Getty Gallery: 3/5
Optimal Lineup No. 1
– CAPTAIN: Sammy Watkins ($9,300)
– Tom Brady ($11,200)
– James White ($9,200)
– Travis Kelce ($8,600)
– Rob Gronkowski ($7,600)
– Stephen Gostkowski ($3,400)
Listen, I get the fact that no one really loves using kickers, but there are two key things that point me to either Stephen Gostkowski or Harrison Butker (your choice). The first is that I'm focusing on a game script which features a ton of points, which will mean multiple opportunities for both kickers. And while many push to focus on getting huge names in, using either team's kicker allows us to get five other high-upside players in.
Plus, kickers usually have fairly low ownership, and that's appealing on showdown slates. If Gostkowski finishes with 12-14 points, it's easily more than you'd expect from a player around that same price.
As for the Patriots triple-stack, it's going to be one of the most popular. Rob Gronkowski priced at $7,600 is eye-opening, but it's largely due to his injuries. With that said, he caught six passes for 75 yards last week and is in an elite spot against a Chiefs team who's allowed 33 catches for 453 yards (most in the NFL) this season.
James White should absolutely tear apart the Chiefs defense as well. Kansas City has some issues on that side of the ball, and they've allowed 39 catches for 454 yards and three touchdowns to opposing running backs. There may be no player with a safer floor in this game than White, who's topped 14 DraftKings points in every game and has 18 receptions over the past two games.
I love the idea of pairing two of the top matchups on the board with their quarterback in Tom Brady. Tom Terrific had his best game of the season in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, completing 77.2 percent of his passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns while adding on a rushing score.
Travis Kelce has been about as elite as they come over the past few weeks, absolutely wrecking opponents and topping 100 yards in three of four games. It's obvious he's one of Patrick Mahomes' favorite targets and he's proven incredibly reliable as well. Kelce has a high ceiling and safe floor, making for the perfect play on this showdown slate, although he'll almost certainly have heavy ownership.
And finally, there's Sammy Watkins. He's placed far too low and has played at least 81 percent of the offensive snaps with 86 percent in Week 5, per Football Outsiders. Watkins also has23 receptions in the last three games he's been healthy for, and the Patriots defense against opposing wideouts isn't overly impressive.