SNF

Week 11 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the Eagles take on the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. 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. 

Philadelphia Eagles

Running Back

• The Rams have given up 1008 rushing yards (15th Most in NFL)
• They have given up 344 receiving yards to running backs (16th Most)
• Giving up 21.6 DK to running backs (10th Fewest)

Don’t overthink the Eagles running back room. There is only one player I am locking in from this position and that is Saquon Barkley. The only reason not to use Barkley this week is if you are playing Hurts and expecting him to vulture all the rushing touchdowns via the tush push.

Between Barkley’s two backups, Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley, I would only use Gainwell. He has played 28% of the Eagles snaps over the past three games and has 98 total yards on 19 touches in that span. For his $3K price on DraftKings, he is worth a punt. As for Shipley, I am staying far away from him. In the past three weeks, he has a game with one snap and another with no snaps played. Unless Barkley or Gainwell get hurt or the game is a blowout in the 2nd half, he shouldn’t see an uptick in his workload.

Tier 1: Saquon Barkley

Tier 2: Kenneth Gainwell

FADE: Will Shipley

Wide Receiver

• The Rams have allowed 1484 yards to opposing wide receivers (16th Most).
• They are giving up 35.7 DK (11th Most).

With DeVonta Smith being ruled out for this game on Saturday, the main guy for the Eagles becomes AJ Brown. Brown is my favorite of the Philly wide receivers as he leads the team in Targets/Route run. He sees a target on 27.4% of his routes and now that Smith will not be available he should see a slight uptick on that number. He should see a lot of Cobie Durant on Sunday who is allowing a target to opposing wide receivers in 15% of the routes covered. Durant is also giving up .21 fantasy points per route which is near the higher end of points allowed which bodes well for Brown who is averaging .59 FP/RR. Brown will be my main Eagle wide receiver.

After Brown, the Eagles wide receiver room gets a bit rough. On paper, the number two receiver should be Jahan Dotson but over the past three weeks, he has four total targets which is only one above the likes of Ainias Smith. I have no issue if you want to play Dotson but I think for a Showdown slate I would rather take my shot with Johnny Wilson. On DraftKings, he is $2K cheaper at only $800 so he doesn’t need much to pay off this game. Also what I like about Wilson is his size, he has seen more plays in the red zone. With his big body, he can serve as a tight end option for Hurts when they get close to the end zone. 

Britain Covey and Smith are the other wide receivers for the Eagles. I don’t want much of either but like I mentioned above with Dotson, Smith has seen some targets the past three weeks so you can use him as a punt play in larger entries as a pivot off of Wilson. 

Tier 1: AJ Brown

Tier 2: Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson

Punts/Fades: Britain Covey, Ainias Smith

Tight End

• The Rams have given 623 receiving yards to tight ends (8th Most).
• They are giving up 14.6 DK (7th Most).

I love Dallas Goedert this week for Showdown especially with the Eagles being down Smith. Goedert is top three on the Eagles in receptions (31), targets (37), and yards (387). He also has a receiving touchdown this season. Being priced in the midrange of the slate at $6400 on DraftKings lets you fit him into lineups with Barkley and/or Brown. I am not too worried about him losing work to backup Grant Calcaterra. Thanks to Goedert missing a couple of weeks earlier in the season Calcaterra has more snaps than him, but in games with both active Goedert has 115 more snaps.

Tier 1: Dallas Goedert

Punt/Fade: Grant Calcaterra 

Los Angeles Rams

Running Back

• Philadelphia is giving up 18.5 DK per game (6th Fewest).
• They have allowed 843 rushing yards (8th Fewest).
• They have allowed 362 receiving yards (13th Most).

I’ll be honest, I am not the biggest fan of the Rams’ running back room against the Eagles for Showdown. The lead back for the Rams is Kyren Williams who has begun to struggle the past three weeks. He has failed to find the end zone over his last 82 carries with his last rushing touchdown coming halfway through the 3rd quarter against the Raiders in Week 7. I won’t fade Williams but I will not have as much of him as I normally would. The passing game of the Rams is what I’d rather focus on.

With how good the Eagles are against the run, I am not rostering Blake Corum unless I am maxing out a 150 where maybe you can get a handful of shares of him. He has had consistent touches the past few games but even at $2400 on DraftKings, I don’t see much value with him.

