Getty Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings=
DraftKings NFL $1M Thursday Night Showdown is open for entry now. The contest will feature a plethora of revenge games for a number of players. Washington Redskins‘ Adrian Peterson and Case Keenum, plus Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will each be facing off against their former team.
The first place prize winner of the DraftKings TNF Showdown will receive a generous payout of $250K. Let’s see how to optimize our lineups below.
Rules & Scoring:
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- 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: Terry McLaurin $13,800
- FLEX: Kirk Cousins $12,000
- FLEX: Stefon Diggs $11,000
- FLEX: Adrian Peterson $5,600
- FLEX: Irv Smith Jr. $4,800
- FLEX: Wendell Smallwood $1,800
Why this Lineup?
Some DFS players may have soured on Terry McLaurin following a one-reception, 11-yard performance last week. However, a matchup with the struggling Vikings secondary is too good to pass up. Minnesota is fresh off a game where they allowed four receiving touchdowns to Marvin Jones, and have now surrendered an average of 33.45 fantasy points to opponents’ leading receivers over the past two weeks.
No quarterback has been as good as Kirk Cousins in recent weeks. Cousins has registered 300+ passing yards and 130+ passer rating in each of his past three games, accumulating 10 passing touchdowns over that span.
Stefon Diggs leads all wide receivers in fantasy points since Week 6 with 32.4 points per game. Fellow Vikings wideout Adam Thielen has been ruled out for Thursday’s game. Diggs racked up 142 receiving yards with Thielen out of the lineup for the majority of last week’s game. Washington has allowed 10 receiving touchdowns to opposing receivers this season.
Adrian Peterson has some question marks heading in Thursday’s game, most notably a high-ankle sprain and a tough matchup with the Vikings. However, the future Hall of Famer expects to suit up and play against his old team. Over the past two weeks, Peterson has averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per carry. His average of 21.5 rushing attempts over that same time span matched with a generous salary of $5,600 help outweigh the other concerns.
Irv Smith Jr. finally popped in Week 7. That will likely continue in Week 8 with Adam Thielen out of the lineup. Smith Jr. saw six targets a week ago and put up his first double-digit fantasy outing. The Redskins allow the sixth-most receiving touchdowns this season
The best bang for your buck on Thursday night comes in the form of Redskins running back Wendell Smallwood. With Chris Thompson once again ruled out with injury, Smallwood will slide into the change-of-pace/receiving back role for the ‘Skins offense. The former Philadelphia Eagle has averaged an impressive 4.5 yards per carry this season. With a price tag of just $1,800, he’s well worth a spot in your lineup.
Final Thoughts & Obvious Omissions
The most glaring omission is undoubtedly running back Dalvin Cook. While he will ultimately put up fantasy points, his showdown leading $13,000 salary would have completely strapped our team of available cash to fill out our roster. Especially considering we only had $1,000 of remaining salary when all was said and done, despite rostering a player with a minuscule $1,800 salary, we would have had to decide between him and Cousins. We opted to go with the player with the higher floor.
If you’re looking to shake up your lineup a bit, Olabisi Johnson is a name worth monitoring. The Vikings wideout saw eight targets in place of Adam Thielen a week ago. He will likely be the first player called upon this week to replace the reigning two-time Pro Bowler.
Reminder, the game kicks off Thursday at 8:20 pm ET. Be sure to set your lineups, and good luck!
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