Thursday Night Football doesn't tend to land the marquee matchups of other island games, but it's safe to say we're getting a gem to begin Week 10. The Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals as 5.5-point favorites in a tantalizing battle that features a hefty 52.5 over/under.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy, and FanDuel Research has NFL DFS projections if you select the game from the slate tab. It's worth checking out both before making your lineups.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Bengals at Ravens NFL DFS Picks

MVP Candidates

Lamar Jackson ($15,500) has the second-shortest odds (+280) to win this year's MVP award, so it's only natural that he's also an easy click at MVP for tonight's single-game slate. Jackson leads the NFL in FanDuel points per game (26.3), dropping below 20 points just once (Week 2). The vast majority of lineups figure to slot him in at MVP, but it's hard to blame anyone who chooses the chalk option in this case.

The other player who will be quite popular in the multiplier spot is Derrick Henry ($14,500). Henry is averaging 127.2 scrimmage yards per game while scoring at least one touchdown in all nine weeks and scoring twice four times. Averaging 18.7 rushes to just 1.2 targets per game, his best performances remain game-script dependent, but he could have that going for him tonight with Baltimore favored at home.

Joe Burrow ($14,000) is showing the second-most points in our NFL DFS projections behind Jackson, and while he hasn't been at Lamar's level, he's exploded for his share of ceiling performances, which includes two games tossing five touchdowns for 30+ FanDuel points. One of those outings came against these Ravens, a team that ranks 29th in schedule-adjusted pass defense but 3rd in adjusted rush defense, per numberFire. Cincinnati is first in pass rate over expectation, so we should fully expect Burrow to throw all over this defense again, opening a realistic path toward an MVP performance.

This means Ja'Marr Chase ($13,000) should also be plenty busy, particularly with Tee Higgins listed as doubtful. Over the last two weeks with Higgins out, Chase has a 30.1% target share and 35.3% red zone target share. In the last meeting between these two teams (with Higgins active), Chase caught 10-of-12 targets for 193 yards and 2 TDs (39.3 points), making him an exciting MVP at lower popularity than the previous three options. The Ravens have coughed up the most FanDuel points per game to WRs.

In his first game with Zack Moss out of the picture, Chase Brown ($12,500) didn't disappoint, racking up 157 scrimmage yards and a touchdown off 27 carries and 5 targets (27.2 points). However, as noted above, Baltimore is a difficult matchup for running backs, making Brown purely a volume-based play. The Bengals added Khalil Herbert at the trade deadline, and he might actually play despite the short turnaround, but it's hard to see him getting enough snaps to put a dent in Brown's workload.

Considering Baltimore ranks 30th in pass rate over expectation, it isn't surprising how up and down Zay Flowers ($12,000) is in fantasy, scoring single-digit FanDuel points four times while cracking 18+ in his other five games. He's exceeded 100 receiving yards in four of the last five and is fresh off a season-high 30.3 points behind 127 yards and 2 TDs. His 27.3% target share leads the team by a wide margin, and while he'll have a hard time outscoring his teammates listed above, he's a viable contrarian MVP.

Flex Targets

Diontae Johnson ($11,000) -- In his Ravens debut, Johnson logged a 29.6% snap rate and 17.4% route rate with no targets. While he should see his playing time go up, the short week probably doesn't help his cause. Maybe he surprises tonight, but it's hard to see him doing enough to justify the salary.

Mark Andrews ($10,000) -- With Isaiah Likely ruled out, Andrews has a better chance of being a factor. Despite showing a modest 48.0% route rate over the past five games, he's recorded a 14.2% target share, 29.2% red zone target share, and 2.73 yards per route run. Cincinnati has allowed the seventh-most FanDuel points per target to TEs.

Mike Gesicki ($9,500) -- Gesicki went off for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, but we should keep expectations in check, as that came off just a 16.2% target share and 58.5% route rate. That being said, he has a 19.9% target share in four games with Higgins out, and his three best fantasy outings have come in that sample. Fellow tight end Erick All Jr. is out for the season, which ought to further bump up Gesicki's outlook.

Justin Tucker ($9,000) and Evan McPherson ($8,500) -- Given that this matchup has the week's highest over/under, we should see several players pop for high fantasy scores, making it tougher for the kickers to make a mark. But if you're going here, Tucker is the preferred option on the sizable home favorite, and he's been pretty consistent lately, scoring 13, 13, 13, 7, and 11 points over his last five games.

Rashod Bateman ($8,000) -- Bateman is second on the Ravens in target share (15.9%), air yards share (26.6%), and route rate (77.1%) behind Flowers, and at least for the time being, it doesn't look like Diontae Johnson is a threat to his role. He comes at an attractive salary but probably needs a touchdown to have a shot at the optimal lineup.

Justice Hill ($7,500) -- If the Ravens end up in a negative game script, Hill is much more likely to get involved. He owns an 11.4% target share and 38.2% route rate, and he occasionally even out-snaps Derrick Henry. However, he's scored double-digit FanDuel points only twice, and Keaton Mitchell ($5,500) has a chance to be active, which would further complicate things for Hill.

Andrei Iosivas ($7,500) -- Even with Higgins out the last two games and Iosivas posting an 88.9% route rate, it's led to an underwhelming 9.6% target share. He's surpassed 40 yards just once this year, so he's realistically looking like a touchdown-or-bust play.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.