Tier 1: Kyren Williams

FADE/Punt: Blake Corum

Wide Receiver

• The Eagles have given up 1165 receiving yards to wide receivers (Fewest in NFL).
• They are giving up 28.1 DK to receivers (6th Fewest).

On paper, the Eagle’s defense has been one of the best against wide receivers, but luckily the games aren’t played on paper. The Rams have enough wide receiver threats that they should have some success against the Eagles. Let’s start with the hottest Rams wide receiver over the past two games, Puka Nacua. Puka has 16 receptions for 221 yards and a touchdown in the past two weeks. Puka has been one of the best wide receivers this season, his .6 fantasy points per route run is only behind Nico Collin’s .63 and St.Brown’s .66 this season. His 3.13 Yards per route run is also third only behind Collins and AJ Brown. He should see a lot of Darius Slay today but I am not worried about the matchup as Puka has been great against every defender since joining the league. 

The other main guy for the Rams is Cooper Kupp. Kupp has also been hot the past few weeks averaging eight receptions for 96.7 yards and has scored twice in the past two weeks. I like Kupp’s matchup this week against Cooper DeJean. DeJean is allowing the most fantasy points (.22) and yards (.85) per route run of all of the Eagle’s corners. Kupp is only averaging .01 fantasy points less than his teammate Kupp which puts him as the fourth highest FPRR. Of the two big Rams wide receivers, I am leaning toward Kupp as my main player over Puka.

Demarcus Robinson should get a couple of targets this game as well. Since Puka and Kupp have returned, he is averaging 5.3 targets which is third on the team in that span. He is one of the better lower mid-salary players on the slate. 

Tier 1: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua

Tier 2: Demarcus Robinson

Punt: Tutu Atwell

Tight End

• The Eagles have given up 396 receiving yards to tight ends (6th Fewest).
• They are allowing 9.4 DK per game (5th Fewest).

I am almost a complete fade for the Rams tight ends this week in the SE and lower entry contest. Since Kupp and Puka returned to the field, the Rams tight ends are only averaging 3.5 targets per game between all of them. Davis Allen has had more snaps than Colby Parkinson in the last few games but outside of his six-target game two weeks ago he reallyhasn’t done much with the workload. Then you combine that with how good the Eagles have been against tight ends, it’snot something I want to target too much. The only SE lineup I am fitting either tight end in is those with multiple plays from this group; Barkley/Brown/Puka/Kupp.

Tier 1: Davis Allen, Colby Parkinso

Punt/Fade: Hunter Long

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 Tier 1:

• AJ Brown
• Cooper Kupp
• Saquon Barkley
• Puka Nacua
• Jalen Hurts
• Matthew Stafford
• Dallas Goedert
• Joshua Karty
• Kyren Williams
• Demarcus Robinson
• Jake Elliott

Flex Tier 2/Punts:

• Eagles D/ST
• Rams D/ST
• Johnny Wilson
• Jahan Dotson
• Blake Courm
• Davis Allen
• Tutu Atwell
• Colby Parkinson
• Grant Calcaterra
• Ainias Smith

Favorite prop for the game: Dallas Goedert Over 49.5 Receiving Yards (-115)

Week 11 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the Bengals take on the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. 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. 

Cincinnati Bengals

Running Back

• The Chargers have given up 733 rushing yards (7th Fewest in NFL)
• They have given up 262 receiving yards to running backs (10th Fewest)
• Giving up 17.6 DK to running backs (2nd Fewest)

 With Zack Moss being put on IR early last week, Chase Brown took firm control of the running back room in Cincinnati and had all 13 carries on Thursday Night against Baltimore. Even before Moss was injured Brown was already taking over most of the work as he had 23 more carries in the four weeks leading to the injury.

Despite the Bengals going out to grab Khalil Herbert from the Bears, he failed to record a carry and was put in the dog house after a fumble. While he should see some actual carries on Sunday with an extra 10 days under his belt, he shouldn’t take too much of Brown’s workload. 

With how good the Chargers have been against running backs I will be light on Brown and have almost no Herbert. I would rather use the salary on both sites on the Bengals receiving game.

