Best lineup strategy for Ravens-Rams in MNF Showdown

For the second consecutive week, the Rams are playing in a primetime game. Last week, they beat the Bears on Sunday Night Football to keep playoff hopes alive. The Rams are still fighting an uphill battle and might need to win the rest of their games to get a Wild Card spot.

This week they face a rolling Ravens squad. They are going to have their hands full against MVP favorite Lamar Jackson. He brings a rushing upside we haven’t seen from the quarterback position since Michael Vick. Even though the Rams have the eighth ranked defense by DVOA, they could struggle to stop Jackson. Nobody has had much success against him this season. We break down the best options for DraftKings MNF Showdown.

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS

Lamar Jackson ($20,400)

By a mile, Jackson has been the top fantasy producer this season. Despite the strength of the Rams’ defense, it’s hard to see Jackson failing in any spot. His rushing numbers give him an impossibly high floor. Jackson is averaging 28.7 DKFP and has at least 21 DKFP in nine of his 10 games. He’s also been throwing the ball well lately and has seven touchdown passes in his last two games.

CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS

Marquise Brown ($12,000)

Brown doesn’t play a ton of snaps, making him a risky play. The good news for his upside is that when he is on the field, he is typically streaking down the field and Jackson is almost always looking for him. Even though his floor is low, the big play potential for Brown makes a player who can break any DFS slate. Brown averages 15.9 yards per catch.

FLEX MEN

Todd Gurley ($8,800)

The Ravens have a strong pass defense. The way to beat them is on the ground and Gurley occasionally shows flashes of being the unstoppable force we saw early last year. He doesn’t have the same role from last last season although this may change since the Rams are desperate for wins on the outside of the playoff picture. This reason I think this is because he touched the ball 28 times last week, easily his highest usage of the season. The Ravens’ defense is ranked 25th in run defense DVOA.

Seth Roberts ($1,200)

To fit Jackson into the captain spot, which I recommend, we are going to need to save salary somewhere in the lineup. After catching a touchdown last week, Roberts appears to be a cheap punt play with a bit of upside. It’s possible that Roberts is going to be a guy more involved in the red zone going forward.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) 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.