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DraftKings Showdown Picks: Houston Texans vs Indianapolis Colts

By Jon DeBuchananne

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 20: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Houston Texans catches a pass near the goal line during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 20: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Houston Texans catches a pass near the goal line during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/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: Texans vs Colts
Captain-

With so many unknowns heading into Thursday nights showdown slate due to injuries, it is imperative that you see who is active for tomorrow nights game. I am hopeful that Wilkins will be ruled out, as it allows both Nyheim Hines and Jonathan Williams to be major players in my player pool. If he is ruled in, I will want no part Wilkins or Williams as they’re priced too high for what is likely a split backfield. It will also be imperative to check in on TY Hilton and Will Fuller, as both change the receiving corps dramatically. With that, let’s jump into my core plays on tomorrow nights slate.

Deandre Hopkins $16,500 –

The safest play on the slate tomorrow night is Deandre Hopkins as he is one of the most voluminous receivers in the game with 75 catches on 104 targets. He roasted the Colts earlier this season for 106 yards and a touchdown on nine catches making him likely the highest owned player on the slate tomorrow night. I will overweight the field with Hopkins in Captain while also doing so in the flex. A good contrarian play would be to fade the Texans passing game of Watson and Hopkins and utilize the backfield, as that will be the lowest owned build on the slate.

T.Y. Hilton $14,400 –

In 16 games against the Texans, Hilton has 87 receptions for 1,604 yards and 10 touchdowns. The real question is not if he can produce against the Texans but if he will be able to play and be effective with his calf injury that has had him miss the last three weeks. If he is active, I prefer to play him in the flex, but will have a few shares of him at Captain as he has owned the Texans.

Nyheim Hines $9,300 –

If Jordan Wilkins is out, Hines is in play at Captain. The game script favors the pass-catching specialist as the Colts are likely to be trailing putting Hines on the field more tomorrow night. Having seen a touch on 27% of his snaps played, Hines is a focal point of this offense when he is on the field. While most will gravitate to Williams or Wilkins, I will save some salary and plug-in Hines at $6200.

Other Captain options to differentiate your lineups and give you a chance at the 250k top prize. 

Deshaun Watson $17,400 –

I typically do not like to play quarterbacks at Captain but Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson are two players that throw that out the window. With six games of 30 or more yards rushing, Watson can run for multiple scores while throwing to a plethora of receivers breaking the slate at Captain. I have Watson as my second highest owned player on the slate and will feature him in both Captain and Flex as will the rest of the field. Be sure to pair Watson with multiple pass-catchers if you do roster him in at Captain.

Jordan Wilkins $9,900 / Jonathan Williams $8,400 –

If Jordan Wilkins is out, Williams becomes one of the better plays on the slate. If Wilkins is in, it crushes both players as it is likely they split carries in any positive Colts game script. I would expect Wilkins to take the starting role if he were healthy, but with him limited all week and out last week, it is far more likely both players split carries should Wilkins play. HIGH RISK PLAY