Tier 1: Chase Brown

Fade/Punt: Khalil Herbert

Wide Receiver

• The Chargers have allowed 1152 yards to opposing wide receivers (6th Fewest).
• They are giving up 28.1 DK (7th Fewest).

Ja’Marr Chase is a lock on this slate. He is the best wide receiver on the field on Sunday and is coming off of a greatperformance where he had 264 yards and three touchdowns. He should be almost 100% owned but I would rather use him and get different elsewhere than fade him and risk another career performance.

Tee Higgins is the clear number two guy in Cincinnati. Higgins is second in targets with 45 even though he has only had targets in five games this season. Higgins gets a favorable matchup against Tarheeb Still who has given up the most FPRR (.25) and YPRR (.96) as well as the highest target percent per route ran (16.7%). With his matchup and price being almost 4K less than Chase on DK, he is a very tempting pick and someone I will have a good amount of. 

The value wide receivers on the Bengals are Andrei Iosivas and Jermaine Burton. I like both as punt plays, but I wouldn’t have too much of either as in games with Higgins active they average a combined 2.8 targets and have only been able to combine for one score. I would give Burton a slight nod based on being a high draft pick but there isn’t much between them.

Tier 1: Ja’Marr Chase

Tier 2: Tee Higgins

Punts/Fades: Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton

Tight End

• The Chargers have given 469 receiving yards to tight ends (16th Most).
• They are giving up 11.3 DK (14th Most).

I like the Bengals tight ends this week for the showdown. The top tight end for them is Mike Gesicki who leads all of Cincinnati’s tight ends in yards (383), receptions (34), and touchdowns (2). Gesicki has played 51.8% of the Bengals snaps the past three games and with his $6200 price on DraftKings, he is one of my favorite plays this week.

Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson should both see work during the game as both have played over 25% of the Bengal’s snaps the previous two games. Of the two I would lean toward Hudson as he has seen 10 targets in those two weeks while Sample has only seen four which all came in Week 9. 

Tier 1: Mike Gesicki

Punt/Fade: Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson 

Los Angeles Chargers

Running Back

• Cincinnati is giving up 20.9 DK per game (9th Fewest).
• They have allowed 910 rushing yards (16th Fewest).
• They have allowed 195 receiving yards (Fewest).

Gus Edwards returned to the lineup after not playing a snap since Week 4, but he was still out-snapped by JK Dobbins who took full control of the backfield in Edwards’s absence. A healthy Edwards will take some snaps away from Dobbins, but I don’t expect Dobbins to lose the starting role so he is my main Charger running back for Showdown. The Bengals have been good against running backs in fantasy because they don’t allow them to have success in the passing game, ranking top 10 in receptions, yards, and touchdowns against. With Dobbins not showing much use in the passing game, I don’t think that will affect him. But just like the Bengals run game, I would rather focus on the Chargers passing game.

Tier 1: JK Dobbins

Tier 2: Gus Edwards

Wide Receiver

• The Bengals have given up 1505 receiving yards to wide receivers (9th Most).
• They are giving up 34.5 DK to receivers (13th Most).

If we are going to talk about Chargers wide receivers there is only one lad to start with and that is Ladd McConkey.McConkey is leading the Chargers in targets (54), receptions (37), yards (492), and YPRR (2.04). He doesn’t get the best matchup having to face Mike Hilton for the majority of the game. Hilton is holding opposing receivers to .94 YPRR. With his price and the matchup, I will have slightly less McConkey than his teammate Quentin Johnston.

Johnston is finally looking like the TCU version of him that made him a high-draft pick. In the past two games, he has six receptions on seven targets for 142 yards and two scores. He gets a great matchup against Cam Taylor-Britt who is near the top of FPRR allowed by a CB. With the difficult matchup for McConkey, I can see Herbert looking a bit more at Johnston than he has coming into the game. 

Tier 1: Ladd McConkey, Quetin Johnston

Tier 2: Joshua Palmer

Punt: Jalen Reagor, DJ Chark

Tight End

• The Bengals have given up 598 receiving yards to tight ends (6th Most).
• They are allowing 15.4 DK per game (5th Most).

