DraftKings NFL Picks & Optimal Lineups: Rams vs. Bears Showdown

Favorite Captains for Rams vs. Bears

It seems oddsmakers are a bit torn on whether the Rams high-powered offense or Bears strong defense will win out here. As Odds Shark shows, the projected total is set at 51 with the Rams as three-point favorites. Neither of those numbers is overly surprising, but it's good to see a popular belief that Chicago won't get run out of the building on Sunday Night Football.

As a way to construct DFS lineups (when I agree with it), I'll use the projected total as a way to help construction of lineups, especially for showdown slates. This one is interesting, though, and it does seem safe to assume we'll see offense from both teams. The Rams obviously can put points on the board, but the Bears have an impressive defense and can move the ball in their own right. In turn, this leaves us open to having the option to go a variety of ways in the captain spot.

Typically for my captain, I'll choose 4-6 options to consider, and it'll likely land around that number on Sunday night. Each player below from the DraftKings showdown listed in the group of favorites includes captain pricing of 1.5-times more than their regular cost, so let's start there.

– Todd Gurley ($17,100)
– Mitchell Trubisky ($14,700)
– Jared Goff ($15,000)
– Robert Woods ($14,400)
– Tarik Cohen ($12,900)
– Anthony Miller ($9,300)

*Brandin Cooks ($14,100), Allen Robinson ($11,700), Josh Reynolds ($9,600) and Greg Zuerlein ($5,100)/Cody Parkey ($4,500) are all options.

Favorite expensive/mid-range captains: Mitchell Trubisky, Jared Goff, Robert Woods

Top value-saving captains: Tarik Cohen

As you can see, there are a ton of options here for the captain spot and a variety of ways to go about building lineups. While Todd Gurley is incredibly expensive as a captain, his playmaking ability as both a runner and pass-catcher still make him one of the top options on the entire slate.

Both the Rams and Bears have struggled against opposing wide receivers this season, though, providing a few strong options at the position. Although the Bears are a tough team to break down when looking at their receivers, the return of Trubisky could help provide some insight into how to approach that.

We'll dive right into the optimal lineup and I'll break down the specific picks along the way.