DraftKings NFL Picks & Optimal Lineups for Chargers vs. Chiefs Showdown

Single Entry/Cash Lineup

– CAPTAIN: Justin Jackson ($10,200)
– Philip Rivers ($11,200)
– Keenan Allen ($10,800)
– Travis Kelce ($10,200)
– Damien Williams ($4,000)
– Michael Badgley ($3,200)

For the wonderful topic of "what we do if Melvin Gordon plays," this one gets a bit tough, largely because I like how this lineup worked out. Should that be the case, Gordon is an exceptional cash game option and provides one of the safest floors imaginable.

If that winds up as the case, there are a few different routes to go. For starters, you can consider using Gordon as the captain if the rest of the lineup works out. I'd personally consider putting Damien Williams in the top spot and replacing Jackson and Philip Rivers for Gordon and Tyreek Hill for single entry/cash games.

Hill does carry a bit more risk, but based on that lineup, he'd also provide the ceiling needed, mixed with a heavy workload. As you can see, we're back to the Hill/Keenan Allen pairing in that situation, and I won't have much of an issue with that at all. While I'm not planning on using the duo everywhere, I do think opting to pair them up in 40-45 percent of lineups is a wise call.

As for the rest of the actual lineup, I'll go back to the Justin Jackson pairing with Williams briefly. The Chargers running back provides us with a high-floor, high-ceiling option, which is something you'll have a hard time finding at this price. Jackson makes for a great captain in single entries and cash games.

The same can be said for Williams, and while both matchups are great, each player should receive a heavy workload. At just $4,000, Williams won't need much to hit value and the Chargers haven't been great against running backs this year. To this point, they've given up 1,119 rushing yards, 754 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns.

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Travis Kelce and Philip Rivers Selections

It's almost a bad feeling to not have mentioned Travis Kelce to this point. The Chiefs tight end has proven to be one of the best tight ends in the entire NFL and has been nearly unstoppable this season. Kelce has totaled 86 receptions for 1,159 yards and 10 touchdowns while receiving 123 targets from Patrick Mahomes.

There's no question that Mahomes trusts his talented tight end, and proof of that comes from his 37 targets in the past three games. In that stretch, Kelce has hit 127 yards or more in two of the three games while catching four touchdowns.

So, now for the million dollar question – why has Kelce not been in a lineup before this?

Well, the 29-year-old has been held to fewer than five catches one time this season. And if you aren't into guessing games, I'll just tell you that the team who held him in check was the Chargers. In Week 1, Kelce had by far his worst performance of the season, catching 1-of-6 targets for six yards.

One game wouldn't be enough to scare me off, but as StatMuse shows, Kelce's struggles against the Chargers go back far beyond this season. In the three games since the 2017 season, he's caught just eight passes for 53 yards and no touchdowns. Even going to the year prior (2016) Kelce had one productive game with six catches for 74 yards, but his other featured one catch for eight yards.

As far as the Philip Rivers situation goes, I simply wanted to clarify that I do like his spot here. The Chargers are in a crucial game and he's been playing well. He hasn't made the lineups prior to this, but that doesn't mean he's not in a good spot. The Chiefs have allowed 2,952 yards and 25 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks, making this a strong spot for him.

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