For once it seems like it we have a primetime matchup that won’t bore us to death. Tonight’s game between the Chiefs and Raiders has all the potential to be high scoring with a lot of player utilization. Our goal throughout this article is to discuss the primary captain plays on Draftkings and talk about how to build lineups with each of them. We’ll also give a brief overview of who you should probably avoid, although this is all subjective.
Captain Considerations
Davante Adams
Adams is average 19.8 fantasy points through four games this season. He’s averaging 11.75 targets per game and has scored a touchdown in three of the four games so far. Adams’ target share alone makes him a promising captain play on Draftkings where it’s PPR scoring. Given his status as the alpha receiver, he’s liable to post 10 receptions and 100+ yards on any given night.
There’s concerns that Adams’ target share might drop now that the Raiders are healthy on offense. These concerns can be alleviated by looking at his 33.1 point performance when everyone was healthy in week 1. Considering his usage and touchdown upside, Adams has a high chance of being the optimal captain tonight.
Travis Kelce
Kelce is similar to Davante Adams in the sense that he can break a fantasy slate on any given night. He’s off to a hot start this year, averaging 20.3 fantasy points per game with three total touchdowns. Kelce is in a particularly good spot tonight as Patrick Mahomes’ most reliable receiver – especially against a mediocre Vegas pass defense.
We know that Mahomes has been spreading the ball out a lot this year due to all the changes on offense. Despite this, the one guy who’s production never changes is Travis Kelce’s. Kelce hasn’t seen less than 7 targets in a game this season which is promising for PPR scoring purposes. Factor in that he gets a lot of yards after the catch and redzone looks, and it’s pretty clear to see Kelce’s path to being optimal.
Note that in terms of average scoring, Travis Kelce has the most attractive price tag tonight on Draftkings at $10,800.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Not many people were high on Edwards-Helaire before the season started, but he’s done great so far. He’s averaging 18.9 fantasy points per game while already having a couple of multi-TD games. Clyde is always worth considering on Draftkings simply due to his usage as a receiver. He’s averaging 3.5 targets per game while also being above average in terms of his rushing production.
The one downside regarding Edwards-Helaire as a captain play is that he could be due for negative regression soon. If you take away the touchdowns he’s scored, you’ll realize that his point production is nowhere near the same. Knowing this, you really need to hope for a touchdown or two if you’re going heavy on Edwards-Helaire at captain.
Josh Jacobs
Jacobs has not been consistent at all to start the year, but there’s no doubt he broke the slate last week. With 37.5 fantasy points, Jacobs showed that he’s capable of substantial production for the first time this season. Although I don’t expect him to do this again, we can’t overlook the type of usage Jacobs is getting.
Josh Jacobs had two touchdowns against the Broncos last week which gave him a nice boost in terms of fantasy production. It’s important to note, however, that his 175 scrimmage yards and 5 receptions still totaled over 25 fantasy points. This type of production is nothing to write-off going forward, especially for a showdown slate.
Mack Hollins (flyer)
Note, before reading, that a flyer is a player very unlikely to work out in this situation. Mack Hollins is an interesting player to take a gamble on because it seems like Derek Carr is starting to trust him. Even with the Raiders’ offense now healthy, Hollins is still managing to see several targets per game.
He flashed his ceiling in week 2 when several players were out, so we know what he’s capable of. Although we can’t expect a breakthrough performance, he’s someone that opens the door for interesting lineup builds. If he somehow manages to score a touchdown or two, he could quickly become a necessary piece depending on the production of other players.
Lineup Building
We’ll briefly discuss some lineup building strategies for tonight with each of the above captains. To start, you always want to have correlation in your lineups. This means one piece should complement another and all your pieces should ideally reflect a certain game script.
If you’re going with Davante Adams as your captain, you probably don’t want to have Josh Jacobs in that same lineup because there’s negative correlation at play. Ask yourself, what are the chances of both Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs having a big game? It’s certainly possible, but probably less likely than other outcomes. This is the mindset you should have when building lineups for showdowns on DraftKings.
Let’s say you want to play Travis Kelce as your captain. The above theory applies here as well where you might want to avoid Edwards-Helaire in these lineups. The Chiefs are one of those outlier teams where it’d make sense to pair a captain receiver with the QB more often than not. It’s an expensive move, but pairing Mahomes with Kelce at the captain could be the necessary combo.
Runningback captains create more interesting builds. Usually, it makes more sense to adopt a low-scoring game theory if you draft a runningback captain. In this case, you’re building lineups with the idea in mind that no receivers will have in big game. You might also figure that neither quarterback will be productive enough to be optimal. The build paths are unique with a RB captain, but playing kickers and receivers with high target volume can positively correlate.
To wrap this up, how you build your lineups tonight will ultimately depend on the contests you’re entering. If you’re solely entering a milly maker, get unique as possible while also thinking in terms of raw points. For smaller contests, focus more so on building the best lineup rather than avoiding duplicates.
Final Thoughts
This wraps up our week 5 DraftKings showdown picks for tonight’s matchup between the Chiefs and Raiders. To recap, it’s best to narrow down your player pool at the captain position. This means focusing on players who see plenty of targets and have a high overall usage rates. Given the two offenses playing tonight, this game can easily turn into a shootout, thus resulting in lots of fantasy scoring. As always, best of luck tonight!
