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The 2024 PGA season is here. Get the industry’s best projections

NOTABLE INACTIVES

Brandin Cooks (quad) is ACTIVE. We are expecting him to play a somewhat regular role, but rotate with Kenny Stills slightly more than he would have if not for the injury.

Chiefs TE Ricky Seals-Jones is a healthy scratch, as we projected. Deon Yelder and Nick Keizer are the TE2s behind Travis Kelce.

 

 

Editors Note 1: Top Plays, Stack Ideas, and Projections are at the bottom of this article.

 

Editor’s Note 2: For Evan Silva’s breakdown on every player in this game, click here. That is the best analysis on the game you will find. This article’s focus is to highlight specific strategies for this Showdown slate, not the game itself. 

 

Football is back! While things may look a little different Thursday night, the showdown lobby remains unfazed with $1M prizes being awarded across multiple sites. We kick the season off with a Texans at Chiefs rubber match that projects for plenty of fantasy goodness.

 

SHOWDOWN STRATEGY & TRENDS

If you’re dipping your toes into the single-game format for the first time, looking to refine your process or simply just need a refresher, we recommend reviewing this article that outlines our general thoughts on showdown strategy with a deep dive into the 2019 data. Like most DFS lineups, the best showdown lineups are created where uniqueness + optimal correlation + max projected points meet. Below you can review winning lineups from last season to better familiarize yourself with optimal construction.

 

Historical Winning Lineups

Packers at Bears ($47700 Salary Used)  (191.66% Total Ownership): Captain Allen Robinson, Aaron Rodgers, Tarik Cohen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jimmy Graham, Packers DST – Lineup entered (3) times

Steelers at Patriots ($46100) (223.0%): Captain Tom Brady, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Stephen Gostkowski, Rex Burkhead – (1)

Texans at Saints ($49900) (244.79%): Captain DeAndre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr., Kenny Stills, Wil Lutz – (13)

Broncos at Raiders ($49000) (240.32%): Captain Josh Jacobs, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, Tyrell Williams, Darren Waller, Brandon McManus – (1)

Buccaneers at Panthers ($48500) (225.70%): Captain Chris Godwin, Cam Newton, Curtis Samuel, D.J. Moore, Greg Olsen, Joey Slye – (1)

Eagles at Falcons ($49300) (253.86%): Captain Julio Jones, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins

Browns at Jets ($48300) (237.27%): Captain Odell Beckham Jr., Nick Chubb, Le’Veon Bell, Browns DST, Austin Seibert, D’ernest Johnson – (4)

Titans at Jaguars ($48600) (258.3%): Captain Marcus Mariota, Leonard Fournette, Gardner Minshew, D.J. Chark Jr., Jaguars DST, Adam Humphries – (1)

Rams at Browns ($49700) (238.92%): Captain Cooper Kupp, Jared Goff, Brandin Cooks, Nick Chubb, Browns DST, Greg Zuerlein – 

Bears at Redskins ($50000) (235.64%): Captain Mitchell Trubisky, Case Keenum, Terry McLaurin, Bears DST, Paul Richardson Jr., Taylor Gabriel – (11)

Eagles at Packers ($47300) (245.93%): Captain Jordan Howard, Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Carson Wentz, Jimmy Graham, Geronimo Allison – (4)

Cowboys at Saints ($47800) (231.88%): Captain Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys DST, Wil Lutz, Saints DST – (3)

Bengals at Steelers ($48700) (198.22%): Captain James Conner, Mason Rudolph, Joe Mixon, Diontae Johnson, Steelers DST, Jaylen Samuels – (1)

Rams at Seahawks ($50000) (273.06%): Captain Cooper Kupp, Chris Carson, Gerald Everett, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Greg Zuerlein – (748)

Colts at Chiefs ($47200) (241.73%): Captain Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Jacoby Brissett, Marlon Mack, Colts DST, Byron Pringle – (1)

Browns at 49ers ($46400) (239.74%): Captain Matt Breida, Jarvis Landry, Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Tevin Coleman, 49ers DST – (4)

