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After all the Turkey, stuffing and other Thanksgiving food and fun, the NFL has offered up a nightcap in the form of an NFC South rivalry. As we've become accustomed to in recent years, there are three games throughout the day on Thanksgiving, and this year the night game features the Atlanta Falcons taking on the New Orleans Saints.
And for all the fantasy football players out there, it's another opportunity to jump in on the action. While the Falcons vs. Saints game will be featured on the main slate for the day (which includes all three games), the DraftKings showdown for it should make for an interesting one.
We've already covered the showdown slates for both the Bears vs. Lions and Redskins vs. Cowboys, but now it's onto a game between two teams who can light up the scoreboard.
For the Falcons (4-6), this is a game which could define their season. They've now lost back-to-back games and falling to the Saints (9-1) would leave their playoff outlook incredibly bleak. On the Saints side, they're trucking towards the No. 1 seed in the NFC and are looking good thanks to a win over the Los Angeles Rams and a nine-game win streak.
Let's dive into the showdown slate between these high-scoring teams and evaluate the top plays and best lineups. In this article, I'll break down general rules of showdowns, top choices for captains (more on that ahead) and then lay out my top plays and optimal lineups for the different types of games.
For the final game on the Thanksgiving slate, I'll offer three different lineups. This will include an optimal lineup which features a mixture of top plays and values, a 150-max option (more risk, high upside) and a single-entry/cash lineup (high floor, less risk).
One thing worth mentioning about showdown games before we dive in is that you'll select one captain for each lineup. This player will cost you 1.5-times their normal price but also scores 1.5x the points for being your captain choice.
Here's a look at the rules of showdown games and basic concepts behind how the games work.
– 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
We'll start with the break down of captains and lay out the top choices for that spot in the Falcons vs. Saints matchup.