Getty Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins
While there’s been no official announcement yet on the status of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins, it seems there’s a chance he could play in Week 11. With a high-profile Monday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on tap, the Chiefs are obviously hoping to be close to full strength but likely wouldn’t take any risks with Watkins.
In turn, if Watkins does play, there’s a strong likelihood that confidence is high in him being ready to go at close to full strength for this game. And while many fantasy football players surely can’t put Watkins back in lineups at this point, those who play DraftKings showdown games will have a tough decision to make. The Chiefs wideout would find himself in a solid matchup and a spot to potentially have a big game against the Rams secondary.
Let’s take a look at whether Watkins is in play for showdown games if he does get the nod Monday night.
Update
As NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport revealed, Watkins will be active and start (h/t BJ Kissel):
Per @ChiefsReporter, #Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins is active tonight and will start. KC thought he was getting better by the end of the week, despite no practice.
Should You Play Sammy Watkins in DraftKings Showdowns?
If Watkins gets the all-clear for this game, then he’s definitely in play. It’s hard not to put him in play when you consider what a price tag of $5,600 would do for the rest of your lineup. While names like Todd Gurley ($11,800), Patrick Mahomes ($11,200), Tyreek Hill ($10,000), and Jared Goff ($9,600) will eat up your salary, this is a way to save salary and still use a player with big upside.
The Rams have allowed 109 receptions for 1,604 yards and 14 touchdowns this season to opposing wide receivers. While Hill will draw a large amount of attention from the secondary, it will leave Watkins with a whole lot of one-on-one coverage in a high-scoring game.
As previously mentioned, I can’t envision the Chiefs playing Watkins unless he truly was close to 100 percent, or at least convinced the coaching staff that was the case. For good measure, he’s hauled in at least four receptions in each of the past three games and four of the last five as well. For this specific type of game and the situation, Watkins is unquestionably in play at his price on DraftKings.
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