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

The post DraftKings Showdown Thursday Night Football: Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers appeared first on Bet Sunday.

Fantasy Football picks: Five bounce back players for Week 9

With a lack of NFL content early on in the week, this will be a great addition to our already stacked group of weekly articles. This piece will include five fantasy football picks that I believe have a great chance to bounce back for the upcoming week. I will go into detail on why I feel each individual player has a chance to bounce back, with various stats, defensive breakdowns, etc.

This is an article that I believe you can use throughout the entire week as you are building lineups, especially if you are having a hard time deciding between a certain player or two.

This is something that we will release each week on Tuesday, that way you have a great head start on who to look at for your initial research. We will try to cover a player at each position, but I really want to focus on the players that have the best potential to bounce back regardless of the position.

This is not something that is reflective of a player’s performance for the entire season but is only based on performance from the previous week. Ownership will also not be taken into account in this article, as we will not have a good idea this early in the week on any accurate ownership numbers.

As reference, the main websites I used are Pro Football Reference, and Football Outsiders, along with RotoGrinders tools, you may see stats such as QBR (Total Quarterback Rating) DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), as well as some more common terms we all know, such as totals yards, touchdowns, interceptions, etc. Let’s dive in!

The post Fantasy Football picks: Five bounce back players for Week 9 appeared first on Bet Sunday.

Fantasy football picks: Week 8 MNF Steelers vs. Dolphins

I am back again with another edition of our Monday Night Football single game slate. In this game, we have a lower point total, of only 43 total points. We have two offenses that have been under performing all season, although Miami is in full on tank mode at this point. Pittsburgh has been forced to play a backup quarterback, that was not really prepared to be a starter. While Rudolph has been very average in his newly found role, he is nowhere near the production that Pittsburgh is accustomed to with previous starter, Big Ben. I think the obvious approach is to stack up the Steelers, but we do have some value options with Miami to plug in. I will do my best to provide those options, and get you deep into those GPP contests.

With these single-game slates, we will want to focus more on game theory, and less on the actual plays. We have limited options, and everyone will be on the same guys because of this. So, we have to find a way to get different from the point bonus spot, in order to stand out. I will still talk about different players I like, but I will focus a lot on how to attack those bonus spots as well.

As reference, the main websites I used are Pro Football Reference, and Football Outsiders, along with RotoGrinders tools, you may see stats such as QBR (Total Quarterback Rating) DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), as well as some more common terms we all know, such as totals yards, touchdowns, interceptions, etc. Let’s dive in!

The post Fantasy football picks: Week 8 MNF Steelers vs. Dolphins appeared first on Bet Sunday.

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: Chiefs vs Packers
Captain-

Tyreek Hill – $15,000

While Matt Moore didn’t light the world on fire coming off the bench last week, he was more than adequate. A good sign for a passing attack that will need to have some success, if the Chiefs want to avoid a 5-3 start to the season. With extra time to prepare, Andy Reid will get very creative in the ways that he gets his best play-maker the ball. Last week it was a wheel-route that got Hill loose on a 57 yard touchdown pass from Moore. With Hill’s speed, it only takes one play to get him behind the defense. I do not expect this offense to be very limited with Matt Moore as he has no qualms about throwing the ball into tight spaces, he is more of a gun-slinger than game-manager.  You’re also getting a bit of a discount at 15k for the best playmaker on this showdown slate, I will have some shares of Hill in at Captain.

Aaron Jones – $13,800

The Chiefs allow the 8th most points to running backs this season at 21.2 fantasy points per game. I would look for the Packers to exploit the Chiefs defense on the ground with a heavy dose of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. I would have a few shares of both in at Captain, but do prefer Jones as he is the more talented back. With Matt Moore at quarterback, you can double stack both backs while adding the Green Bay defense as both backs have scored touchdowns in multiple games together.

