DraftKings NFL Showdown Picks & DFS Lineups for MNF Browns vs. 49ers

NFL Week 8 Betting Odds Lines

Getty Odell Beckham of the Cleveland Browns.

DraftKings NFL Monday Night Showdown is open for entry now. The contest features the somewhat surprisingly undefeated San Francisco 49ers coming off of a bye in Week 4. On the other sideline is none other than the infamous Cleveland Browns, who are finally living up to their preseason hype if last week’s performance is any sign of things to come.

Monday’s matchup is jampacked with star power, but it may be the two defenses (both top 11 overall units) who steal the show in primetime.

The first place prize winner of the MNF DraftKings Showdown will be gifted with a lofty $400K payout.

Rules & Scoring:

    • Six total players (one captain, five flex players)
    • Captain selection cost 1.5x standard salary
    • Captain scores 1.5x fantasy point values
    • Can choose from any position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DST)
    • You can use as many players at the same position as you’d like
    • $50,000 salary cap

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Roster Construction

      • Captain: Nick Chubb $15,300
      • FLEX: Baker Mayfield $9,600
      • FLEX: George Kittle $9,000
      • FLEX: Jarvis Landry $7,200
      • FLEX: Tevin Coleman $5,600
      • FLEX: R. Seals-Jones $2,800

Why this Lineup?

Nick Chubb has touched the ball 23 times per game in 2019. His touches have continued to increase over the past two weeks, at no less than 20 carries in each game. Chubb is coming off a monster 42.3 point fantasy performance a week ago. San Francisco has been stellar against the run thus far this year, but they have yet to truly be tested, and they will be on Monday night.

Baker Mayfield has not been the top-five fantasy quarterback this season that many hoped he would be. However, last week was a start in the right direction. Baker racked up season highs in completion percentage, yards, average, QB rating, and lastly, fantasy points in the team’s matchup with Baltimore.

George Kittle has taken a step back in his production compared to his 2018 campaign. Monday night is a good time as any for the former Iowa Hawkeye to get the ball rolling. Cleveland allows the 11th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. The Browns have surrendered three receiving TDs to TEs in four games.

It’s really simple math. The more Jarvis Landry is involved in the offense, the greater the chance the Browns have at being victorious. Cleveland finally figured that out in Week 4. Landry set a career-high in receiving yards with 167 vs. Baltimore. San Fran has allowed an average of 15.2 points to opposing slot receivers this season.

All signs point to Tevin Coleman returning to the ‘9ers lineup on MNF. This is a sight that coach Kyle Shanahan certainly seems excited to witness. Coleman has scored the 10th most TDs by a running back since 2017. He’s also a lethal weapon in the receiving game. Cleveland allowed 13 receptions for nearly 80 yards to New York Jets running backs in Week 2.

When David Njoku was placed on IR, the Browns were desperate to find an athletic playmaker at the tight end position. They seem to have found such a talent in Ricky Seals-Jones. The former Arizona Cardinal has averaged 20.6 yards per reception since Njoku went down. Seals-Jones is a big play waiting to happen with a minuscule price tag attached to him.


Final Thoughts & Obvious Omissions

Before we go any further let’s point out the obvious, Odell Beckham Jr. was not included in our optimal lineup. OBJ is a brilliant talent, but he has yet to click with his new QB in Cleveland. If you eliminated the 89-yard quick slant that he scored on in Week 2, Odell has averaged just slightly over 54 yards per game and zero touchdowns this season. The star wideout has a chance to break out at any moment, but his $10,400 base salary (highest priced player on Monday night) is not worthy of his recent production. 

Jimmy Garoppolo is another big name omitted from our lineup. Jimmy G has scored 12.38 fantasy points or less in two of his three games this season.

If you’re looking to shuffle up our lineup a bit, take a look at 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel. The rookie holds a modest salary of $6,600. Samuel has accumulated 11 targets over the past two games.

Reminder, the game kicks off at 8:15 pm ET on Monday night. Be sure to set your lineups, and good luck!

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