Will Dissly has been the main tight end threat for the Chargers leading the team in receptions (33) and yards (272). He is priced at $5200 on DraftKings which makes him a solid mid-range play. With the Bengals struggling to contain tight ends, I will have a good amount of Dissly. He should play the majority of snaps as he has played over 50% of snaps every game since the bye week. 

Hayden Hurst and Eric Tomlinson should be the other two tight ends that will see some snaps during the game. But even with their price, they are nothing more than punts in larger fields. Since the bye week these two have only combined for five targets which is 27 less than Dissly in that span. I would say keep them out of your main lineup.

Tier 1: Will Dissly

Punt/Fade: Hayden Hurst, Eric Tomlinson

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 Tier 1:

• Jamaar Chase
• Joe Burrow
• JK Dobbins
• Justin Herbert
• Tee Higgins
• Chase Brown
• Mike Gesicki
• Ladd McConkey
• Quentin Johnston
• Will Dissly
• Evan McPherson
• Cameron Dicker

Flex Tier 2/Punts:

• Joshua Palmer
• Chargers D/ST
• Bengals D/ST
• Tanner Hudson
• Gus Edwards
• Jermaine Burton
• Andrei Iosivas
• Drew Sample
• Khalil Herbert
• Hayden Hurst
• Eric Tomlinson

Favorite prop for the game: Tee Higgins Over Receiving Yards 56.5 (-115)

Week 10 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the Lions take on the Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. 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. 

Detroit Lions

Running Back

• The Texans have given up 746 rushing yards (10th Fewest in NFL)
• They have given up 191 receiving yards to running backs (2nd Fewest)
• Giving up 18.2 DK to running backs (4th Fewest)

The Lions have two great running backs to choose from. Jahmyr Gibbs is currently their most effective running back, he has 103 carries for 656 yards and seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, David Montgomery has 110 carries for 488 but he alsohas seven touchdowns on the ground. The two have very similar receiving numbers with Gibbs edging out Montgomery by four receiving yards on three more receptions.

This isn’t a great matchup for either of them. The Texans have been great at preventing big games with only Aaron Jones and Jonathan Taylor being able to finish the game with 100 total yards from the running back position. Of the two I will lean Gibbs as my favorite running back play for the Lions. I will have some exposure to both guys but both of them are behind the Lion’s wide receivers in terms of priority on this slate. I would rather attack the weaker Texan secondary who has struggled this season. 

Tier 1: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery

Wide Receiver

• The Texans have allowed 1672 yards to opposing wide receivers (2nd Most).
• They are giving up 43.8 DK (3rd Most).

The Lions have one clear WR1 on their team and that is Amon-Ra St.Brown. St.Brown leads the Lions wide receiver room with 60 targets and has 46.5% of the total targets (129) for a Lions wide receiver. He should lead the Lions in targets once again this week as he gets a very favorable matchup against Houston’s Pitre. Pitre is the Texan’s slot corner and St.Brown runs a route 56% of the time from the slot. Pitre allows the most fantasy points per route (.34) and most yards (1.21) per route of all Texan corners. Every lineup I make this week will start with Amon-Ra St.Brown whether it’s as my captain or in the flex spot.

The Lions will be getting their WR2 back this season as Jameson Williams’ suspension has been lifted and he is eligible to play on Sunday. Despite missing the previous two games, he is still second on the Lions in targets with 30. I like Williams a lot more on DK than FD as his price on DraftKings is a lot less compared to FanDuel. Paying $10K on FanDuel is steep as he is taking on the best corner on the Texans, Derek Stingley Jr. who has allowed the fewest yards (.76) and fantasy points (.17) per route ran. I will still use Williams on both sites but I will have him behind St.Brown and the two running backs. 

Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond have both seen targets this season and both have over 150 snaps played. Of the two I prefer Tim Patrick since he has played more snaps and is priced lower than Raymond on both sites. 

Tier 1: Amon-Ra St.Brown

Tier 2: Jameson Williams

Punts/Fades: Tim Patrick, Kalif Raymond

Tight End

• The Texans have given 181 receiving yards to tight ends (Fewest).
• They are giving up 6.6 DK (Fewest).

