Getty Gallery: 3/5
Optimal Lineup
– Captain: Chris Carson ($13,500)
– Patrick Mahomes ($12,000)
– Russell Wilson ($10,400)
– Damien Williams ($7,000)
– Mike Davis ($3,800)
– Sebastian Janikowski ($3,200)
The focus on the optimal lineup front comes down primarily on finding a well-rounded group with a fair amount of upside as well. Although the Seattle Seahawks have a strong passing attack, it's hard to ignore what Chris Carson has done as of late.
Carson has proven to be capable of holding down a large workload, receiving 22 carries in each of the past two games. He's topped 90 yards on the ground in each of those while scoring once in each matchup. The Seahawks now draw a Chiefs defense that's allowed 1,532 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground to opposing running backs.
For good measure, and a big reason why Mike Davis gets the nod, the Chiefs have also struggled with pass-catching backs. They've given up 90 receptions for 877 yards and six touchdowns on the year which bodes incredibly well for Davis.
One key selling point on Davis is how productive he's been as a pass-catcher with Rashaad Penny sidelined, as his backfield mate will be inactive this week. As Rotoworld's Evan Silva detailed, Davis has totaled lines of 14/75/1, 11/34 and 13/84 with Penny out of the lineup. It's a nice added bonus that Davis caught eight passes last week, and it's apparent that Russell Wilson has no problem looking his way.
The idea behind using Wilson paired up with Carson and Davis comes with a bit of risk, but there's also an interesting amount of uniqueness that makes it appealing. Very few are going to opt to go a route that includes two running backs from the same team, especially paired with a quarterback, but it's a high upside spot here.
Patrick Mahomes
I'm a bit torn on the Patrick Mahomes situation currently. It's a tough spot because he's priced so high, but his upside is absurd in a spot like this. If he fits in lineups, I'm more than happy to use him, and I think he makes sense here, without question. The Seahawks pass defense isn't daunting, so Mahomes should have little issue producing at a high level on Sunday.
Although I don't have Mahomes stacked with any of his receivers or Travis Kelce in this lineup, I think that's a strong approach to take as well. Deciding between Chris Conley or Demarcus Robinson isn't easy, but a lineup stacking him with Kelce or Tyreek Hill has huge upside.
I'll get into the 150-max lineup next, which offers a mixture of high upside plays and some risk as well.