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.
Optimal Lineup
– Captain: Michael Gallup ($7,800)
– Ezekiel Elliott ($12,400)
– Amari Cooper ($10,400)
– Chris Carson ($9,400)
– Tyler Lockett ($7,400)
– Mike Davis ($2,600)
There's a good chance most people overlook Michael Gallup this week and that's a big reason why I'm interested in taking a unique approach to the optimal lineup. While the popular consensus will be to load in a big name in the captain spot, the upside of some of the bigger names on this slate is hit-or-miss.
The focus behind the build for the optimal lineup is around trying to be somewhat unique while also looking to find a decent mixture of upside/safety. Although using Gallup as the captain may seem risky, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Seahawks (likely unsuccessfully) try to lock in on Amari Cooper.
Considering the fact that Gallup has 10 targets over the past two weeks which led to six catches, over 50 yards in both games and one touchdown, he's a solid play. Even looking further back than that, the Cowboys rookie had one dud three weeks ago, but in the six games prior saw five or more targets in each. It's apparent Dak Prescott is looking his way and has faith in him.
Speaking of Cowboys receivers and Cooper, if there's one thing we should know by now it's that the former Oakland Raiders pass-catcher thrives in the spotlight. With Dallas playing on Saturday night in the marquee matchup of wild-card weekend, there's a safe reason to bet on him.
Cooper is expensive but there's a good reason for it. When looking back at a three-game stretch from Thanksgiving through the upset of the New Orleans Saints, he went off in primetime. The in-season acquisition by the Cowboy caught eight passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns against the Redskins and eight balls for 75 yards against the Saints. He saved his best for last, though, as Cooper hauled in an absurd 10 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles.
I could take the deep dive into Ezekiel Elliott and his value, but I'll take a different route. Elliott has the highest floor, ceiling and monster upside of any player likely on this entire wild-card weekend slate (even if we included other games). I previously mentioned the Seahawks numbers against opposing running backs, but the one thing that jumps out is his potential as a pass-catcher.
The Seahawks have given up 102 receptions for 908 yards and seven touchdowns through the air to the position. Over the past six games, Elliott has seen at least six targets and caught five or more passes in each game. Even going back further, he's only had two games all season in which he had less than three receptions in a game.
Seahawks Running Back Targets
I think there are actually a few intriguing targets on the Seahawks side worth considering. One other way I opted to get somewhat unique with the optimal lineup was by using both Chris Carson and Mike Davis together. In most cases, I'll leave money left over to try to avoid creating the same lineup as a lot of other people, but I'm not concerned here.
Between Gallup as the captain and using Carson/Davis in the same lineup, I think we're in the clear. Carson's workload has simply been great, as he's totaled at least 19 carries in each of the past four games, scored one or more touchdowns in all matchups and topped 100 yards three times. His upside is there and the floor looks good, even in a matchup against a solid Cowboys run defense.
What's interesting here is that while Seattle's starting running back has dominated hte workload, Davis has still managed to produce at a solid rate. The team focused on getting him more involved over the past three games and it led to just one poor showing in which he had seven carries for 31 yards. Even in that game, Davis received three attempts in the red zone but just couldn't navigate his way into the end zone.
From here, we'll hit on the 150-max lineup which comes with a bit more risk but a whole lot of upside. This lineup isn't exactly for everyone, but it makes sense in a spot where you'll need to take a chance to hit big.
Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper
Single-Entry/Cash Lineup
– Captain: Tyler Lockett ($11,100)
– Ezekiel Elliott ($12,400)
– Dak Prescott ($10,000)
– Doug Baldwin ($8,200)
– Cole Beasley ($5,000)
– Sebastian Janikowski ($3,000)
The single-entry lineup features a decent split between the Seahawks and Cowboys and focuses on players who should have a decent floor in this game. Obviously, the game flow can go a variety of different ways, and maybe Chris Carson winds up seeing 30 carries. Regardless of how things play out, I can envision both Seahawks pass-catchers producing a decent amount.
When attacking the Cowboys secondary, doing so from the outside is a tall task, but both Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett see a decent amount of work from the slot. In turn, both players will have a good chance to succeed here, even with the Cowboys allowing just 2,319 yards and 12 touchdowns to wideouts.
Lockett in the captain spot probably has some concerned, and it's understandable. For what it's worth, you could argue that Lockett has been the most consistent (not highest scoring) receiver on either team this year. He's topped 10.3 DraftKings points in 14 games this season while catching one touchdown in 10 games. Pairing that with his big-play ability only adds to the appeal.
As for Baldwin, he was held in check last week against the Arizona Cardinals, but I get a feeling the team didn't want to push it with their top wideout due to his injuries this season. In the two games prior, Baldwin caught 11 total passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He's one of Russell Wilson's favorite targets and has a nice mixture of floor/upside.
Dak Prescott & Cole Beasley
Prior to the arrival of Amari Cooper, it was Cole Beasley leading the way among Cowboys wide receivers, which is surprising to some. But if you've watched the rapport he has with Dak Prescott, it's not really stunning.
When looking back at his six-catch, 94 yards, one touchdown performance against the New York Giants in Week 17, it's great to see. But again, I care less about that one meaningless game than the fact he's seen his targets increase again over the recent weeks. Over the final three games of the season, Beasley saw 18 targets and topped 42 yards in each game.
While Beasley's numbers since the Cooper trade haven't been mind-blowing, he'll offer a safe floor in a good matchup. Beyond that, he should have little trouble racking up multiple catches and 50-plus yards with a touchdown potentially. At just $5,000, there's not a whole lot of risk involved with the play and a decent amount of upside.
I've spoken very little about Prescott to this point, but it's not due to lack of interest. I'll have solid exposure to the Cowboys quarterback on this slate, as he's totaled 14.8 or more DraftKings points in nine of the last 10 games.
In that same span, he topped 22.2 points on five occasions. I'm also fully expecting the Cowboys to let Prescott open up the field with his running ability again here, although it hasn't been needed in recent weeks. Prescott has still floated around 4-6 carries in recent weeks, but he could take off more in the open field here, which results in easy fantasy points.
The Cowboys signal-caller has thrown 16 touchdowns over the past 10 games and all five of his rushing touchdowns this year came in that span. Averaging over two touchdowns per game down the stretch of the season in a fine matchup makes for an appealing fantasy option on any slate.
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