I’ll be honest, for the most part, I am playing too much of the Lion’s tight end room. So far this season, the most yards they have allowed to a tight end was 41. They have also only given up three receiving touchdowns to tight ends. With Sam LaPorta struggling a bit this season, and only having two games of over 10 fantasy points this season, I would rather take my chances with St.Brown or the running backs. LaPorta is fourth for me in terms of priority for Lions players ahead of Williams. 

I want no Brock Wright unless I am playing a 20max or higher number of entries. The Texans are too good to throw a dart in SE on a tight end with nine receptions this season.

Tier 1: Sam LaPorta

Fade: Brock Wright 

Houston Texans

Running Back

• Detroit is giving up 18.9 DK per game (5th Fewest).
• They have allowed 634 rushing yards (6th Fewest).
• They have allowed 210 receiving yards (4th Fewest).

Joe Mixon is the top running back for the Houston Texans. Similarly to his Lion counterparts, while I like him for showdown I would rather prioritize the top wide receivers instead. The Lion’s run defense has been solid this season outside of their games against Aaron Jones and Kenneth Walker who both put up yards and scored. I will still use Mixon in lineups where I can fit him in, but I am not going to try to jam him into my lineups. 

Dare Ogunbowale is a complete fade for me. I like his price at 3K on DraftKings but since Week 5 he has done almost nothing averaging .4 DK points. Against this good Lions defense I want nothing to do with Ogunbowale, maybe if you are maxing out the 150max you can put him in a handful of lines.

UPDATE: I am now more on Joe Mixon with Nico Collins being ruled out as he should see a couple more targets this game.

Tier 1: Joe Mixon

Fade: Dare Ogunbowale

Wide Receiver

• The Lions have given up 1349 receiving yards to wide receivers (12th Most).
• They are giving up 36.4 DK to receivers (7th Most).

***Update: Nico Collins has been ruled out for the game***

We are finally getting the return of Nico Collins to the lineup after missing the previous four games. Collin’s return is going to bring life back to the Houston passing game. Stroud is averaging five fewer points in the four games Collins missed compared to the four complete games Collins has played. Collins couldn’t have picked a better matchup to return against as the Lions are one of the worst teams against wide receivers. He should get Terrion Arnold as his matchup throughout the game who has been the Lion’s best corner back. Arnold being the best Lion corner shouldn’t be an issue as he is still allowing .26 fantasy points and 1.21 yards per route. 

Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie, and Robert Woods go back to being the backup wide receivers. In the four games with both Collins and Dell in the lineup to start the year, none of the three receivers had more than five targets. Of the three I would prioritize Hutchinson. With the question marks about Collins, there is a chance he isn’t given a full workload so I think Hutchinson should see the biggest bump to his workload if Collins is on the sidelines.

With Collins back, Tank Dell returns to being the WR2 for the Texans. Dell should get a bump to his stats playing alongside Collins as he now avoids the opposing team’s best corner. That statement couldn’t be more true this week as instead of dealing with Arnold, Dell should see a lot of Carlton Davis who has struggled this season. Davis is allowing the second most fantasy points on the Lions with .3 FP per route and is allowing a target on 19.6% of routes run. With some questions about Collins coming off of the injury and Dell being priced less, I have them as a coin flip and will have at least one of the two in every lineup.

Updating the article with the news that Collins is out. Dell gets downgraded a bit for me as he will now be the main focus of the Lions secondary, but he still has the matchup against Carlton Davis that I mentioned above. So Dell is still a priority for me on this showdown. The player that gets a advantage from the Collins injury this week should be John Metchie. Hutchinson should be the player that Arnold will now defend which will leave Metchie lined up across Amik Robertson who is allowing .32 FP/RR and 1.72 Y/RR which are both the most allowed by a Lions corner.

Tier 1: Tank Dell

Tier 2: John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson

Punt: Robert Woods

Tight End

• The Lions have given up 244 receiving yards to tight ends (2nd Fewest).
• They are allowing 7.3 DK per game (3rd Fewest).

Just like with LaPorta and the Lion’s tight end room, I am not too high on the Texans. The Lions have been equally as good as the Texans in stopping tight ends, as the Lions have only given up 63 more yards and are allowing only .7 more fantasy points to the position. But if you are using a tight end on the Texans, the main guy is Dalton Schultz. He is leading all Houston tight ends with 44 targets and 26 receptions. Schultz should also see a slight drop off in targets, in the four games with Collins on the field he averaged 4 targets per game but saw that jump to 5.5 in the four games without Collins. 