Giants at Patriots ($46700) (322.95%): Captain Patriots DST, Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Golden Tate, James White, Brandon Bolden – (53)

Steelers at Chargers ($44700) (198.69%): Captain James Conner, Phillip Rivers, Hunter Henry, Mike Williams, Benny Snell Jr., Steelers DST – (1)

Lions at Packers ($49800) (265.43%): Captain Matt Prater, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Kenny Golladay, Kerryon Johnson, Jamaal Williams – (23)

Chiefs at Broncos ($47000) (225.37%): Captain Chief DST, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, Royce Freeman – (1)

Eagles at Cowboys ($46300) (231.89%): Captain Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Cowboys DST, Dallas Goedert, Brett Maher – (4)

Patriots at Jets ($48800) (242.5%): Captain Patriots DST, Julian Edelman, Sony Michel, James White, Phillip Dorsett, Demaryius Thomas – (73)

Redskins at Vikings ($49900) (262.92%): Captain Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, Vikings DST, Adrian Peterson, Dan Bailey, Dustin Hopkins – (343)

Packers at Chiefs ($49600) (244.78%): Captain Aaron Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Moore, Jamaal Williams, Damien Williams, Mecole Hardman – (2)

Dolphins at Steelers ($49700) (259.67%): Captain JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Diontae Johnson, Allen Hurns, Chris Boswell – (8) 

49ers at Cardinals ($48800) (252.12%): Captain Kenyan Drake, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kyler Murray, George Kittle, Emmanuel Sanders, Andy Isabella – (2)

Patriots at Ravens ($49600) (236.43a%): Captain Julian Edelman, Lamar Jackson, James White, Mark Ingram III, Mohamed Sanu, Nick Boyle – (1)

Cowboys at Giants ($48200) (215.3%): Captain Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Daniel Jones, Cowboys DST, Jason Witten, Brett Maher – (3)

Chargers at Raiders ($49600) (284.1%): Captain Melvin Gordon III, Philip Rivers, Josh Jacobs, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Raiders DST – (12)

Vikings at Cowboys ($49600) (215.38%): Captain Randall Cobb, Dalvin Cook, Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr. – (3)

Seahawks at 49ers ($49900) (240.23%): Captain Chris Carson, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers DST, Deebo Samuel, Jacob Hollister – (24)

Steelers at Browns ($49100) (219.24%): Captain Baker Mayfield, Jaylen Samuels, Mason Rudolph, Jarvis Landry, Kareem Hunt, Browns DST – (2)

Bears at Rams ($49800) (290.15%): Captain Todd Gurley II, Cooper Kupp, Mitchell Trubisky, Taylor Gabriel, Rams DST, Tarik Cohen – (59)

Chiefs at Chargers ($49500) (182.25%): Captain Austin Ekeler, Travis Kelce, Keenan Allen, Philip Rivers, Hunter Henry, LeSean McCoy – (14)

Colts at Texans ($49900) (258.29%): Captain DeAndre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, Will Fuller, Jonathan Williams, Eric Ebron, Ka’imi Fairbairn – (144)

Packers at 49ers ($46200) (217.84%): Captain George Kittle, Jimmy Garoppolo, Davante Adams, Jamaal Williams, Raheem Mostert, Chase McLaughlin – (1)

Ravens at Rams ($49800) (196.98%): Captain Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram II, Marquise Brown, Robert Woods, Willie Snead IV, Tyler Higbee – (15)

Saints at Falcons: Captain Matt Ryan, Saints DST, Russell Gage, Alvin Kamara, Wil Lutz, Calvin Ridley – (1)

Patriots at Texans ($49400) (256.39%): Captain Duke Johnson, Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson, Julian Edelman, James White, Kenny Stills – (74)

Vikings at Seahawks ($49700) (251.83%): Captain Rashaad Penny, Russell Wilson, Dalvin Cook, Chris Carson, Kirk Cousins, David Moore – (22)

Cowboys at Bears ($49400) (232.33%): Captain Mitchell Trubisky, Ezekiel Elliott, Allen Robinson II, Michael Gallup, Anthony Miller, J.P. Holtz – (2)