Travis Kelce – $13,200

The Packers defense is built to stop the passing game, while they’re vulnerable in-between the tackles. With Matt Moore taking over at quarterback and a few extra days to prepare for Andy Reid, I would look for him to attack this Packers defense on the ground and in the middle of the field with Kelce and Hardman if Watkins can’t go. The most heavily targeted receiver on this Chiefs team should lead them yet again in targets making Kelce a viable Captain Sunday night.

LeSean McCoy – $9,900

This Packers defense has been a run funnel, as they have allowed the fourth most points to running backs (22.7 GM). This Chiefs backfield has been difficult to get a grasp of all season as both LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams have had their chance at being the leading back. The past two weeks McCoy has seen a 55-to-39 advantage in that department, while touching the ball 24 times compared to 13 times for Williams. While I view McCoy as the starter, I will seek to have builds of both and even include each in some lineup builds.

Other Captain options to differentiate your lineups and give you a chance at the 250k top prize. 

Damien Williams – $6,000

With Matt Moore in at quarterback and this Packers defense being poor against the run, Damien Williams should have success on the ground Sunday night. While the splits have gone in McCoy’s favor of late, Williams was only out touched by three in their last game. With their likely to be higher ownership on McCoy and a $2600 price savings in your flex, I will have more shares of Williams on this slate. HIGH RISK PLAY

The post DraftKings Showdown Sunday Night Football: Kansas City Chiefs vs Green Bay Packers appeared first on Bet Sunday.

The post DraftKings Showdown Thursday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings vs Washington Redskins appeared first on Bet Sunday.

Fantasy football picks: Week 7 MNF Patriots vs. Jets

We are back again after another Sunday filled with football action. In this edition of Monday Night Football fantasy football picks, the Patriots and Jets will face off where there is a 43.5 point total. This is one of the lower projected point totals in recent weeks, where New England are the favorites by a decent margin. Of course, anything can happen in the world of football. Take Sunday’s game as an example. We had so many players in prime spots, that just flopped completely. I think most people just stack up the Patriots while sprinkling in one or two cheap Jets to fill in the gaps. You all know by now I will take as contrarian of an approach as I can while listing those obvious plays along the way.

With these single-game slates, we will want to focus more on game theory, and less on the actual plays. We have limited options, and everyone will be on the same guys because of this. So, we have to find a way to get different from the point bonus spot, in order to stand out. I will still talk about different players I like, but I will focus a lot on how to attack those bonus spots as well.

As reference, the main websites I used are Pro Football Reference, and Football Outsiders, along with RotoGrinders tools, you may see stats such as QBR (Total Quarterback Rating) DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), as well as some more common terms we all know, such as totals yards, touchdowns, interceptions, etc. Let’s dive in!

The post Fantasy football picks: Week 7 MNF Patriots vs. Jets appeared first on Bet Sunday.

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: Broncos vs Chiefs
Captain-

Phillip Lindsay – $13,200

With the Chiefs struggles of late and the game opening at Kansas City -3, people should be way more inclined to play some Broncos in at Captain. I will do so starting with the Broncos most voluminous running back in Phillip Lindsay. The Chiefs struggle stopping the run as they allow the third most points to running backs this season according to FantasyPros.com at 21.8 points per game. He is currently the Broncos leading rusher with 84 carries and third on the team in targets with 26. I will have some lineups with BOTH Bronco running backs, as I believe they can have some success on the ground against this Chiefs defense. The best way to defend Patrick Mahomes, is to keep him on the sideline with a potent ground attack.

Tyreek Hill – $16,800

According to Mike Clay of ESPN, the Broncos have allowed the fewest amount of fantasy points to wide receivers this season. While I am concerned for the other pass-catchers in this offense, Hill is not one of them. He is the perfect Showdown Captain, as he has slate breaking potential with just one touch in this offense. While Hill is likely to see a lot of Chris Harris, the Chiefs do an outstanding job of finding ways to get the ball to their play makers. It would be unwise to have zero Captain shares of Hill, but I do think there are other avenues in which you can differentiate.

