Merry Christmas! Don’t want to hang out with your family? Don’t worry! There are three showdown slates to sweat! The Raiders and Chiefs get the day started, as the Chiefs are listed as 10.5-point home favorites, while the total sits at 40.5 points.
Don’t forget to check out our Lineup Builder if you like to hand build your lineups or our Lineup Optimizer for those of you who like to enter multiple lineups into tournaments.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate DFS projections:
NFL DFS Stud Picks
Patrick Mahomes leads the way on this showdown slate, coming off of a solid performance against the Patriots. He threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns totaling 20.7 DraftKings points.
Mahomes posted a similar stat line when he played this Raiders defense in Week 12, throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Las Vegas has allowed the eighth-fewest DraftKings points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and they haven’t given up many big scores this year.
However, Mahomes is clearly the top option on the slate from a raw point perspective. His top option, Travis Kelce had a pedestrian game when these teams last played, catching six of seven targets for 91 yards.
Las Vegas hasn’t allowed monster games to tight ends, but they are allowing the sixth-most receptions per game to the position. Kelce has been mediocre as of late, with less than 17 DraftKings points in seven straight games.
Everyone balled out for Las Vegas last week, including Davante Adams. Adams caught eight of twelve targets for 101 yards and a touchdown, totaling 27.1 DraftKings points. He’s been hit-or-miss with Aidan O’Connell under center, but he’s being fed volume.
Kansas City has been stout against opposing WR1s, as L’Jarius Sneed’s shadow coverage is no joke. O’Connell had been having a rough season prior to last week, with less than 14 DraftKings points in his first seven appearances. He diced up the Chargers for 248 yards and four touchdowns, totaling 25.92 DraftKings points.
This is a tough matchup, as Kansas City has allowed the sixth-fewest DraftKings points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Rashee Rice has found the end zone in three of his past four games, and He’s seen at least nine targets in all four games, with more than 19 DraftKings points in three of the four. Rice carved up the Raiders last time they played, catching eight of ten targets for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Josh Jacobs‘ status is still up in the air, as he truly looks questionable for Monday’s game. With Jacobs still banged up and him set to be a free agent, they might give Zamir White more run and not put too many miles on Jacobs. He’s interesting if he suits up, as Kansas City has allowed the third-most yards per carry to opposing backs on the year.
Don’t forget to check out our SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineup using the power of simulation:
NFL DFS Midrange Picks
Isiah Pacheco missed two games with a shoulder injury, but was a full participant in practice this week and is set to suit up for Monday’s game. Jerick McKinnon is out for this matchup, so we could see Pacheco pick up more receiving work. Las Vegas has allowed the ninth-most DraftKings points per game to opposing running backs,
Jakobi Meyers hasn’t done much as of late, but he did throw a touchdown pass last week. His lone bright game recently came against this Chiefs’ defense, where he caught six of seven targets for 79 yards and a score. Kansas City has shut down opposing WR1s, but secondary options have had some production against them.
Zamir White is too expensive if Jacobs plays but becomes a very strong option if Jacobs is ruled out. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is too expensive with Pacheco healthy,
Justin Watson has solidified himself as the WR2, playing on about 60-70% of the snaps. It hasn’t turned into much production recently, with three catches in the past four weeks. He’s a fine option who is certainly viable but nowhere near a priority.
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NFL DFS Value & Punt Picks
- Defenses & Kickers: These options are always in play in the single-game format, but make sure to correlate the rest of your lineup around them.
- Tre Tucker ($3,200 on DraftKings, $8,000 on FanDuel): Tre Tucker barely saw the field in Week 14 before blowing up the showdown slate last week. He caught three balls for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($2,800 on DraftKings, $7,500 on FanDuel): With Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney out, MVS should be in line for more snaps, although he’s struggled to earn targets when out there.
- Austin Hooper ($800 on DraftKings, $6,500 on FanDuel): Michael Mayer is set to miss this contest, which brings Hooper into play as an interesting punt option.