Giants at Eagles ($47000) (200.3%): Captain Darius Slayton, Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz, Eli Manning, Sterling Shepard, Boston Scott – (1)

Jets at Ravens ($49300) (212.82%): Captain Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram II, Mark Andrews, Jamison Crowder, Seth Roberts, Miles Boykin – (15)

Bills at Steelers ($47100) (262.26%): Captain Bills DST, Josh Allen, James Conner, John Brown, James Washington, Nick Vannett – (4) 

Colts at Saints ($47500) (248.77%): Captain Michael Thomas, Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, Wil Lutz, Taysom Hill, Jordan Wilkins – (1)

Rams at 49ers ($49600) (241.43%): Captain Tyler Higbee, Jared Goff, George Kittle, Robert Woods, Deebo Samuel, Brandin Cooks – (4)

Chiefs at Bears ($49400) (252.12%): Captain Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Allen Robinson, Damien Williams, Harrison Butker, Javon Wims – (7)

Packers at Vikings ($47600) (202.83%): Captain Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, Packers DST, Mason Crosby, Ameer Abdullah

49ers at Seahawks ($49900) (198.36%): Captain Deebo Samuel, Russell Wilson, Raheem Mostert, D.K. Metcalf, Travis Homer, Kyle Juszczyk

Titans at Patriots ($49000) (218.14%): Captain Derrick Henry, Julian Edelman, James White, Rex Burkhead, Titans DST, Nick Folk – (1)

Seahawks at Eagles ($46400) (225.92%): Captain D.K. Metcalf, Russell Wilson, Dallas Goedert, Marshawn Lynch, Jake Elliott, Seahawks DST

Titans at Ravens ($50000) (225.02%): Captain Marquise Brown, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, Hayden Hurst, Kalif Raymond – (9)

Seahawks at Packers ($49800) (240.48%): Captain Davante Adams, Russell Wilson, Aaron Jones, Tyler Lockett, Jason Myers, Luke Willson – (3)

Packers at 49ers ($49600) (257.82%): Captain Raheem Mostert, Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, 49ers DST, Robbie Gould (30)

 

When we review winning lineups, we can think backwards and determine what game-script ideas and correlations went into constructing each roster. In the Week 9 MNF matchup last season, we knew it would be contrarian to build a lineup assuming Dallas scored only through the air and thus fade Ezekiel Elliott, who projected to be the highest-owned player on the slate. With Prescott at Captain and multiple Dallas pass catchers in the FLEX spots, it made sense to get a piece of the Giants’ pass game as there would be increased pass volume in a potential come-from-behind effort. After the core was locked in, it was all about maximizing projected points. We had very little appealing value on this slate and we know as dropbacks increase, so do the opportunities for defenses to produce fantasy points via strip sacks and interceptions, making the Dallas DST an exceptional play. A fluky late-game defensive touchdown was the icing on the cake for the winning lineup on this Monday night slate. While it’s impossible to do on full slates, building rosters or setting groups around an expected outcome is often the optimal strategy on one-game Showdown slates.

 

TEAM-SPECIFIC ANALYSIS & NOTABLE PRICE CONSIDERATIONS

TNF pairs two explosive offenses with the Texans visiting the Chiefs as 9.5-point road underdogs in a mouth-watering 54-point total. Though we’ve had weeks to analyze this slate since salaries were released, we have very few offseason data points to use as benchmarks for determining how new and existing members of each team’s offense will be used and how coaching tendencies may change.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s second-ranked situation-neutral pass rate (64%) brings with it plenty of fantasy opportunities. Though, if Vegas is to be believed, we should expect slightly fewer pass attempts as the Chiefs’ pass rate dropped to 54% last season when playing with a lead. Texans HC Bill O’Brien and his 24th-ranked situation-neutral pass rate (56%) may be forced to lean on his franchise QB if they expect to keep this game close. When trailing in 2019, the Texans’ pass rate jumped from 56% to 64%, presenting a modest increase in opportunity for Texans pass catchers in builds where we expect them to fall behind. In a format that tasks us with beating 355,000 entries to ship 1st place, building around a contrarian game script where we expect Houston to play with a lead will immediately offer a unique build. When leading, the Texans’ pass rate fell all the way to 47%, while the Chiefs’ pass rate rose slightly to 69% in come from behind efforts.

