Matt Vecchio 
Sunday Night Football is here once again, and we have a matchup of the #1 and #2 seeds from last year’s AFC Playoffs. Both teams come into this one at 5-2. Regardless, the Titans are the biggest underdog of the week at 12.5 points. Kansas City has looked exponentially better than the Titans this season, but playing in the cupcake division of the AFC South has the Titans once again propped up much higher than they rightfully should be. Expect
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
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs ($18,000 DraftKings, $16,500 FanDuel)
This may be stunning to remember, but these Titans dominated Kansas City last season to the tune of a 27-3 beatdown. In fact, Derrick Henry threw a touchdown pass in that one and Mahomes did not. I’d be willing to wager that we don’t see that again.
Moving on to 2022, Mahomes has once again looked like an MVP candidate, posting a 20/5 TD/INT ratio. He is the clear top dog here, and with yet another weapon added to the mix in KaDarius Toney, KC is once again in a great spot.
The Titans are 23rd in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to opposing QB, and Mahomes is as good as any (but you knew that). Don’t overthink this one. Mahomes needs to be a priority on this showdown slate. The loss to Tennessee last season prevented the Chiefs from earning that coveted first-round bye. I’m certain that Mahomes hasn’t forgotten. Get ready for some fireworks.
Derrick Henry, Titans ($16,200 DraftKings, $16,000 FanDuel)
I already mentioned that Henry found the end zone through the air against Kansas City last season. Aside from that, he was unspectacular but solid, totaling 97 yards from scrimmage. That said, Ryan Tannehill has been terrible this season, and is coming into this one as a major question mark. Whether we see Tannehill under center or Malik Willis, Henry will be the focal point of the offense.
His volume is second to none in the NFL, and he has at least THIRTY touches in each of the last three games. Henry may be the safest option at the position on even a main slate. His upside is all dependent on his role in the passing game, and touchdowns. He has multiple scores in two of his last three games, and 30+ receiving yards in three of five.
Pairing Henry and Mahomes will be tough on this slate, but certainly something to consider if we can make it work. Kansas City ranks 26th in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to opposing RB. Enough said. King Henry has only one thing potentially going against him here, and that’s game script. The Titans were blown out once this season, and Henry saw only 13 touches.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs ($12,600 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel)
JuJu has finally stopped focusing on making his insufferable TikToks and focused on actually playing football. It has paid off in a big way of late, as his 5/113/1 and 7/124/1 lines over the last two games have paced the team.
The Titans are that team that is just good enough against inferior competition to feign competitiveness. Don’t mistake a soft schedule and division for anything but good fortune. This isn’t much more than an average team, and they are very exploitable.
Tennessee ranks 27th in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to opposing WR, serving up nearly 40 PPG. JuJu remains a big play threat, and his rapport with Mahomes seems to be growing by the week. Lock him with some confidence. He will be one of my higher-owned players on this slate.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Kansas City Defense ($5,800 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel)
Listen, the KC defense isn’t a particularly good unit, allowing 31, 29, 24, and 23 points in their last four games. That said, this is a Titans offense has has less than 200 TOTAL passing yards the last two weeks COMBINED. This passing attack is scaring nobody, and even less so if Malik Willis draws the start.
One thing this unit does well is force turnovers, as they have forced eight on the season, including five in their last four games. I just don’t see a path for the Titans to score a lot here unless Derrick Henry runs wild. Whoever is under center for the Titans will be under a lot of pressure and ready to make mistakes. Let’s cash in on the opportunity.
Dontrell Hilliard, Titans ($4,200 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
I simply cannot in good conscience suggest that you prioritize a single WR from the Titans side. I truly believe the only chance the Titans have in this one is to control the clock by running 10000x again. They had better pray for some defensive stops, or else that strategy is going to be damn near impossible.
Either way, I like Hillard a bit here because of the potential volume, especially if Tannehill doesn’t play. He was productive last week, totaling 95 scrimmage yards on 9 touches. I mentioned the struggles Kansas City has had against the run. If Tannehill sits, I may just lock both Henry and Hilliard and move along.
Travis Kelce, Chiefs ($10,400 DraftKings, $14,500 FanDuel)
What can I say about Kelce aside from the fact that he never seems to be on the main slate when we want him to be. He is the epitome of consistency and upside. He is averaging 21.8 DraftKings points per game, and has 22.2 or more in three of his last four games. I don’t see him as a must-play here by any means, as I do think this game plays much slower than Kansas City is accustomed to. That said, we have seen Kelce dominate even with low volume (7/25 and FOUR touchdowns against the Raiders). Give him a look, if Tennessee keeps this one close, the sky is the limit for Kelce again.
Other Options
Mecole Hardman has become a key part of this terrifying Chiefs offense, and it’s about damn time. He has scored four touchdowns on nine touches over the last two weeks. He will likely be higher owned than he should be based on volume, but the upside is certainly there and he is reasonably priced.
Harrison Butker could be the Titans’ best friend if they are able to get some stops, and he could be yours as well if this one stays low-scoring. “ButtKicker” has actually missed two of his five attempts this season, but his track record speaks for itself. He likely won’t carry much ownership due to the Chiefs propensity to score touchdowns.
If you absolutely have to play some Titans WR (which I’m prioritizing more if Tannehill plays), Robert Woods would be the guy. I can’t imagine the frustration from a guy like him going from the Rams to the Titans, but the talent is still there. Kansas City has been one of the worst in the NFL against opposing WR, but a good deal of those stats have been garbage time. We also don’t care when the points come…we just want to see GREEN at the end of the night.
If you believe this one turns into a blowout, you need to prioritize Isiah Pacheco. In both games Kansas City has carried a big lead late, he has seen extra work, averaging 10+ carries per game in those spots.
Austin Hooper isn’t a bad punt play at all here, I prefer him to Geoff Swain by a good bit.
Keep an eye on the status of Tannehill as the day progresses, and let’s cash in on Sunday Night!
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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!
