Getty Gardner Minshew II #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
DraftKings’ $1.5M NFL Thursday Night Special Showdown is open for entry now. While most of tonight’s game will revolve around which quarterback owns the superior facial hair, there is also a game to be played as the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Miami Dolphins.
The first place prize winner of the Showdown will receive a hefty $300M payout. 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 costs 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: Gardner Minshew $16,500
- FLEX: Ryan Fitzpatrick $10,200
- FLEX: James Robinson $7,800
- FLEX: Mike Gesicki $7,400
- FLEX: Keelan Cole $5,400
- FLEX: Chris Thompson $2,600
Why This Lineup?
Don’t look now, but Gardner Minshew has scored more fantasy points than Lamar Jackson on the young season. The ninth-highest scoring QB in fantasy, Minshew has logged three touchdown passes and 20.0-plus fantasy points in each of the first two weeks. The Dolphins allow the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and will be without cornerback Byron Jones tonight.
Ryan Fitzpatrick bounced back in Week 2 after a horrific Week 1 showing, posting 24.32 points (QB11 on the week). Good or bad, Fitmagic will continue to sling the rock, evident by his 77 pass attempts, ninth-most in football. The Jaguars have allowed either 360-plus passing yards or four touchdown passes to opposing QBs in each of their first two games.
Believe it or not, but James Robinson is the league’s eighth-leading rusher in football. Fresh off his first career 100-yard performance, expect fantasy’s RB14 to continue to thrive against a Dolphins defense that allows 164 rushing yards per game, fourth-most in the NFL.
Mike Gesicki received 11 targets one week ago, and used them to his advantage. He posted a Dolphins tight end record of 130 receiving yards on his way to a monstrous 27.0 fantasy point showing, third-most by a tight end in Week 2. The next player on that list? Tight end Jonnu Smith who scored two touchdowns and 24.4 points against, you guessed it, the Jaguars.
D.J. Chark has been officially ruled out for tonight’s game. With that said, had he been active, Keelan Cole would have still deserved a look as a DFS play. Cole leads all Jaguars players in targets and has found the endzone in each of the first two weeks. Miami allowed three receivers to top 70 receiving yards in Week 2, two of which scored touchdowns.
Chris Thompson topped double-digits in points this past Sunday thanks to his four receptions and a 17% snap count increase. Thompson should continue to see more looks come his way as Gardner Minshew’s top outlet option.
Final Thoughts & Obvious Omissions
If you’re looking to take your lineup in a different direction, Dolphins wide receiver Isaiah Ford would add great bang for your buck. At just $3,000, Ford has seen 14 targets come his way this season, including nine in Week 2, which he converted into a solid 14.6 fantasy point outing. Jacksonville allowed two opposing wideouts to top 12.5 points last week.
Reminder, Thursday night’s game kicks off at 8:20 pm ET. Be sure to set your lineups and good luck!