The Chiefs’ potent offense returns, headlined at the wide receiver position by showdown darling, Tyreek Hill ($10400). Hill was every bit the WR1 we expected in 2019, handling an elite 39% share of his team’s air yards to go with a 23% target share in games where he was healthy. Behind Hill, things get interesting with Sammy Watkins ($5800), Mecole Hardman ($5200) and Demarcus Robinson ($2200) all back in the picture. While season-long ADP suggests Hardman is the guy to own, we’re not convinced. As Silva noted in matchups, Watkins out-snapped Hardman 85% to 30% in the Chiefs’ playoff run and did enough during the offseason to maintain the WR2 job. Last season Watkins saw a higher target share (19% to 7%) and higher share of the team’s air yards (22% to 9%). With just a $600 difference in price and similar projected ownership, Hardman stands out as one of the most overowned options on the slate. Robinson is the true wildcard, assuming he maintains the Chiefs’ WR3 role. In 2019, he played on 63% of snaps and ran a route on 68% of dropbacks. While the lackluster 10% target share is a concern, for players like Robinson, we’re just looking for someone who projects for solid playing time and is capable of running hot on volume over a one-game sample.

Travis Kelce ($9200) and his team-leading 31 red-zone targets are due for positive regression after he turned those opportunities into just five touchdowns in 2019. The field generally views Kelce and Hill as fantasy equals, with the cheaper of the two typically carrying more ownership. Hill becomes an interesting leverage play at a steeper price tag if we expect Kelce to be higher-owned. As Silva noted, it’s wheels up for the entire Chiefs pass attack as the Texans ranked near the bottom of the league in points allowed to both wide receivers and tight ends.

With pricing released nearly a month before kickoff, the Chiefs’ backfield gives us our first major mispricing of the season; Darrel Williams‘ ($1800) price tag is nearly $2000 too cheap for an RB2 in this offense, who has the capability of handling 50% of the team’s carries in his range of outcomes. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($8800) figures to pace the Chiefs’ backfield in total touches and as Silva noted, Edwards-Helaire’s skillset should shine against a Texans defense that allowed the league’s second-most catches to backs (104). Patrick Mahomes ($12600) is comfortably priced near his 2019 average and with value options on the lower end of the pricing spectrum, we don’t expect his tag to be prohibitive for most lineup constructions. There’s not much left to say for the best player in football.

 

After the offseason departure of DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller ($8000) should get every opportunity to take over as the Texans’ alpha WR1. In games where Fuller played > 50% of the snaps, he saw a 24% target share and a 33% share of the team’s air yards. Remove Hopkins’ 29% target share and it’s easy to make a case Fuller is slightly underpriced for his volume upside and will be a relatively underowned captain option with the studs on this slate.

Behind Fuller, the trio of Brandin Cooks ($7200), Kenny Stills ($4600) and Randall Cobb ($4200) will fight for Week 1 WR2 volume. As Silva noted in matchups, a quad injury may force Cooks into a limited role, sliding Stills into the WR rotation and potentially setting Cobb up for sneaky volume at a cheap price tag. Especially where we can expect reduced ownership, it makes sense to take advantage of this ambiguous WR group when considering Houston targeted the position on 64% of pass attempts in 2019.

The Texans will continue to deploy the two-headed monster of Darren Fells ($4400) and Jordan Akins ($3200) at the TE position. Though they’re low-usage options, both played enough snaps (72% and 61%) and ran enough routes (53% and 66%) to be viable options. With 29 red-zone targets vacated by the Hopkins trade, Fells and Akins stand to see an increased role as touchdown scorers.

