays for tonight’s Thursday night matchup. 

Drake Maye, MVP 1.5x ($18,600)

Drake Maye gets our MVP nod for tonight’s FanDuel DFS Showdown.  Following a slow start to the season, Maye has been masterful these past three weeks.  He is averaging 292 yards passing yards through the air and has thrown a combined 10 touchdowns over the past three weeks.  

Maye and the Patriots face off against the Bears and will look to exploit the Bears with his deep ball against the Chicago defense, who favor man coverage. AJ Brown’s return to the lineup makes Maye a scary option as the MVP. 

A.J. Brown, AnyFLEX ($11,200)

Pats WR1 AJ Brown gets the greenlight as our first AnyFLEX spot stacking with Maye.  Brown was sidelined for four weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain Week 1 against the Seahawks. Brown returned last week against the Jets and immediately made his presence known by leading the Patriots in targets with 10.  

Brown hauled in three receptions for 27 yards last week, but should be poised for a big week as the rust has now been dusted off coming back from injury.  Patriots Receiver Romeo Doubs was placed on IR last week with a shoulder injury, meaning Brown should expect even more targets as he looks to haul in his first touchdown of the year on primetime.  

Caleb Williams, AnyFLEX ($11,800)

Caleb Williams gets our second AnyFLEX spot.  Williams and the Bears offense will look to air the ball out to keep up with the Patriots offense.  Williams is still recovering from a hamstring injury, but will look to move the ball down the field against a strong Pats defense.  

That said, the Patriots are missing cornerback Carlton Davis which should allow Bears receivers a better opportunity to get open down the field.  This matchup has shootout potential giving Williams the upside to excel in his second week back at the helm.  Williams makes his return at Soldier Field following his injury, he will be airing the ball out. 

Luther Burden III, AnyFLEX ($8,600)

Luther Burden gets our third FLEX spot as a stack with Caleb Williams.  Burden slots in as the WR1 for the Bears tonight and has shown solid productivity these past few weeks.  Against the Falcons last week Burden had eight targets for eight receptions with 95 receiving yards. Burden’s reliability should continue coming into tonight's matchup where the Bears should be looking to put a lot of points on the board.  

Burden’s snap count has been slightly volatile, but the fact that he had an 100% reception rate on targets should negate any concern that he will continue to rack up yards and be Caleb’s number one target coming into tonight. 

Hunter Henry, AnyFLEX, ($5,800)

Hunter Henry snags our fourth AnyFLEX spot as another Stack with our MVP Drake Maye.  Henry has been a solid contributor for the Pats offense and has been a friendly option to Maye the past few weeks. Henry has scored a touchdown in his past two weeks averaging 46 receiving yards.  

Hunter’s target share in the red zone makes him a great pick for his salary and should continue to rack up yards and get targets in the red zone for the Patriots. 

Roschon Johnson, AnyFLEX ($3,600)

Roschon Johnson nabs our final AnyFLEX spot as a great play with even better value.  Johnson will be in line as the RB2 behind Deandre Swift with Kyle Monangai ruled out again this week still battling a thumb and toe injury. 

Johnson is coming off a solid performance against the Jets where he rushed for 51 yards on 13 attempts, along with 34 receiving yards, and a rushing touchdown.  Swift will remain as the top back with the majority of carries, but Johnson has proved himself as serviceable and productive as the RB2 and will continue to move the chains when Swift is off the field.