Sunday Night Showdown Strategy: Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions

Week 1 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the LA Rams take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. In this article, I’ll share my top DFS showdown picks and strategies for DraftKings and FanDuel, helping you build winning lineups.

For a deeper dive into general showdown rules, make sure to check out David Jones’s “Daily Fantasy Football Showdown: Strategy for Building Winning Lineups” article. It’s essential reading for anyone crafting MME lineups, as player salary and team dynamics can impact each game’s approach.

Link: https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-football-showdown-strategy/

Note on Quarterbacks:

I will not write up the quarterbacks because the wide receiver and tight end section tend to cover the matchups. The QB rankings are at the bottom of the article. 

Los Angeles Rams

Running Back

In 2023, the Detroit Lions were the best team against the run. They gave up 15.7 DK against running backs last season, which was the least amount of points in the NFL.

The Los Angeles Rams are entering this season with their star third-year back, Kyren Williams, leading the way. His 1144 rushing yards put him third in the NFL, and he tied for seventh in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 12. When these two teams met in the NFC Wild Card last season, Williams broke his seven-game 85+ rushing yard streak as he only ran for 61. Williams and the whole Rams backfield isn’t my priority, as I would rather focus on their passing game.

Before we head to the Rams wide receiver room, I want to briefly mention their rookie running back, Blake Corum. Corum finished his career at Michigan strong by setting the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season (27) and most total touchdowns (28). As I mentioned above, Corum isn’t a priority for me, but I will still fit him into some squads.

Tier 1: Kyren Williams

Tier 2: Blake Corum 

Wide Receiver

While the Lions were great against running backs, they were terrible against wide receivers last season. In 2023, the Lions gave up 41 DK per game.

The Rams have two great wideouts that can cause damage to the Lion’s secondary. The more experienced of the two is Cooper Kupp. Despite missing five games last season, Kupp still caught 59 balls for 737 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t have a good game against these Lions during their wildcard encounter the previous season. Kupp should draw the attention of Brian Branch when he lines up in the slot. Branch was the DB that shut down Kupp during their playoff game. So for my main Ram wideout, I am going with his partner in crime, Puka Nacua.

Nacua broke out as a rookie last season. He finished with 105 receptions, 1486 yards, and six touchdowns. One of his best games came in the playoff game, where he had 9 receptions for 181 yards and a score. Nacua should see Terrion Arnold for portions of the game. While the rookie CB looked good in college, being thrown into the fire against Nacua should be beneficial for the Rams.

The Rams have a few other wide receivers that will see the field throughout the game. Of those, the best is Demarcus Robinson. He is entering his ninth season in the NFL but has yet to break out as a top wide receiver. I don’t expect him to break out this year, but with all the attention on Kupp and Nacua, he should see some space.

Tier 1: Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp

Tier 2: Demarcus Robinson

Punts: Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington (Super Punt Play)

Tight End

The Lions gave up the thirteenth most points to tight ends on DK. They gave up 12.5 DK per game.

With Tyler Higbee being placed on the PUP list, the Rams will be without their starting tight end for the foreseeable future. In his place, the Rams will be using Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen to fill his role. Of the two, I prefer Parkinson for Showdown. While Allen should be more familiar with the playbook after being with the Rams last season, Parkinson has looked like a better tight end during his time in Seattle.

Tier 1: Colby Parkinson

Tier 2: Davis Allen

Detroit Lions

Running Back

Similarly to the Lions, the Rams were one of the better teams against running backs last season. They gave up 16.8 DK, which was only 1.1 more than the Lions did.

The Lions have two good running backs in their backfield. I’ll start with their sophomore back, Gibbs, who had a good rookie season. During his rookie season, Gibbs showed that he can have production in both the run and passing game. He had 1261 total yards (945 rushing and 316 receiving) and 11 total touchdowns. With how good the Rams were last season against running backs, Gibbs will need to use both sides of his game for the Lions to have a shot at winning. During last season’s wild-card game, Gibbs caused more damage to the Rams in the receiving game than the running game.

The other good running back that the Lions have is David Montgomery. In his first season with the Lions last year, Montgomery led the Lions in rushing yards and total touchdowns. He is the better runner of the two running backs, as he is not heavily involved in the passing game. While I think both backs are in play, I am giving the slight edge to Gibbs since even without Aaron Donald, the Rams should still be tough to run on.

Tier 1: Jahmyr Gibbs

Tier 2: David Montgomery

Wide Receiver

The Rams did not do a good job last season at preventing big fantasy games from opposing wide receivers. They gave up 38.2 DK, which was the 8th most in the league.

The Lions have a top-five WR in all of football. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a breakout season last year, finishing the season with 1515 yards and 10 touchdowns on 119 receptions. St. Brown is in a great spot to have a successful start to his season. He should see a lot of Quentin Lake during the game. The two matched up against each other during the wild card game, in which St. Brown got the best of him late in the game to secure the win for the Lions. We should see more of the same on Sunday, which makes St. Brown one of the best plays on the entire slate.

The number two and three receivers for the Lions are Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. Of the two, I would lean toward Jameson William because he has a safer floor. I like Kalif Raymond more as a punt play that has a shot to go off.

Tier 1: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Tier 2: Jameson Williams

Punt: Kalif Raymond

Tight End

The Los Angeles Rams gave up the 6th most DK points (13.6) to opposing tight ends. They gave up the 2nd most receiving touchdowns by tight ends last season.

On the Lions, there is only one tight end I want any exposure on my team, and that’s Sam LaPorta. LaPorta played in at least 75% of snaps in all but one game last season. With his high number of snaps played, LaPorta was able to average six targets per game. Like I said, he is the only Lion tight end I am looking at, and in terms of pass catchers, I would put him only behind Amon-Ra St.Brown.

Tier 1: Sam LaPorta

FanDuel MVP and DraftKings CPT Picks—SNF Showdown 

I want a high-usage player at MVP on FanDuel like a quarterback or a workhorse running back. You need the highest-scoring player, not the best value. The salaries do not change from flex to MVP on FanDuel, so the value at the MVP is not a priority. Take the points up top. 

On DraftKings, you look for the best “value” in the mid to high price range. 

FanDuel

DraftKings

Flex Rankings Tier 1:

• Amon-Ra St.Brown
• Puka Nacua
• Jared Goff
• Cooper Kupp
• Matthew Stafford
• Jahmyr Gibbs
• Sam LaPorta
• David Montgomery

Flex Rankings Tier 2: (Don’t play more than 1 Tier 2 or Tier 3 guys)

• Kyren Williams
• Jameson Williams
• Demarcus Robinson
• Colby Parkinson
• Blake Corum
• Joshua Karty
• Jake Bates
• Davis Allen

Punts/Fadeable: (Don’t play. More than 1 Tier 2 or Tier 3 guys)

• Lions Defense
• Rams Defense
• Kalif Raymond
• Tutu Atwell
• Jordan Whittington

Best Rules for the slate:

• Play at least one QB
• If playing Goff pair him with St.Brown or LaPorta
• Ram RBs are not a priority
• Play at least one of Kupp and Nacua
• Both Kickers are in play
• Don’t play too much of either defense

Favorite prop for the game: Demarcus Robinson Over 2.5 Receptions (+100 DK)