Jared Contestabile 
This is my first Sunday Night Football showdown slate write up of the season, and I can’t wait! We have a fun game ahead of us with a lot of uncertainty! I’ll highlight some top plays, players I’m fading (we faded MVS and JuJu on Thursday, and Rashaad Penny on Monday!). Let’s do it.
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.
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Captain/MVP Plays
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers ($15,900 DraftKings, $16,500 FanDuel)
Aaron Rodgers may be tough to predict outside of football, but one thing is certain: he OWNS the Chicago Bears. Over his career, Rodgers is 22-5 against Chicago, and has thrown FOUR touchdown passes in three of their last four matchups.
Yes, Davante Adams is in Las Vegas now (and what a start!) and Rodgers is surrounded by inexperienced targets. That may scare a lot of DFS players away from him this week, but not me. The Packers are favored by 10 in this one with a total of just 41.5 points. The blueprint set out by Vegas with this line says that Rodgers isn’t in an ideal spot. As far as DFS goes? He’s the ultimate leverage play on this slate.
Rodgers is ONLY a Captain/MVP play for me this week. He has the upside to break the slate, but if the Bears can’t keep up his production would likely take a big hit. If I’m playing a single lineup, I’m not going here. If you’re playing multiple lineups, you need SOME exposure to A-Rod up top.
AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers ($12,600 DraftKings, $13,000
FanDuel)
Not only is Aaron Jones $5,700 more than Dillon at the Captain spot on DraftKings, but he also has a far lower floor than he should as the top-priced option.
Dillon saw six targets in Week 1 (Jones had five), and has established himself as a true threat to Jones atop the depth chart. Dillon is a strong, powerful runner much like Leonard Fournette. Both are 6 foot tall and over 240 pounds. We have seen Tom Brady rely on Fournette over the last few season, and the time is coming for Dillon in Green Bay.
Jones will undoubtedly see quite a bit of work in this one, but I see Dillon being the feature back in early downs. If Vegas is right and the Packers roll on SNF, Dillon will have his mark on this one. Green Bay was unable to get into any rhythm on offense against Minnesota in Week 1, but I don’t see that happening here. Chicago has a decent defense, but was aided significantly by the poor weather in Week 1. Fire up Dillon!
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears ($15,300 DraftKings, $15,500 FanDuel)
I know it seems generic to suggest both QB as options for the bonus spot on a Showdown Slate. Here’s the issue. The offensive weapons for both teams (aside from the QBs and Green Bay RBs) are unreliable and inconsistent.
In two games against the Packers in 2021, Fields posted the following lines:
18/33, 224 yards 2 TD/2 INT, 9 rushes for 74 yards
16/27, 174 yards, 1 TD/1 INT, 6 rushes for 43 yards
While neither was a huge performance by any means, the likelihood that he isn’t one of the top scorers on this slate is small. He has game-breaking athleticism and is a solid decision-maker. You’ll want exposure to Fields on this slate, even if the Bears get blown out. He will be on every one of my showdown lineups.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Options
David Montgomery ($9,000 DraftKings, $13,500 FanDuel)
I’m not putting much stock at all into the production (or lack thereof) by the Chicago Bears offense in Week 1. They were playing in terrible conditions, and the only upside was some awesome pictures of Bears players sliding in the water to celebrate the win.
Montgomery is the bellcow in this backfield, and there is no denying that. While many believe that Khalil Herbert will take over this backfield, I’m not concerned just yet. D-Mont out-snapped Herbert 38-17 in Week 1, and I’m expecting more of the same here. The 17/26 line that he posted was gross to say the least, but what we know is that Montgomery will see volume.
He isn’t a huge factor in the passing game, and we know this. Green Bay was stingy against the run in 2021, allowing only 1302 yards for the whole season. Montgomery is unlikely to break the slate, but he should be a safe bet for 10+ fantasy points in this one. He needs to be on your radar.
Romeo Doubs ($5,600 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)
Now onto the good stuff. Doubs didn’t blow anyone away with his debut against Minnesota (in a PERFECT game script, no less). He posted a 4/37 line on five targets, but I’m expecting big things in 2021. The Bears were middle of the pack (16th) in fantasy points allowed to WR in 2021. They also allowed the 2nd-most TD with 23. Only Arizona (27) allowed more.
There is no more perfect storm on this slate than a young wideout who has been building rapport with Aaron Rodgers in a good matchup. If you’re playing multiple lineups, he isn’t a bad option in the MVP or Captain spot. This could be his breakout game.
Darnell Mooney ($7,800 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel)
Back to ignoring Week 1 stats. Not only do they mean little to nothing, but the monsoon-like conditions made it nearly impossible to make plays down the field. You know who is good at making plays down the field? Darnell Mooney.
Let’s wipe away Mooney’s 1/8 line on three targets against the 49ers. He saw 140 targets in 2021, which was 12th-most among WR in the NFL. This offense may be inefficient, and the matchup is less than ideal, but volume prevails here. Fields will be looking for Mooney early and often in this one if the Bears are going to stay close.
I’m choosing to fade Christian Watson after his disastrous drop in Week 1. Sure, it was one play, but that was a game-changing miss. I’m all aboard the Doubs train this week. I’m also fading Robert Tonyan. I will likely be light on Aaron Jones as well. His price tag simply seems too high for me in this one. Give me Dillon.
Both kickers are in play here, and with a total of just 41.5 points, both defenses should be options as well. That said, I much prefer the kickers to the defenses. I will likely have little exposure to D/ST in this one. I believe either could pay off as a decent play, but I’m expecting a clean game on both sides, so I see limited upside.
Other options to consider:
Cole Kmet $2,000 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
Aaron Jones ($12,200 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
Sammy Watkins ($7,200 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel)
Josaiah Deguara ($2,800 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel)
Good luck on Sunday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
