Getty Gallery: 1/5
The NFL playoffs are officially here which means the fantasy football approach has now shifted. With season-long leagues now wrapped up, daily fantasy games take center stage and it begins with wild-card weekend on Saturday. There are four games spread across the weekend and sites are offering a variety of ways to play.
We're going to take the deep dive into the NFL slate on DraftKings, but instead of taking the generic approach, let's take the deep dive into the marquee matchup on Saturday night. This game features the Seattle Seahawks against the Dallas Cowboys in a rematch of a Week 3 game Seattle won 24-13 on their home field.
This time, thanks to an NFC East title, the Cowboys get to host the game and it's set to be an electric atmosphere as Dallas begins their push for a Super Bowl. The Seahawks are no easy out, though, and in turn, we should have a great DraftKings showdown slate here with some intriguing options.
For those who haven't played a showdown before, these are single-game options which feature a different set of rules (when it comes to the sizing of teams) than regular DFS games. In turn, you'll want to take a different approach to building lineups for these games which I'll evaluate as we move forward with some unique options.
As I cover this game I'll lay out the top picks and three different lineups. As always, there is a range of different game options for this matchup, including single-entry tournaments, multi-entry events (150-max, specifically) and also additional choices beyond that. In order to cover each base, I'll build three different lineups – one optimal, a 150-max and a single entry.
We'll jump into the picks, but before getting there, here's a look at how DraftKings showdowns work. It's worth noting that these games feature a captain spot, which is one player who costs 1.5-times the regular amount. You will one player to go in this spot per lineup and that person earns a bonus of 1.5x their total points.
– 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
The captain spot has the potential to be massively important to your builds. In turn, I'll break down the choices for that first and then dive into the specific lineups. As we go through each lineup I'll detail the players and even mention a few possible pivots.
First up is the captain talk, so let's start there and lay out the best high-priced, mid-range and value selections.