Courtland Sutton – $11,400

My favorite receiver on this Showdown slate is Courtland Sutton. He currently leads the Broncos in targets (46), receptions (30), yards (477), and touchdowns (3). The game script should also go in his favor, as the Chiefs are likely to be playing with a lead, allowing for Sutton and Flacco to attack this poor pass defense (23rd) for a full game. His price-tag also allows you to be flexible in your builds while jamming in the top talent on the slate. With a total around 50, this Broncos passing attack is more in play than it typically is. It is also a huge benefit to be playing at home instead of on the road in a hostile environment like that of Chiefs receivers.

Other Captain options to differentiate your lineups and give you a chance at the 300k top prize. 

Royce Freeman – $9,000

I already mentioned above my thoughts on the Broncos running game on this slate. If you really want to differentiate your lineup and have a chance at the top prize, Royce Freeman will likely be one of the lower owned Captains on this slate. While Freeman is 18 carries behind Lindsay on the season, he is tied for third in targets as both running backs have been involved in the passing game. All it takes is for a couple of goal-line carries to go to Freeman instead of Lindsay to smash this slate wide-open. I will have some shares of Freeman in my Captain as this Broncos team will need to run the heck out of the football if they want to keep this game close.

Noah Fant – $5,100

The freakish tight end out of Iowa has game breaking ability that we are just waiting for the Broncos to unleash at some point this season. The sixth overall pick that finished in the 96th percentile in his workout metrics is going to feast one week. While I would prefer the Broncos to be playing the Cardinals #FlowChart courtesy of Al Zeidenfeld, this Chiefs defense can allow points to tight ends as they allow the 9th most to the position. HIGH RISK PLAY

The post DraftKings Showdown Thursday Night Football: Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs appeared first on Bet Sunday.

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: Chargers vs Steelers
Captain-

Keenan Allen – $15,600

The last time Keenan Allen faced this Steeler defense he went for 14-148-1. He loves to work out of the slot and the Steelers are the worst slot defending team in the league. While I do not love the price-tag, he is the most likely candidate to go off in this game making him one of my higher owned Captains.

James Conner – $14,100

With a rookie quarterback getting his first career start, James Conner should see a heavy workload against this Chargers defense. Another boost to Conner’s value will be that backup running back Jaylen Samuels will be out this week, giving the full workload to Conner on all three downs. It is likely that he will see 20+ touches in this game, making him the most likely to score player on the slate and my highest owned Captain.

Other Captain options to differentiate your lineups and give you a chance at the 250k top prize. 

Juju Smith-Schuster – $13,200

The rookie would be wise to target his top play-maker at receiver in Juju Smith-Schuster. While it is tough to get an idea of who Hodges will be most comfortable with throwing the football to, he did connect on all three of his targets to Smith-Schuster last Sunday. While he will just be in a couple of my lineups, Smith-Schuster’s game breaking ability is too much for me to completely fade him in Captain.

Mike Williams – $10,500

One player that will be a bit lower owned that has massive touchdown regression coming is Mike Williams. He has busted Showdown slates open before, see Chiefs vs Chargers last season and can do it again. If Joe Haden shadows Allen, Mike Williams will have some very favorable matchups that he should be able to exploit Sunday night.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 29: Austin Ekeler #30 of the Los Angeles Chargers celebrates with teammates after a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

DraftKings Showdown: Flex

Philip Rivers – $10,200

The expectation is for Hunter Henry to return in what would be a limited fashion Sunday night. This gives Rivers his full collection of talent offensively for the first time this season. Being that I want to utilize a couple of his pass-catchers as my Captain, Rivers will be in all lineups that I do so. While I will fade Rivers as my Captain, he will be in most Charger builds other than Gordon and Ekeler combos.

Austin Ekeler – $9,200

Unfortunately Melvin Gordon has returned from his holdout and will look to eat away at Ekeler’s fantastic PPR value moving forward. He is still going to be heavily featured on passing downs and with Rivers throwing to his running backs the second most of any quarterback in the league, Ekeler will be in a lot of my lineups.

