UPDATE: George Kittle is ACTIVE and Matt Breida is INACTIVE.
A disclaimer before we begin: Because of all the questionable tags on key 49ers players, it is absolutely critical that you check the inactives Sunday afternoon before finalizing your lineups. A key inactive could open up all sorts of value opportunities. That said, let’s look at some players to target in DraftKings’ $888,888 six-man Showdown slate -- with an entry fee of $10 and a first-place prize of $200,000 -- and who to use in the critical Captain slot:
CAPTAIN OBVIOUS
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers ($14,100)
Even more than the two quarterbacks in this game, Adams presents a high floor and the upside to put up a slate-breaking score. He is arguably the most-likely player on either team to put up more than 20 DraftKings points, which becomes a 30-burger from the Captain slot. In his two games since returning from an injury, Adams has 14 receptions on 21 targets. He topped 100 yards receiving last week. All he needs now is to find the end zone and we could have a slate-winning effort.
CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers ($12,300)
The 49ers seem confident that Samuel, one of three pass-catchers listed as questionable, will play on Sunday night. Samuel has put two terrific games on the board the past two weeks, surpassing 100 yards receiving in each, so if his shoulder injury isn’t serious, he’s right there with Adams in terms of upside.
FLEX MEN
Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco ($9,000)
We would love to use Coleman in the Captain slot, just based on the Packers’ struggles against the run, but Coleman isn’t really producing at the level you need to justify the Captain slot. The opportunity will be there Sunday with Matt Breida listed as doubtful, but Coleman has really only had one big game in this scenario, and Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson are going to siphon carries. Still, he’s the most talented back in a good spot, so don’t be afraid to use him.
Ross Dwelley, TE, San Francisco ($5,200)
George Kittle says he’s going to play, but it sounds like he’s still far less than 100 percent, so he could find himself on a snap count. Dwelley was Mr. Touchdown last week and his chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo is growing by the week, so if Kittle can’t go or is limited, Dwelley is going to be a factor. This is the “check the inactives” play of the week.