The second NFL game set for Thanksgiving features an intriguing NFC East matchup which has major playoff implications. The Washington Redskins are on the road against the Dallas Cowboys with a chance to grab a big edge in the division. Unfortunately, they'll have to win this game and also continue their playoff push without quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a scary leg injury in Week 11.
For all of the fantasy football players out there, we have a few ways to get in on the action for Thanksgiving. While there is a regular slate which features all three games, the showdown games on DraftKings have quickly become a popular choice for fantasy players. And for the Redskins vs. Cowboys game, there's plenty of value to be found and great options for building single-game lineups.
While I'll break down each of the games, we'll cover specifically the Redskins (6-4) vs. Cowboys (5-5) here. The first matchup between these two teams came in Week 7 when the Redskins won a close 20-17 game on their home field and as things stand, that's the difference between the two teams in the division.
Let's dive into the showdown matchup here, and to start I'll give a general idea of how they work. You're first selecting six players within the salary cap, which is quite a bit different than regular daily fantasy football games. You can use any position from either team including kickers and defenses.
One big thing to mention is the captain spot. In all lineups, you'll choose a captain who will cost 1.5-times their normal price but also scores 1.5x the points for being in the top spot. Before we get into the actual lineups, I'll break down the captain options and offer my favorite choices from both teams.
For the start of the Thanksgiving slate, I'll offer three lineups, this covers the primary formats of games you'll have the option to play. It includes an optimal lineup which is a well-rounded one with many of my favorite plays, a 150-max option (more risk, higher ceiling) and a single-entry/cash lineup (high floor, less risk).
Due to the fact that you're only selecting six players, it'll be pretty vital to differentiate yourself as much as possible. There are a variety of ways to get unique, even with smaller lineups, considering you can use two quarterbacks or even one (or more) kickers and/or defenses. I'll offer some thoughts on the best ways to get unique on this slate, specifically with your captain choice.
Let's start with the captain plays to consider and options for the Redskins vs. Cowboys matchup.
Favorite Captains for Redskins vs. Cowboys
A good way to start when looking at captains can be to get an idea of the expected game flow/outcome of the matchup. Obviously, things don't always play out this way, but the Cowboys are currently favored by more than a touchdown with a low total at 40.5, per OddsShark. Due to Smith's injury, that's not all that surprising, but it's worth noting what oddsmakers think here.
For the captain choices in this matchup, I'll offer a handful of options to consider and evaluate my favorite targets. This doesn't mean I'll use all the players listed, but I want to remain flexible while constructing lineups and recommend spreading your captains around a bit. The names I'll evaluate below for the Cowboys-Redskins DraftKings showdown below feature captain pricing of 1.5x more than standard.
– Ezekiel Elliott ($19,500)
– Dak Prescott ($14,700)
– Amari Cooper ($13,800)
– Adrian Peterson ($12,900)
– Jordan Reed ($11,400)
– Trey Quinn ($7,200)
*Cowboys DST ($7,800), Maurice Harris ($4,800), Michael Gallup ($3,600) also names to consider
Favorite expensive/mid-range captains: Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper
Top value-saving captains: Jordan Reed, Trey Quinn
There's quite a bit that jumps out about this game on both sides of the ball. Obviously, this is not only a revenge spot or the Cowboys but one that could place them squarely back in the mix for an NFC East title. On their home field against a backup quarterback (albeit, a good one) in Colt McCoy, there are a few interesting ways to approach the captain spot.
McCoy is $12,300 in the captain spot and I do believe he deserves consideration as an option. The biggest question mark is how he'll look after so much time off from regular-season NFL action. The Cowboys defense is also strong, but have had some issues with opposing wideouts, but are a mid-tier team against quarterbacks.
Ezekiel Elliott's price is tough, and most will likely use him as a flex play because of this. In turn, we can differentiate our lineups somewhat by using him in the captain spot. There's value in other spots, so it's more than possible. Elliott has been red-hot, ripping off over 122 rushing yards in each of the past two games. He's also received 25 and 30 touches over that span, making him the most elite option here.
