Sunday Showdown Week 15

Photo: USA Today Sports

NFL Showdown can be a fickle beast. These contests do not rely on median projections so much as leverage, and uniqueness. Fading the highest-owned plays can be a risky proposition. Typically, your edge will come by identifying the best low-owned plays and finding clever ways to pair them with the juggernauts of the slate.

This article is going to have a heavy DraftKings lean simply because the decision-making process is more interesting given the salary premium attached to the Captain spot. On FanDuel, the pricing is the same for both MVP and Flex spots. You are usually going to need the slate’s top scorer at MVP, so FanDuel strategy revolves around unique Flex builds.

Advice in this article will pertain predominantly to tournament lineups and strategy. For cash lineups, build around median projections. For head-to-head contests, continue to lean into the median projections, but if two options project closely, give the nod to the lowest rostered player.

GAME THEORY

The New York Giants are heading to Washington to take on the Commanders as 4.5-point underdogs. The total is set at 40.5. Both teams are in the bottom 10 in pass rate. Washington is riding an incredibly hot run-first approach, while New York is struggling to find any offensive success of late. These two teams are only two weeks removed from their last matchup which ended in a 20-20 tie. The Commanders produced on the ground, and through the air, while the Giants didn’t get either phase going. We’re expecting more of the same this week, with New York lacking the firepower to keep up with any average offense. As 4.5-point favorites, we’re going to be looking to heavily stack the Commanders. This will be a popular build, so we will need to be unique with our Giants selections to compensate. It feels as though Draftkings is begging us to stack the Commanders, so hitting on our Giants is going to be key.

INJURY ROUND-UP

• Daniel Bellinger – Ribs – Questionable
• Richie James – Head - Questionable
• Cam Sims – Back – Questionable

CAPTAIN CONSIDERATION

1. Brian Robinson
2. Taylor Heinicke
3. Terry McLaurin
4. Saquon Barkley
5. Antonio Gibson

NEW YORK OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Daniel Jones $10,200 – Flex

Daniel Jones nearly made Captain consideration but fell just short due to the lack of passing weapons we’d like to stack him with. Despite the Giants’ recent struggles in the passing game, their receivers are still relatively expensive compared to their Commanders' counterparts. Jones is still viable in the Flex with one of his receivers, but likely not with Barkley.