SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 27: Tevin Coleman #26 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes for a touchdown during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Panthers 51-13. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Each week I will be breaking down the DraftKings Showdown Slates on Monday, Thursday and Sunday night football. The DraftKings showdown slate is one of the more unique game styles that you can pick from on DraftKings.
When playing a showdown lineup you will notice that it is far different from a standard DraftKings contest. Instead of selecting a full roster of position players you have a Captain slot paired with five flex positions. The player you select as your Captain will score 1.5x the standard fantasy point value for each statistic but drafting a player as the Captain will cost you more salary than using them in your flex position. The DraftKings Showdown slate will consist of the same scoring as all other contests not counting the Captain bonus.
Some numbers to keep in mind when building lineups for your showdown slates. Last season the winning lineup had a running back or wide receiver in the Captain slot 71% of the time on the largest prize pool showdown contests.
All Captain selections are major flex considerations
DraftKings Showdown Slate GPP Builds: Cardinals vs 49ers
Captain-
George Kittle – $13,800
In what is a very oddly priced slate as you can really fit in any player that you want, George Kittle is my favorite Captain. The Cardinals give up more fantasy points to tight ends than anyone in the NFL at 14.8 per game. Not only does Kittle have a fantastic matchup, but he is also the 49ers leading receiver as he has double the targets to the next closet pass-catcher (49). With a poor pass defense, make sure to pair Garoppolo with Kittle in your flex as both are capable of big games tomorrow night.
Tevin Coleman – $13,500
Leading the second best rushing attack in the NFL is Tevin Coleman. Coming off of a four touchdown performance, Coleman will be one of the highest owned plays on the slate. In his five games this season, he has averaged 14 carries per game and two targets. This is a running back by committee though, as the 49ers employ multiple backs in this rushing attack as no one has played more than 34% of the snaps. If Matt Breida is out for tomorrow nights game, Coleman becomes a much higher priority for me at Captain. If he does play, I will limit myself to 20% shares of Coleman at Captain. I would not put any restrictions to your builds with Coleman as he can be paired with all 49ers.
Emmanuel Sanders – $12,900
If you’re looking for a lower owned Captain on tomorrow’s slate, Emmanuel Sanders is someone that you should look at. In his first game with the 49ers last week, Sanders played 82% of the snaps while being targeted five times. While the volume can be one concern as the 49ers are likely to be leading by double digits, Patrick Peterson is the other. I would not at all be surprised if the All-Pro shadowed him tomorrow night, which decreases his value tremendously. I would not have more than 10% of Sanders in at Captain on this slate.
Other Captain options to differentiate your lineups and give you a chance at the 250k top prize.
Kenyan Drake – $10,200
With Chase Edmonds out and David Johnson likely out tomorrow night, the newly acquired Cardinal could see substantial work tomorrow night. I would expect the Cardinals to activate another running back if those two are out but it is likely that Drake handles the majority of the load. While I prefer to utilize him in the flex, I will have some shares of Drake in at Captain should he be the starter tomorrow night. HIGH RISK PLAY