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The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the NFL’s early surprises this season.

After facing their first setback, they’ll look to bounce back in a road prime-time game on a short week.

The Vikings opened -3 at FanDuel for tonight’s NFC clash with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

That number ticked down to Minnesota -2.5 overnight.

Meanwhile, the total for tonight’s Week 8 opener has climbed from 45.5 to 48.5 at FanDuel, with bettors expecting a back-and-forth affair with key playmakers set to return to the lineup for both teams tonight.

For the Vikings, tight end T.J. Hockenson is set to make his highly anticipated season debut exactly 10 months after he tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee last December.

Hockenson will join Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Aaron Jones in a dynamic Minnesota offence that has the potential to score points in bunches.

Meanwhile, the Rams are expected to welcome star receiver Cooper Kupp back after he missed the past few weeks due to injury.

If you believe the trade rumours surrounding Kupp over the past 72 hours, then you’re probably thinking tonight could be his final game for Los Angeles.

As if Kupp’s return isn’t a significant enough addition to the lineup, the Rams could also welcome back another key playmaker with reports early this morning that Puka Nacua could also return from injury on Thursday Night Football.

This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday October 24th, 2024.

Rams Look To Kupp For Spark In Return On Thursday Night Football

There aren’t many things better in this world than a cool fall morning with a warm coffee in hand and the FanDuel app open to a long list of Thursday Night Football props.

It’s even better coming off another FanDuel Best Bet winner in this column after Wednesday’s NBA Same Game Parlay + recommended play cashed last night.

 

 

With the NFL and NCAA football in full swing, the NBA and NHL ramping up, and the World Series and CFL playoffs around the corner, we’re going to need a lot of coffee to stay hot in the coming weeks.

The FanDuel Best Bets in this column have gone 4-1 this week and we are now above 80 per cent with all plays on all platforms over the past 15 days.

Of course, the most important advice I could give anybody that reads this column regularly and follows along with the recommended plays is to please play responsibly.

FanDuel does an excellent job providing and promoting Responsible Gaming tools for all users.

I consider one unit to be one per cent of my total bank roll and I never risk more than one unit on any play.

Turning the page to Thursday Night Football, this morning’s report that Nacua could return for the Rams created an added wrinkle to handicapping tonight’s game.

 

 

Kupp won’t carry an injury designation heading into this game and I expect him to be featured in his return from injury against a Vikings defence that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

Kupp had 14 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 1.

He was on pace for another massive performance against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 when he hauled in four catches for 37 yards before leaving that game with an injury in the second quarter.

 

 

The Rams offensive line is a mess right now and it won’t hold up against Minnesota’s blitz-heavy defence.

The Vikings have been solid against the run all season, but they have been vulnerable against opposing No. 1 wide receivers, and I expect Kupp to take advantage in his return tonight.

If this is his final game in a Rams uniform, I imagine want to deliver a legacy performance in prime-time.

 

 

I jumped on Kupp over 5.5 receptions when we first got a number for him, but that prop has climbed to 6.5 -114.

While I don’t like it as much I did 24 hours ago, this is an ideal match-up for Kupp against a Minnesota defence that has allowed the second-most receptions to opposing wide receivers this season.

Plus, the fact that Kupp could have played on Sunday but was held out until tonight as a precaution makes me feel confident he is good to go.

With LA’s season on the line in a home prime-time game, I’m confident Kupp delivers a strong performance.

Hopefully, he can get us the seven or more receptions we need to cash the FanDuel Best Bet in this column.

Have a great day and enjoy the game, everyone!