Thursday Showdown Week 12

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-rostered plays can be a risky proposition. Typically, your edge is going to come by identifying the best low-rostered plays and finding clever ways to pair them with the juggernauts of the slate.

This article will have a heavy DraftKings lean simply because the decision-making process is more interesting, given the salary premium attached to the Captain spot. FanDuel's pricing is the same for both MVP and Flex spots. You will usually 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 England Patriots are heading to Minnesota to take on the Vikings as 2.5-point underdogs. The game total is set at 42.5. The Patriots tend to keep games under the Vegas total, and sometimes by a wide margin. This game shouldn’t be any different. Both teams had horrendous offensive outings in week 11 but the Vikings are still passing at the league’s sixth-highest rate. The Patriots are passing at the league’s 12th-lowest rate, and we can expect both Rhomandre Stevenson and Damien Harris to be heavily involved. The spread is tight but if either team is going to find offensive success, I expect it to be the Vikings.

INJURY ROUND-UP

• Devante Parker – Knee – Limited

CAPTAIN CONSIDERATION

1. Justin Jefferson
2. Dalvin Cook
3. Rhamondre Stevenson
4. Kirk Cousins

NEW ENGLAND OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Mac Jones $9,000 – Flex

Mac Jones is averaging over 30 attempts in his last three games and has a fantastic completion percentage. He has not been scoring highly in fantasy because he isn’t throwing touchdowns, and he’s getting sacked at a high rate. Expect both of these issues to continue against the Vikings.