Devlin Hodges – $8,400

The rookie is set to make his NFL debut against a tough Los Angeles Chargers defense. Based on both pre-season and last week, he often looks to Diontae Johnson and Juju Smith-Schuster’s direction. I would be looking to pair him with his pass-catchers that you use in Captain and for those Conner Captain built lineups. These showdown slates are all about correlation and the game script that you foresee shaking out.

Diontae Johnson – $6,400

While I am still debating using Johnson as my cheap high risk Captain play, he will be in my flex lineups. His volume has been consistent seeing six or more targets in three straight games. The quarterback and receiver duo also saw extensive time in the pre-season together which should help with on-field chemistry.

Vance McDonald – $5,400

The one area that this Charger defense has struggled against is tight end. While the production hasn’t been massive like the Cardinals. they do allow the 8th most points to the position making Vance McDonald an option at $5400. With excellent corners on the outside, I would expect the rookie to work the middle of the field and stay away from Casey Hayward and company with Smith-Schuster in the slot and McDonald at tight end.

CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 22: Wide receiver Travis Benjamin #12 of the Los Angeles Chargers can’t hang on to the ball in the end zone as free safety Tashaun Gipson #39 of the Houston Texans defends in the final seconds of the game at Dignity Health Sports Park on September 22, 2019 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

DraftKings Showdown: Cheap Options

Benny Snell Jr – $4,400

With the injury to Jaylen Samuels, rookie Benny Snell is inline for increased work behind James Conner. While I do not believe that Snell will be running the wildcat like Samuel did, he should see some carries in the game as Conner is unlikely to play 100% of the snaps. I will have a sprinkle of Snell as his price is a bit high for someone who is unlikely to see 5+ touches in the game.

Travis Benjamin – $2,200

One field stretcher that you always have to be aware of for the Chargers in showdown is Travis Benjamin. With a career average of 15.2 yards per reception. Benjamin is on my radar at $2200 albeit just a sprinkle.

Virgil Green – $1,200

If Henry returns Sunday night, I am likely to only have a few shares of Green. If he is out, he becomes a salary saver for me in those Charger onslaught builds as he has run a route on 70% of plays but has zero production to show for it. Regardless that is a lot of routes for a tight end, especially for a quarterback that likes to check down as much as Rivers does.

DraftKings Showdown: Special Teams / Defensive Flex Options

Steelers – $3,400

The Steelers will actually be playing at home out in Los Angeles as they have one of the best traveling fan bases in the league. With such little interest in Los Angeles for the Chargers, I would expect to see a lot of terrible towels in the crowd. This defense has also been able to get to the quarterback, as they have the third most sacks in the league. I love the value at only $3400 for a defense that can disrupt Rivers and potentially force him into a defensive touchdown.

Chris Boswell – $3,600

The Steelers currently have the 29th ranked red-zone offense scoring touchdowns on only 41.67% of plays making Boswell a great lower priced option.

Chargers – $5,200

While I prefer the Steelers defense over the Chargers, I would be foolish to not look into this game script situation. The Steelers will be starting a rookie quarterback that is getting his first career start, putting the Chargers defense in play on this slate.

Chase McLaughlin – $3,800

While the Chargers are slightly more efficient than the Steelers they only score touchdowns on 47.06% of trips to the red-zone making McLaughlin viable Sunday night.

DraftKings Showdown: Game Script Thoughts

The Chargers opened up as a 5.5 point favorite with a total of 43.5. The line has since moved up to 6 while the total has dropped to 41.5 in some spots. The Chargers should be in control of this game from start to finish in what should be a lower scoring game out in Los Angeles. I think both offenses should have more success than this total indicates having me taking the over in this game. I would not be opposed to utilizing both Charger running backs as both should see a decent workload playing with a lead.

@JDEBUCH Showdown ATS 14-6

The post DraftKings showdown Sunday Night Football appeared first on Bet Sunday.