To kickoff championship weekend, we have the No. 4 seed Cincinnati Bengals playing the No. 2 seed Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
This game features a few great DFS plays that could end up making or breaking your lineup. Many DFS players will choose to put Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow in their captain spots, which would not be bad ideas.
However, where you can really separate yourself from your opponent is with the FLEX picks, in which both teams have some interesting choices. Let’s go over the Showdown fantasy outlook for the game for contests on DraftKings.
Bengals vs. Chiefs DraftKings Showdown strategy
Injuries to monitor
The only notable injury for this game is Chiefs running back Darrel Williams, who was listed as questionable with a toe injury. Williams did not play in last week’s game against the Bills after only playing eight snaps in Super Wild Card weekend.
Captain’s chair picks
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
My first thought was to put Jerick McKinnon in the captain’s chair, but he’s a good value play option for one of your FLEX spots. Therefore, we are going to roll with Travis Kelce at $13200, who has a favorable matchup against the Bengals’ defense.
Kelce has scored a touchdown in four consecutive games, dating back to the Chiefs’ first matchup in Week 17. In last week’s game against Buffalo, the star tight end recorded eight receptions (nine targets) for 96 yards and a touchdown (23.6 fantasy points). The Bengals are ranked 25th against TEs (OPRK), which is something the Chiefs will take advantage of.
Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals
The easy choice for a Bengals captain would be to take one of their receivers. However, Joe Mixon has played well through the first two playoff games. Last week, the veteran running back produced 54 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, along with six receptions (seven targets) for 51 yards (22.5 fantasy points).
When the Bengals played the Chiefs back in Week 17, Mixon had 86 yards of total offense and two total touchdowns for 31.5 fantasy points. We should expect to see Mixon involved in both the passing and running games on Sunday afternoon.
Value Plays
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Chiefs — $5,000
McKinnon has morphed himself into an essential piece of the Chiefs’ offense and has helped them in their first two playoff games. The veteran running back has been used in both the passing and running games, which makes Kansas City’s offense harder to stop.
Last week against the Bills, McKinnon had 15 touches (10 carries) for 80 yards and 12.8 fantasy points. It was the third consecutive week that the veteran scored double-digit fantasy points.
Evan McPherson, K, Bengals — $4,000
The rookie has been one of the best kickers in the second half of the season and playoffs. Last week against the Tennessee Titans, McPherson went a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals and scored 18 fantasy points.
In his last five games, McPherson is averaging 13.6 fantasy points per game, which is higher than his season average (10.4 FPPG). Usually, kickers aren’t talked much in DFS, but he has been a weapon and could end up helping you win your contest.