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DraftKings Showdown Thursday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings vs Washington Redskins

By Jon DeBuchananne

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 13: Stefon Diggs #14 and Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings run onto the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Eagles 38-20. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 13: Stefon Diggs #14 and Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings run onto the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Eagles 38-20. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Each week I will be breaking down the DraftKings Showdown Slates on Monday, Thursday and Sunday night football. The DraftKings showdown slate is one of the more unique game styles that you can pick from on DraftKings.

When playing a showdown lineup you will notice that it is far different from a standard DraftKings contest. Instead of selecting a full roster of position players you have a Captain slot paired with five flex positions. The player you select as your Captain will score 1.5x the standard fantasy point value for each statistic but drafting a player as the Captain will cost you more salary than using them in your flex position. The DraftKings Showdown slate will consist of the same scoring as all other contests not counting the Captain bonus.

Some numbers to keep in mind when building lineups for your showdown slates. Last season the winning lineup had a running back or wide receiver in the Captain slot 71% of the time on the largest prize pool showdown contests.

All Captain selections are major flex considerations

DraftKings Showdown Slate GPP Builds: Vikings vs Redskins
Captain-

Dalvin Cook – $19,500

Dalvin Cook has played 313 plays this season. Dalvin Cook has 157 touches which means he touches the ball one out of every two plays run while he is on the field according to TheFantasyFootballElite.com. In an era that most teams have two or even three backs that handle a teams rushing workload, Cook’s usage is down right ridiculous. It is also the reason why he will likely be the highest owned Captain on the slate. In terms of the matchup, the Redskins currently allow 20.2 fantasy points to running backs which is 11th most in the NFL and have allowed 33 over the past four weeks according to Rotogrinders.com While this is a fantastic spot for Cook, it actually might be too good. The Vikings are a 17 point home favorite and will likely be running a ton in the second half with a large lead. I actually think this benefits backup Alexander Mattison more so than it does Dalvin Cook, as he is likely to be on the bench as his team cruises to a victory. I explain in greater detail below under Alexander Mattison’s breakdown.

Stefon Diggs – $16,500

With Adam Thielen out and Kirk Cousins revenge game approaching, Stefon Diggs is set to go off on Thursday night football. The Redskins allow the 9th most points to the wide receiver position at 25.3 and Diggs has been in his quarterbacks ear about getting more targets. I will have Diggs as my highest owned Captain on this slate, as he should get the majority of the target share in a premium matchup.

Terry McLaurin – $13,800

The F1 is going to be my second highest owned Captain and is really the only Redskins that I am considering on this one-sided slate. The rookie out of Ohio State has played 82% of snaps this season and leads the team in all major receiving categories. In a game where the Redskins will not be able to have much success on the ground, Keenum and McLaurin will be throwing often as they try to come from behind. While I am usually worried about the matchup with Xavier Rhodes, the Rhodes have not been closed lately as he was just torched for four touchdowns last weekend. I will have McLaurin in the majority of my builds.