Getty Gallery: 1/5
It's time for the Week 11 of the NFL season to get underway, which of course means fantasy football players need to gear up for Thursday Night Football. While fans endured a rough Monday night game to finish last week between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, it's a different story to start the new week. Thursday night offers a game between two playoff contenders and some strong single-game fantasy options.
The Green Bay Packers (4-4-1) and Seattle Seahawks (4-5) are both in need of as many wins as possible moving forward. Currently, the Seahawks are looking way up at the nine-win Los Angeles Rams while the Packers are behind both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. It's Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson squaring off in a primetime, so let's talk fantasy.
We're going to check out the DraftKings offerings for their showdown slate, and as usual, it features some solid options and a few unique ways to build lineups. This slate features the popular $10 option which has a guarantee of $1 million and $250,000 to first place. There are also a few high-dollar options with big guarantees ($180 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed) and less-expensive ones ($3 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed), so there's plenty to consider.
In breaking down the Thursday Night Football matchup, I'll create multiple different lineups, offer picks and give insight into the various options on the slate. This will include three unique lineups, one of which is the optimal (well-rounded), a 150-max option (high ceiling, boom-or-bust) and a single-entry/cash lineup (high floor).
Showdown games are different than your normal daily fantasy game, so there are a variety of ways to go about creating lineups for them. You'll select six players from any position you want as opposed to fielding an entire roster, and it features just the Packers vs. Seahawks game. Before we get too deep into the lineups, I'll first evaluate my favorite captain options, a spot which features a higher price tag but a bonus for the player in that spot.
Here's a look at how showdown games work along with the rules to make sure you're set for the Week 11 action.
– Six total players (one captain, five flex players)
– Captain selection costs 1.5 times standard salary but scores 1.5 times the standard points
– Can choose from any position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DST)
– $50,000 salary cap
– You can use more than one quarterback
Constructing of lineups in showdown games can be both tough and interesting, as you need to do your best to find an edge, especially in 150-max games. With only six players selected, differentiating yourself from the field is going to be key, but fortunately, there are a variety of ways to that. One of those focuses on the captain spot, as the 1.5x points you earn there can make a world of difference, so we'll evaluate that a bit more in-depth as we lay out each lineup.
I'll first break down my favorite captain plays for Packers vs. Seahawks and evaluate the ones which stand out most.