I like quite a few options in the captain spot for this showdown game, so I'll likely try to get a bit creative. Plus, the matchups for a few names jump off the page, although things can always get a bit crazy in Thanksgiving games.
Let's start with the optimal lineup and I'll dive deeper into the specific plays.
Optimal Lineup
– CAPTAIN: Amari Cooper ($13,800)
– Ezekiel Elliott ($13,000)
– Dak Prescott ($9,800)
– Cowboys DST ($5,200)
– Trey Quinn ($4,800)
– Maurice Harris ($3,200)
Amari Cooper is coming off a fairly poor showing against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, but there's no cause for concern. His rapport with Dak Prescott remains impressive and the two make one of the more intriguing stacks on this showdown slate.
I like Cooper quite a bit for a few reasons, one of which is the fact that the Redskins have been fine, but not great against opposing wideouts. On the season, they've allowed 137 receptions for 1,885 yards and 11 touchdowns. While Josh Norman is a top-tier cornerback, he's known to stay on one side of the field and Cooper plays all over. I'm expecting the Cowboys' newest wideout to shine in a national game on Thanksgiving.
While Prescott hasn't excelled against the Redskins in his career, I'm a big fan of the fact that the Cowboys are allowing him to do a bit more when it comes to rushing. He only had four attempts last week, but he's scored four touchdowns on the ground in the last five games. Even beyond that, Prescott has completed 67.7 percent of his passes or more in each of the three games since the team's bye week.
Trey Quinn is a name I'll break down further moving forward, but I expect him to work as somewhat of a safety blanket for Colt McCoy in this games. He's coming off a solid showing in Week 11 and with Jamison Crowder listed as questionable (seems unlikely to play), he'll see another heavy workload.
I think many people will opt to jump off the Maurice Harris train, even at a massively discounted price. But with how depleted the Redskins receiving corps is, he's almost a lock for 4-6 targets in this game in a very worst case scenario. He only hauled in 1-of-4 targets last week but is two weeks removed from a game with 10 catches for 124 yards, so the upside is there.
Harris saw a decline in snaps in Week 11 due to the emergence of Quinn, but assuming he plays around 55-60 percent again (played 55 percent last game), he's more than a solid option here. The Cowboys defense is strong, but there's a chance the Redskins get behind early and have to utilize the passing game to try to make up ground.
Let's look at the 150-max lineup which has multiple high-upside options, but also a bit more risk with it.
150-Max Entry Lineup
– CAPTAIN: Trey Quinn ($7,200)
– Ezekiel Elliott ($13,000)
– Dak Prescott ($9,800)
– Colt McCoy ($8,200)
– Jordan Reed ($7,600)
– Michael Gallup ($2,400)
And now for the Trey Quinn lineup. I can't blame anyone for not knowing who Quinn was before last game when he received the start in the slot. The 22-year-old rookie out of SMU hauled in all four of his targets for 49 yards. I love the inexpensive price and the fact that, as previously mentioned, he should be a go-to safety option for his quarterback.
For good measure, Quinn's emergence is no fluke. He came on and took snaps from Harris, finishing Week 11 with 53 offensive snaps, behind only the 64 of Josh Doctson, per Football Outsiders. With Crowder being questionable and trending towards sitting out, I love the high floor Quinn provides, but also think he has upside that may get overlooked.
As far as Colt McCoy goes, I'm a big fan of pairing him up with Jordan Reed in this spot. The Cowboys have struggled against tight ends this season, allowing 59 receptions for 557 yards and four touchdowns. The triple stack of McCoy, Reed and Quinn makes a lot of sense, and we saw the Redskins tight end pots his best game of the season in Week 11, catching 7-of-11 targets for 71 yards and one touchdown.
I fully expect to see Reed and Quinn finish this game with the highest number of targets from McCoy as Doctson should draw the toughest matchup. Unfortunately, I believe McCoy's price will make him somewhat higher-owned here, but he does provide some value and the ability to get high-priced players in.
Arguably the best part of McCoy's game is his ability to take off and run. That's a big deal for quarterbacks in daily fantasy football and last week alone he rushed five times for 35 yards in limited action. The Redskins quarterback ran much more early in his career, but if last game is any indication, he could be back to it this season.
