The NFL may only have a few weeks remaining in the regular season but that hasn’t stopped DraftKings from introducing a new format! Snake Draft Showdown is now open and ready for you to dive into, including for Monday night’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, which starts at 8:15 p.m. ET.
If you’ve ever played season-long fantasy before, you’re likely familiar with how a snake draft works. In short, for these Showdown contests, once the allotted number of entries are filled in a contest, the draft will begin one minute later. The entrants are assigned a random draft order and will commence in that order. The player with the first pick gets dibs on everyone while the player with the last pick will get a double pick, as it’ll end the first round and thus begin the second.
For a full breakdown of rules, please visit our How to Play Classic and Showdown NFL Snake Draft page.
Visit the DraftKings NFL lobby to view all the available Snake Showdown contests!
Big Play Payday
Opt-in and if there is a 20-plus yard TD in the fourth quarter of BAL vs. CLE, get an entry to a $100K NFL Classic DFS contest! See the DraftKings Big Play Payday page for more details!
Favorable Matchups
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Snake Showdown Rank: 3rd
The Browns’ defense has allowed the second-most fantasy points to the tight end position on average. They’ve given up 69 receptions (23rd), 689 yards (22nd) and nine touchdowns (26th) on 100 targets (27th). Opposing teams have targeted the Browns’ defense in the red zone with tight ends a league-leading 24 times.
Well, well, well. Look who we have here? Andrews is second on the Ravens in targets with 60 and leads all pass catchers with 11 red-zone targets. When these two teams faced off way back in Week 1, Andrews caught 5-of-6 targets for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
There are risks with Andrews, as the Ravens are dead last in passing play percentage and he’s received fewer than five targets in three games this season, but when they do decide to pass, Andrews will be a focal point.
Matchups to be aware of
Donovan Peoples-Jones and Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns
Snake Showdown Rank: 11th and 7th
Like the Ravens, the Browns are one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL, ranking third in rushing play percentage. As a result, they utilize 11 personnel (one running back with three wide receivers) only 43% of the time. The NFL average is 60%.
When the Browns do need to pass and go with three-WR sets, though, there’s a juicy matchup that could be exploited. Due to injuries in the Baltimore secondary (Jimmy Smith and Tramon Williams), Davontae Harris could be the third cornerback on the field. While he’s only been in coverage for 47 snaps, Harris has allowed eight receptions on 13 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown and his passer rating against has been 123.9. He will likely line up on the right side of the formation, while Marlon Humphrey stays in the slot and Marcus Peters locks down the left side.
Donovan Peoples-Jones has run 32% of routes from the right side, while Rashard Higgins has lined up 38% of the right.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Snake Showdown Rank: 1st and 6th
The Ravens have one of the best run defenses in the NFL — according to Football Outsider’s DVOA metric, they rank fourth against the rush. Zooming in a little closer, though, the matchup for the Browns’ running game may not be so daunting.
The Ravens’ run defense has allowed 1.41 yards before contact on the season, good for 18th in the league. In the Week 1 meeting, Hunt rushed 13 times for 72 yards, while Chubb ran 10 times for 60 yards. The Cleveland defense couldn’t stop the Ravens’ offense, so the run game had to be abandoned.
If the Browns can keep the game close, both Chubb and Hunt could be in line for productive games.
Third Round Flier
Miles Boykin, Baltimore Ravens
Snake Showdown Rank: 18th
The Browns have been very generous to the wide receiver position this season, allowing the seventh-most points on average with the unit also giving up 15 touchdowns. In the Week 1 game between the two teams, Lamar Jackson had no trouble carving up this defense, going 20 for 25, with 275 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, Boykin played 48 snaps last week, a season-high, but that number will come down as Willie Snead missed that game and will be returning this week. With that said, Boykin will likely be matched up against Kevin Johnson for most of the game. Boykin runs 64% of his routes from the left side of the formation, which is where Johnson will likely defend for most of the game. In 262 coverage snaps. Johnson has allowed 29 receptions on 37 targets for 296 yards and a touchdown. The passer rating against has been 109.
Boykin only has 26 targets on the season and has never had a game above five targets, but he’s a third-round flyer for a reason!
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) 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.