The Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans Thursday night for the official kickoff of the 2020 season. This matchup gives us two of the best quarterbacks in the league facing off in what should be a high scoring affair. The last two times these teams have met have resulted in 132 total points and the 54.5 over/under for Thursday doesn’t dispel the likelihood that points will be scored.
The bulk of those fantasy points are going to go to the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, DeShaun Watson, David Johnson, Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks. The question is, who are those one or two players further down the radar that will become critical in this game and help you roster more studs in the DK Showdown?
Darrell Williams, RB, Chiefs, $1,800
The Chiefs are eight point favorites and I expect that line to be somewhat accurate. We know that Edwards-Helaire is the back with the most upside, but there’s a real chance Williams sees useful snaps this week. His pass protection and Edwards-Helaire’s rookie-ness could have the two splitting work, and at Williams’ price, he should have value.
Jordan Akins, TE, Texans, $3,200
Akins has taken steps forward in his first two seasons with the Texans and if we can believe camp reports, he’s taken another this season. We can’t rely on him getting the bulk of the tight end snaps, but he will get work and is the upside play for the Texans tight ends this year.
Kenny Stills, WR, Texans, $4,600
Stills got the short end of the stick when the Texans traded away DeAndre Hopkins. It looked like he would end up seeing more work, but instead, he ended up fourth on the depth chart. As it is, Fuller, Cooks and Cobb are the top three receivers and will get the bulk of the snaps. But, Cooks missed practice on Tuesday and could be limited in Week 1. If it looks like he’ll miss the game, Stills becomes a strong play at a big discount.
Mecole Hardman, WR, Chiefs, $5,200
These next two picks will battle it out for snaps and targets as the WR3 on the Chiefs. Hardman and Robinson split work as the WR3 and 4 last season and it looks like that will be the same scenario going into this year. We can hope that Hardman has passed Robinson enough to have a shot to use his big play making ability, but there are no guarantees. He’s a high risk/reward play
Demarcus Robinson, WR, Chiefs, $2,200
Robinson is much cheaper than Hardman, but likely has a similar to higher floor. He’s worth a punt in GPPs, but I’d likely rather punt with Hardman as his upside is higher.
Harrison Butker, K, Chiefs, 3,800
Butker had games 10 games of 10 or more DraftKings points, including high scores of 17, 18, and 16. That’s not a bad haul for his price. There is a small chance for rain in this game, but it is small and the wind will be easy at around 5 mph. I don’t think we need to worry about the weather here.