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We’ve got ourselves a “traditional” start time for a Sunday game in London, and that means take advantage of the extra fall-back hour because we have a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff between Jacksonville and Houston. This could be a shootout, so this Showdown slate is worth getting up early for. Let’s look at some players to target in DraftKings’ $100,000 six-man Showdown slate -- with an entry fee of $10 and a first-place prize of $20,000 -- and who to use in the critical Captain slot:
CAPTAINS OBVIOUS
Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans ($17,400)
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans ($17,100)
Whichever way you slice it, the tandem of Watson-to-Hopkins is red hot. Watson is averaging 26.4 DraftKings points per game and there’s no one else on the slate who comes close to matching that. Watson has thrown for 10 touchdowns and run for two more of the past four games. He struggled against Jacksonville in Week 2, but the Jags still had Jalen Ramsey then. There’s no limit on what Watson is capable of now.
Hopkins is a huge reason for Watson’s recent success. With Will Fuller out with an injury, Hopkins is completely taking over right now, drawing 12, 12 and 13 targets over his past three games and topping 100 yards receiving in the past two. He is averaging 26 DK points himself the past two weeks. Stacking these two is almost a must play in this slate, and it’s a 50/50 call which makes the better Captain.
CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
Keelan Cole, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars ($6,600)
It’s very simple math. If you want to jam both quarterbacks and both No. 1 receivers into this Showdown slate, then you have to go very cheap in the Captain slot and play the Top 4 in the flex slot. It can be done this way, and Cole is the best non-kicker way to accomplish it. And Cole has been decent the past two weeks, in the sense that he has a touchdown reception in each of those games. Dede Westbrook is listed as questionable, so if he misses, Cole will have a legit role. It’s a means to an end that could pay off.
FLEX MEN
Gardner Minshew II, QB, Jacksonville ($16,200)
Minshew could very easily go off in what shapes up as a back-and-forth shootout. The fewest pass attempts in a full game for Minshew this season is 29. Even with Leonard Fournette having a terrific season as a runner, Minshew still finds a way to get his, throwing 13 touchdowns against just two interceptions. The Houston secondary was already banged up, and now J.J. Watt is out of action. Minshew could go wild in a Home Run Derby setting.
D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville ($8,800)
The Watson-Hopkins stack will likely attract higher combined ownership, but Minshew to Chark could be just as productive, especially if Westbrook can’t go. Chark has been relatively quiet in recent weeks as Westbrook has emerged, but we saw last week with Westbrook off the field that Chark is still dangerous. The Texans back end is ripe for the picking.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jeffgo33) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.