Jared Contestabile 
Sunday Night Football brings us a rematch of two teams who are still fighting for their playoff lives in Week 15. The Commanders and Giants tied in their last matchup on December 4th. A loss by either team will dramatically hurt playoff chances, so this game is as big of one as either team will see down the stretch. The Eagles and Cowboys are both well ahead of these two in the NFC East, but the wildcard is in play. Let’s hope for some fireworks in this one.
DraftKings and FanDuel each have a slightly different setup for Showdown slates, with DraftKings using a “Captain” spot. Captain earns you 1.5X points, BUT also costs you 1.5X in salary. FanDuel uses an “MVP”, which is ALSO 1.5X points, but salaries are the same, regardless of position. DraftKings uses 5 FLEX spots, and FanDuel uses 4 “AnyFLEX” spots to fill out your roster.
Captain/MVP Plays
Terry McLaurin, Commanders ($14,700 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
We saw a monster performance from “Scary Terry” last time out against these same Giants. The former Buckeye is primed to have a big day once again. He hauled in eight of 12 targets for 105 yards and a score, and will be a focal point of the passing attack once again.
The score last game was inexplicably only his third of the season, but I’m banking on him finding paydirt again on SNF. Over the last two weeks, the Giants have allowed a ridiculous 49 fantasy points per game to opposing WR. McLaurin is one of my favorite plays here, but he will undoubtedly be heavily owned.
Saquon Barkley, Giants ($18,300 DraftKings, $16,500 FanDuel)
Saquon continues to be a workhorse for the Giants, and they will need another big performance here to pull off the win. He turned 23 touches into 81 yards and a score in their first matchup. Granted, there was bonus football there, but Saquon is still the focal point of this offense.
The Commanders have been stout against the run, and Chase Young may (or may not, who knows anymore) play in this one. This isn’t an ideal matchup by any means, but a Saquon bet is a bet on talent. The Giants need to get him involved in the passing game, and if they do, the sky is the limit.
Brian Robinson, Jr, Commanders ($12,000 DraftKings, $13,000 FanDuel)
Not only is Brian Robinson’s comeback story a great one, but his ascent to the top of the Commanders backfield has been a great one as well. He is averaging 22 touches per game over the last two weeks, including some passing work (5 catches on 5 targets after seeing zero the previous two weeks).
Volume is king as always, and Robinson has volume on lock. The Giants have been just below average against the run this season. Over the past four weeks, only the Seahawks have served up more fantasy points per game to RB than the Giants. Over that span, the Giants have given up nearly 700 yards of total offense to RB and eight scores. Robinson is an elite play on SNF.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Daniel Jones, Giants ($10,200 DraftKings, $15,000 FanDuel)
The Giants continue to ask “Danny Dimes” to throw the ball more than they rightfully should, so let’s take advantage of that. With the Commanders’ toughness against the run, the Giants will need to make some plays in the passing game.
You always love the floor that Jones provides rushing the ball, and he has averaged six attempts per game over the last five weeks. He has five rushing scores on the season, and only four interceptions. He takes care of the football, and was solid in the first matchup.
It’s Danny Dimes time on SNF. If the Giants want to make the playoffs, they need Jones to make big plays.
Isaiah Hodgins, Giants ($5,600 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel)
Don’t look now, but Hodgins has been a machine over the last two weeks. He has been targeted six times in each game, and totaled 9-82-2. Jones has been looking his way often, and his price tag is very friendly. Surely we aren’t banking on a touchdown every week, but at this price tag, we will be happy with six targets once again. Let him work!
Darius Slayton, Giants ($7,400 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel)
I do expect the Giants to throw the ball 30+ times in this one, and Slayton is the default #1. He has only found the end zone twice this season, but has 86+ yards in three of his last five games. I do believe in Jones being able to make plays here, and I’m getting myself some Slayton shares here. I don’t see him as a ceiling play, but he is a solid midrange option.
Other Options
I’m not huge on Taylor Heinicke as a fantasy player ever. He is a fine real-life quarterback, but I don’t expect huge numbers for him ever. He has a ceiling of about 18 points, which is great if you get him there. I just hate to pay QB price tag for a guy who has nine touchdown passes in seven games.
Get yourselves some kickers in this one. I prefer Joey Slye a bit, but Graham Gano is in play here of course.
The Commanders defense is an interesting one. Daniel Jones doesn’t turn the ball over much, but if Chase Young returns, Washington could wreak some havoc on the Giants backfield. If Young is OUT, I’m not much of a fan of the unit on this showdown slate.
I love Jahan Dotson. I’ll be slotting him into plenty of lineups here also. The kid has made some unbelievable plays this season, and his future is bright. Get yourself some shares.
Lawrence Cager is dirt cheap and could pay off here. Daniel Bellinger is questionable, but I don’t mind Cager at $1,400 even if he suits up.
Richie James has at least 13.8 DraftKings points in three of his last four games (the exclusion being five against these Commanders). He is a fine filler as well.
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Good luck on Sunday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter @BigItaly42 if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
