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The first Sunday night football game of the 2021 NFL season will be the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams. Both teams enter with two new quarterbacks under center with Chicago signing Andy Dalton in the offseason and the Rams trading for Matthew Stafford.
Both quarterbacks have their fair share of options on offense that you could end up making or breaking your showdown lineup. Here we’ll go over the Showdown fantasy outlook for the Week 1 Sunday night football contest on DraftKings.
Injuries
Bears second-year wide receiver Darnell Mooney is expected to play tonight, despite dealing with a back injury. As for the Rams, there are no injuries of importance on either side of the ball.
Captain’s Chair
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams — $17,400
Stafford comes into tonight’s regular season opener as the highest valued player on either team. The veteran quarterback enters a situation in Los Angeles, where he has a nice trio of wide receivers and tight end in Tyler Higbee. Stafford and Co. could take advantage of the Bears’ secondary, which lacks depth at the cornerback spot.
Andy Dalton, QB, Chicago Bears — $14,700
If you want to go for a cheaper option at the captain’s spot, then Andy Dalton may be your next best choice. The Rams have one of the best defenses in the NFL and it could be tough for them to run the football with David Montgomery. Therefore, it will be up for Dalton to get Allen Robinson, Mooney, along with tight ends Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham involved.
Value Plays
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams — $7,000
Higbee is the least expensive starting offensive player for the Rams in tonight’s showdown contest. Last season, he had 47 receptions for 530 yards, 5 TDs, and averaging 7.8 FPPG. He should eclipse those numbers with Stafford under the helm, who frequently targeted tight end T.J. Hockenson last season.
The 28-year-old Higbee should have a favorable matchup against the Bears’ linebacker unit, who will be without starter Danny Trevathan. Dating back to last season, Chicago is ranked 24th against opposing tight ends.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Los Angeles Rams — $1,400
If you a deep value play, then look no further than DeSean Jackson. When healthy, Jackson is one of the league’s best deep threats and is always capable of beating the defense for a big passing play. The veteran wide receiver only averaged 9.0 FPPG last season, but in his last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson had 15.1 fantasy points. Chicago is ranked 11th against wide receivers going back to last year, but they don’t have someone to match the speed of Jackson.