As part of the Hopkins trade, David Johnson ($7200) joins the Texans as their new lead back. Though he struggled mightily on the ground down the stretch in Arizona, Johnson showed well as a receiver, maintaining a respectable 1.59 yards per route run. If he’s able to secure a majority of the pass-down work ahead of running mate Duke Johnson ($4200), he projects as a safe source of volume regardless of game script. However, we suspect David will cede enough opportunities in the passing game to Duke that both may struggle to get the touches that would force them into optimal lineups. The stars are aligning for a Deshaun Watson ($11600) eruption. As Silva noted, the Chiefs’ secondary will be without Bashaud Breeland – PFF’s No. 4-graded cornerback last year. If we expect the game to play out as projected, it’s noteworthy that Watson’s career yards per attempt rise from 7.7 to 8.4 when trailing, and his yards per carry spike from 4.4 to 6.3. A slight discount from Mahomes coupled with lower captain ownership makes Watson a top target to fill the position.

 

TOP PLAYS

Given the importance of maximizing raw points, correlation and uniqueness we’ve grouped our top plays into three categories: top overall plays, top value plays and top leverage plays.

 

Player Category Notes
Patrick Mahomes Overall The slate’s highest-projected player and most likely top scorer. 
Deshaun Watson Overall With price and ownership considered, Watson trails Mahomes slightly.
Travis Kelce Overall The $1200 discount from Tyreek Hill makes Kelce our preferred Chiefs pass catcher.
Will Fuller Overall Inexplicably priced Fuller as if DeAndre Hopkins was still hogging targets.
Harrison Butker Value Butker and Fairbairn project better than the cheap skill players priced around them with Butker leading the way. 
Ka’imi Fairbairn Value Like Butker, Fairbairn projects well. Generally speaking, we prefer the kicker from the team we project to win the game.
Chiefs DST Value DST fantasy points are strongly correlated with INTs, sacks and touchdowns. Even with a high total, this is a good game environment for DST scoring.
Darrel Williams Value Severely mispriced for the projected role as the Chiefs’ early-season 1B, the slate’s most obvious value.
Tyreek Hill Leverage We don’t expect Hill to be sneaky but if 2019 is an indicator, the steep tag will bring with it reduced ownership.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire Leverage If we’re wrong about the Chiefs’ backfield touch split, CEH could destroy his $8800 salary.
Randall Cobb Leverage The Texans ran 1-1 personnel on 64% of their offensive plays, Cobb’s solidified slot role could earn him WR2 volume.
Jordan Akins Leverage Low-volume players with strong underlying usage make for a compelling argument when price and ownership are low.
Demarcus Robinson Leverage Assumes Robinson maintains his 2019 WR3 role. Will be running a route on majority of Mahomes’ dropbacks.

 

STACK IDEAS

*Captain Patrick Mahomes + (3) Chiefs Pass Catchers – The data shows that a majority of lineups with elite QBs at captain pair them with 1-2 receivers from their team. We’re more unique if we include a third pass catcher, i.e., Kelce, Watkins and Robinson.

 

*Captain Will Fuller, Deshaun Watson, Tyreek Hill – If we lean into the notion that Fuller takes over as the Texans’ clearcut WR1, he could push for a 30% target share and handle a majority of the team’s most valuable targets. With a lower-owned captain we’re afforded the ability to build a slightly more chalky lineup around him.

 

*Captain Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Akins – As mentioned above, generally speaking, whoever is higher priced between Hill and Kelce benefits from a captain ownership discount. If target volume concentrates around Hill, he’s live to outscore Mahomes and finish as the top captain.

 

*Captain Deshaun Watson, Will Fuller, Sammy Watkins – Watson’s rushing ability presents plenty of outs for him to finish as the top captain and creates optionality in who we pair him with. Bringing a Texans stack back with a member of the Chiefs’ pass game is likely optimal as nearly 90% of winning teams that rostered a QB/WR/TE at captain included at least one QB/WR/TE from the opposing team. 

 

*Captain Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Deshaun Watson, Randall Cobb – A lot of offseason assumptions have gone into Edwards-Helaire’s week one projection. If we’re wrong and he manages a bell-cow workload out of the gate, he’s too cheap and offers one of the highest ceilings on the slate. 

DK KC-BAL Showdown Fantasy and Ownership Projections

NameTeamPositionSalaryProjectionCeilingTotal OwnCPT SalaryCPT ProjectionCPT Own