I saved one player who's really worth talking about for last here. Michael Gallup suffered a terrible tragedy and was informed after last week's game that his brother had committed suicide. He returned to the Cowboys for this game and will leave after for the funeral it seems. To be clear, I'm not using him because I think this will be one of those special moments if he has a solid showing or scores a touchdown – but I do think he'll have a good game.
Gallup has seen five or more targets in three of the last four games. The last time he faced the Redskins Gallup hauled in 3-of-5 targets for 81 yards and one touchdown. The Redskins are unquestionably going to pay him attention, but with Cooper now in the mix, his job is only going to get easier. I believe Gallup could be in store for his first 100-yard game as a pro and the matchup just works out perfectly for it.
Yes, that's a big call on Gallup and it's still risky, but his targets are there and we know he has the upside. That big game is coming.
We'll look at the single entry/cash lineup next which features significantly less risk than the 150-max.
Single Entry/Cash Lineup
– CAPTAIN: Trey Quinn ($7,200)
– Ezekiel Elliott ($13,000)
– Dak Prescott ($9,800)
– Colt McCoy ($8,200)
– Jordan Reed ($7,600)
– Brett Maher ($3,800)
Lineup No. 2
– CAPTAIN: Brett Maher ($5,700)
– Ezekiel Elliott ($13,000)
– Dak Prescott ($9,800)
– Colt McCoy ($8,200)
– Jordan Reed ($7,600)
– Cowboys DST ($5,200)
*Note on Adrian Peterson ($8,600) below.
I decided to offer two lineups here, mainly because it's Thanksgiving and I know a lot of people won't feel great about an unknown name in Trey Quinn. In turn, I've left him out of the second lineup and built what I believe is about the "safest" route you can go. Brett Maher is going to have his fair share of opportunities and a player at that price with the 1.5x bonus as a captain is great for cash games.
As for the Cowboys defense, I do think there's the potential we see a handful of sacks and possibly a pick-six. McCoy will still have a fine game, but this Cowboys defense is trending up and they're at home in front of their fans in a nationally televised game. They have 28 sacks on the season and five in the last two games. I'm good with that spot and this situation.
But in the main line, I did go back to the Trey Quinn train. This is how much I like his game and how heavily involved I believe he'll be here. The Quinn pairing with Colt McCoy makes a lot of sense, as the two should link up a fair amount and the Cowboys are excellent when defending outside receivers. In turn, Quinn's ability to work the middle of the field and move the chains is beneficial.
I also chose to go back to Dak Prescott and I think his floor is safe. He's thrown safe passes, has the ability to run and he's started to target Ezekiel Elliott more through the air. The Cowboys are setting it up so Elliott has space to work on screen passes and it's led to a few big games and easy completions for Prescott.
Thanks to Elliott's recent dominance across the board, it makes Prescott even more appealing from a daily fantasy perspective. His price doesn't break the bank and the Redskins have been beatable through the air, allowing 2,788 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with two rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks.
Honestly, I wasn't even going to mention Elliott again, largely due to the fact that I think what he provides is pretty apparent. But to put it lightly, the 23-year-old back has literally been unstoppable in the past two games. He's averaged 194 total yards per game over that span and I don't think it's going to change or slow down anytime soon.
I wanted to mention Adrian Peterson, who's a solid option in single entry events and cash games. Personally, I liked Jordan Reed more and his price point was more appealing, but I'll break down Peterson as well.
The Redskins running back was brought in when injuries destroyed their depth at the position. The 33-year-old back has quickly proven why his nickname is "All Day," considering he's rushed for 723 yards with six touchdowns in 10 games. That includes three tough games with 20 or fewer yards, as he's topped 95 yards on five occasions, one of which came against the Cowboys.
I don't expect Peterson to smash the Cowboys run defense in this game, but think he's good for 60-70 yards and one touchdown at least. With that said, it makes him a solid option for single entry and cash games. You could do far worse than that, and his upside is certainly far beyond those projections.
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