Cade Stover is the only other Texan tight end I would look at rostering this showdown. He has seen 11 targets this season and has caught seven of those for 85 yards. He is not someone I am looking to roster too much of, but his connection with Stroud from their Ohio State days can keep him relevant in this offense.

Tier 1: Dalton Schultz

Punt/Fade: Cade Stover

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 Tier 1:

• Amon-Ra St.Brown
• Tank Dell
• Jared Goff
• CJ Stroud
• David Montgomery
• Jahmyr Gibbs
• Joe Mixon
• Sam LaPorta
• Dalton Schultz
• Jake Bates
• Ka’imi Fairbairn
• John Metchie

Flex Tier 2/Punts:

• Lions D/ST
• Texans D/ST
• Cade Stover
• Jameson Williams
• Tim Patrick
• Xavier Hutchinson
• Kalif Raymond
• Robert Woods

Favorite prop for the game: Amon-Ra St.Brown Over 69.5 Receiving Yards (-120)

Week 8 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the Colts take on the Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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. 

Indianapolis Colts

Running Back

• The Vikings have given up 538 rushing yards (4th fewest in NFL)
• They have given up 255 receiving yards to running backs (16th fewest)
• Giving up 21.5 DK to running backs (11th fewest)

There is only one running back from the Colts that I want to roster for showdowns, and that is Jonathan Taylor. After missing the previous three weeks due to injury, Taylor returned strong and played 81% of the Colts snaps. He had all 20 of the Colts’ rushing attempts by a running back (Richardson had 6 as a QB).

Taylor’s two backups, Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson, had a combined 12 snaps played and only saw a single touch (a Sermon 14-yard reception). If I am playing one of them to be different in a large GPP, then I would pick Sermon, but in single entries and 3max, I do not want either of them in my lineups.

Tier 1: Jonathan Taylor

Fade/Deep Punt: Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson

Wide Receiver

• The Vikings have allowed 1434 yards to opposing wide receivers (3rd most).
• They are giving up 48.3 DK (most in the NFL).

The running back situation in Indianapolis was easy to point out, but their wide receiver room is anything but easy this season. Michael Pittman leads the team in targets with 53, six ahead of Josh Downs. In the last three weeks, four differentwide receivers have seen 11 or more targets, with Downs leading the way with 21 in that span. The Colts have made the change from Richardson to Old Man Joe Flacco, so their wide receivers should see more work than usual. In Flacco’s two starts earlier in the year, the Colts wide receivers saw 53 total targets.

My favorite wide receiver for the Colts is going to be Josh Downs. He has been the best Colt wideout over the past three weeks and is averaging the most points (.54) per route run. Downs should lineup the majority of the game in the slot, which will pair him up against Byron Murphy, who is the weakest of the Viking corners. Murphy is tied for the sixth most points given up per route.

Michael Pittman is my second favorite wide receiver for the Colts. His numbers haven’t been there this season, but that has been largely due to Richardson’s struggles. In his two games with Flacco in Weeks 5 and 6, Pittman scored his only two touchdowns of the season. He will see Murphy a couple of times as well, which, as I mentioned above, is a favorable matchup.

Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce should see snaps on Sunday, but they are less of a priority for me compared to the two mentioned above. But of the two, Pierce would be my WR3. He has played the second most snaps of all the Colts wide receivers. Mitchell is more of a deep punt play if you are maxing out larger GPPs.

Tier 1: Josh Downs, Michael Pittman

Tier 2: Alec Pierce

Punts/Fades: Adonai Mitchell

Tight End

• The Vikings have given 315 receiving yards to tight ends (9th fewest).
• They are giving up 10.9 DK (12th fewest).

I’ll be honest, I am fading all the Colts’ tight ends this week. The Vikings are great against tight ends, and over the last two weeks the Colts have targeted their tight ends 10 times, but they have only had two receptions for nine yards. For single entries, there are many different ways to go to not need a tight end, so only play one if you are entering a lot of lineups.

