DraftKings NFL $500K Saturday Night Showdown is open for entry now. The contest features an AFC Wild Card bout between the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots.
The first place prize winner of the Showdown will receive a fantastic payout of $100K. Let’s see how to optimize our lineups below.
Rules & Scoring:
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- Six total players (one captain, five flex players)
- Captain selection costs 1.5x standard salary
- Captain scores 1.5x fantasy point values
- Can choose from any position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DST)
- You can use as many players at the same position as you’d like
- $50,000 salary cap
Roster Construction
- Captain: Ryan Tannehill $16,200
- FLEX: Tom Brady $10,400
- FLEX: AJ Brown $9,800
- FLEX: Sony Michel $7,000
- FLEX: Jonnu Smith $4,400
- FLEX: Ben Watson $1,600
Why This Lineup?
Since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback in Week 7, Ryan Tannehill has scored an average of 22.5 ppg, the second-most fantasy points by a player at his position in the NFL. The Patriots have allowed an average of 22.46 ppg to opposing QBs over their past two games.
Tom Brady has not been his typical terrific self of late. However, he has topped 15.84 points in two straight weeks. Plus, who doesn’t expect Brady to answer the bell come Saturday night and silence his doubters? The Titans have allowed 19.96 ppg to opposing starting QBs over the last four weeks, which includes 17.9 points to AJ McCarron.
AJ Brown was phenomenal over the latter part of the regular season. In fact, since Week 11, only Michael Thomas averaged more than Brown’s 21.3 ppg. A matchup with Stephon Gilmore is certainly daunting. Yet, after watching DeVante Parker beat Gilmore consistently in man-to-man coverage a week ago, we feel a lot better about Brown’s prospects on Saturday night.
New England has quietly turned their offense back over to Sony Michel in recent games. The Patriots are the sixth-best run offense in football over the last three weeks. Over that span, Michel has averaged 20 touches per game. The Titans have allowed eight rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs over their last six contests.
Jonnu Smith is clearly Ryan Tannehill’s second-best option in the receiving game behind AJ Brown. Smith has scored 11.9 points in three of his last four games, finding the endzone in two of those games. Mike Gesicki finished with 13.4 points against New England one week ago. The Pats have allowed three receiving TDs to tight ends over their last five games.
Ben Watson is dirt cheap, which is the main reason he finds his way into our lineup, however, it’s not the only reason. The Titans allowed this sixth-most fantasy points to the tight end position during the 2019 regular season. Tennessee has surrendered four receiving touchdowns to opposing TEs over their last five games.
Final Thoughts & Obvious Omissions
The most glaring omissions in our Saturday Night Showdown lineup is undoubtedly Tennesse’s bruising running back, Derrick Henry. Henry would normally be a much-welcomed addition to our DFS lineups. However, his price tag for tonight’s game was a bit too hefty for our likening. Plus, no team has allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing running backs this season than the New England Patriots.
Reminder, tonight’s game kicks off at 8:15 pm ET. Be sure to set your lineups and good luck!
