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It's time for the always-exciting Thanksgiving NFL slate, and as fans have become accustomed to in recent seasons, it'll feature three total games Thursday. But this year, we have a few different ways to attack the games from a fantasy football perspective. While there's a regular slate, we also have DraftKings showdown slates for all three games.
While I'll break down each of the games, the action kicks off with a game between two division rivals in the Chicago Bears (7-3) against the Detroit Lions (4-6). The Bears are coming off a Sunday Night Football victory last week against the Minnesota Vikings, but are in an interesting spot. Second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's status for the game is up in the air, and that will be worth monitoring moving forward.
If you've never played a showdown before, it's a fair amount different in terms of building lineups and how players are priced. You're simply choosing six players from one specific game and have to stay under the salary cap in the process. I'll break down the specific game (Bears vs. Lions in this case), my top options and why I built each lineup the way I did.
For the start of the Thanksgiving slate, I'll offer three different lineups, covering the main different types of games you can play. It includes an optimal lineup which I feel good about using in a variety of spots, a 150-max option (more risk as they are tougher to win) and a single-entry/cash lineup (high floor, less risk).
One key thing to note about showdown games is that you also have to select one captain for your team. This player will cost you 1.5-times their normal price but also scores 1.5x the points for being your captain choice. Before we get into the actual lineups, as a way to give additional insight into the thought process, I'll lay out my top captains choices as well.
First, 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
Due to the fact that you're only selecting six players, it'll be pretty vital to differentiate yourself as much as possible. I'll offer some thoughts on the best ways to do that, specifically with your captain choice. The decision between going inexpensive or paying up at that spot can be key to fantasy success in a showdown slate such as this one where there are a few intriguing options.
Let's start there, as we have some strong captain options for the Bears vs. Lions matchup.
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DraftKings Thanksgiving Picks & Optimal Lineups for Bears-Lions Showdown