These are the stats for the Colts tight ends over the past three weeks:

• Mo Alie-Cox: 94 snaps/6 targets/4 recs for 41 yards
• Kylen Granson: 51 snaps/5 targets/1 rec for 4 yards
• Drew Ogletree: 64 snaps/3 targets/1 rec for 5 yards
• Will Mallory: 25 snaps/4 targets/2 rec for 24 yards

The tight ends haven’t been good, and it’s been unpredictable to call who will get the majority of the workload. If I had to play one, it would be Alie-Cox because of the snaps played; he has more opportunities for some production.

Deep Punts: Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, and Will Malory

Minnesota Vikings

Running Back

• Indy is giving up 25.2 DK per game (11th most).
• They have allowed 986 rushing yards (3rd Most).
• They have allowed 292 receiving yards (10th most).

Aaron Jones is the clear leader of the Viking backfield and is a lock for me this week. He has 33 of the Vikings’ 35 rushing attempts and all five of the receptions by a running back since the bye week. The Colts have been terrible against running backs, so I am locking Jones into all my lineups, both in the captain spot and flex.

Ty Chandler has not done much with the work that he has been given this season. He has 193 total yards and has yet to find the end zone. A couple of weeks ago, the Vikings brought in Cam Akers, who was with the team last season as well.He has yet to have a carry, but with Chandler struggling, Sunday night can be when he gets his first carry since rejoining the Vikings.

Tier 1: Aaron Jones

Deep Punts: Ty Chandler, Cam Akers

Wide Receiver

• The Colts have given up 1203 receiving yards to wide receivers (13th most).
• They are giving up 33.9 DK to receivers (15th most).

Play Justin Jefferson. Don’t overthink it in single entries and 3max.

The WR2 for the Vikings is also an easy choice; Jordan Addison is second on the Vikings in receptions and targets behind Jefferson in both. O’Connell might make it a priority to target Addison a bit more than he was the last two weeks after the latter posted a “Free 3” message on his Instagram. Addison will get a good matchup against Jaylon Jones, who is allowing1.21 yards and.18 fantasy points per route ran.

The other Vikings wide receiver who should see a decent amount of targets is Jalen Nailor. Nailor was a great number two for the two weeks that Addison was out and has still seen 3.7 targets per game since Addison’s return. His matchup against Kenny Moore II isn’t great, but it’s also not terrible. Moore is allowing 26 fantasy points but only 72 yards per route ran. Nailor should have a couple of catches, but he is clearly the WR3 on the team for me this week.

Tier 1: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison

Tier 2: Jalen Nailor

Punt: Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield Jr.

Tight End

• The Colts have given up 448 receiving yards to tight ends (9th most).
• They are allowing 14.7 DK per game (5th most).

On Sunday, we are going to see the return of star tight end TJ Hockenson for the Vikings. Hockenson has been out since tearing his ACL and MCL on Christmas Eve 2023. He is a bit of an unknown going into this game because he hasn’t played in 315 days, but if he is close to who he was pre-injury, then I am grabbing some shares of him. In his 25 games played with the Vikings, he has 155 receptions for 1479 yards and eight touchdowns. With how bad the Colts are at stopping tight ends, I have Hockenson as my second favorite pass catcher for the Vikings.

In Hockenson’s absence, the Vikings have been using Mundt and Oliver as their main tight ends. I think both are still in play if you are playing a lot of lineups, as the Vikings use multiple tight ends even when Hockenson was 100% healthy. There is also a world where the Vikings ease Hockenson into the offense and Mundt and Oliver get more work.

Tier 1: TJ Hockenson

Punt/Fade: Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver

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 Tier 1:

• Justin Jefferson
• Jonathan Taylor
• Aaron Jones
• TJ Hockenson
• Josh Down
• Jordan Addison
• Sam Darnold
• Joe Flacco
• Will Reichard
• Matt Gay
• Michael Pittman
• Jalen Nailor

Flex Tier 2/Punts:

• Vikings D/ST
• Colts D/ST
• Ty Chandler
• Cam Akers
• Alec Pierce
• Mo Alie-Cox
• Kyle Granson
• Johnny Mundt
• Josh Oliver
• Adonai Mitchell
• Trent Sheffield Sr

Favorite prop for the game: Aaron Jones Over 21.5 Receiving Yards (-120)