NFL DFS Showdown Lineup Optimizer Values: DraftKings Picks for Giants vs. Cowboys
NFL Showdown season continues with the Cowboys vs. Giants on Sunday Night Football. Our expert analysts are breaking down Draftkings Showdown picks with our in-house NFL DFS lineup optimizer. Sign up for RotoGrinders Premium for full access to our NFL lineup optimizer and fantasy football projections all season long.
The Cowboys kick off their season with a primetime divisional matchup with the Giants, and both teams have high expectations this year, so this should be a very competitive game with a decent chance of a shootout. Tony Pollard getting a full season as the workhorse back is what I’m most excited about on the Cowboys side, along with Jake Ferguson taking over the top TE role from Schultz. On the Giants’ side, Darren Waller looked like the clear #1 target for Jones in the preseason, so expect that to continue, and the WR room is once again crowded this season, as they added Parris Campbell, drafted Jalin Hyatt, and will get back Shepard from injury last year to join Slayton and Hodgins.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Cowboys vs. Giants Week 1
Currently this game is sitting at a 45.5 total with the Cowboys favored by 3.5 points. Pollard, Barkley, Lamb, and Waller top the list for high-upside playmakers, while guys like Cooks, Gallup, Slayton, Hodgins, Campbell, Hyatt, and Ferguson should all be factors, and at least a couple of them will likely be key value pieces in the top scoring lineups. We could see some rain this game, so I’m not super high on the kickers, while wet conditions could help the defenses force an extra fumble or two.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott ($15,000 / $10,000) and Daniel Jones ($14,100 / $9,400) are priced very similarly, and it should be pretty easy to fit both in your lineup, especially if you don’t use one at captain. They each have a ton of weapons, including their RBs who are excellent pass catchers, so using both is probably the smart play in cash games, as they could each easily have 3-5 TDs all to different players. Jones would be my pick if you only went with one or wanted to use one in the captain spot, as his rushing ability gives him a higher ceiling than Prescott.
Running Back
We have one of the best RB matchups of the season in Week 1, as Tony Pollard ($16,500/$11,000) and Saquon Barkley ($15,900 / $10,600) were probably two of the first six RBs taken in most best balls and season-long drafts, and they are rightfully the two most expensive players in this game. I like using one of them in the captain spot in the majority of builds, and I’d give the slight edge to Pollard as my favorite captain play of the slate or if you only go with one of them in cash games.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb ($15,600 / $10,400) headlines the deep group of available WRs in this game, and I’d consider him a must play on any lineup you build without Pollard in it. He also comes at a slight discount to the RBs in the captain spot, with just as much upside as each of them, as he currently has the highest projected ceiling of any player on this slate at 29.34 FP. Brandin Cooks ($10,800 / $7,200) and Michael Gallup ($8,700 / $5,800) are a great hedge stack on any Prescott lineups that don’t include Lamb, although both are risky plays in cash games at their prices.
The Giants WRs could be similar to what we saw from the Chiefs, with all their active WRs seeing playing time and none really standing out from the rest in targets or yardage. Darius Slayton ($8,100 / $5,400), Isaiah Hodgins ($9,600 / $6,400), and Parris Campbell ($6,600 / $4,400) should see the most snaps, although they each have a wide range of floor / ceiling outcomes, putting them just in GPP play and not cash games for me. Jalin Hyatt ($6,900 / $4,600) will likely have a few designed plays to get the ball in his hands, while Sterling Shepard ($3,600 / $2,400) will likely only be used if the starters need a breather on a few snaps. Wan’Dale Robinson is doubtful and will likely need at least another week of practice before he plays.
Tight End
Darren Waller ($12,600 / $8,400) is my favorite non-QB p/$ play of the slate, as he should lead the Giants in targets and be heavily used in the red zone. I also don’t want to miss out on someone with his talent while he is the healthiest he’ll be all season and likely the cheapest he’ll be all season, so he’s the first guy I’m locking in to cash games and a great contrarian captain play in GPPs. Daniel Bellinger ($600 / $400) could see 2-4 targets and is a dirt cheap GPP dart throw play to use on some lineups that don’t include Waller, just in case Bellinger finds a random touchdown.
Jake Ferguson ($7,200 / $4,800) is a great piece to include on Cowboys stacks with Prescott, as he’s the cheapest Dallas pass catcher that is cash game viable and should see a very similar role to Schultz who thrived with Dak. As one of the cheapest flex plays, he’ll also likely draw a good amount of ownership, so I like using guys like Slayton and Campbell at similar price points in any non-Ferguson lineups. Like Bellinger, Schoonmaker and Hendershot are worth sprinkling in if you’re doing MME in the hopes they find the end zone.
Defense/Special Teams
With scattered showers in the forecast, I’m not looking to use either kicker in cash games, but the weather should bring their ownership down in GPPs, and both are worth having some exposure to if you’re doing MME. Graham Gano ($6,000 / $4,000) would be my preferred kicker if you’re set on using one.
The Cowboys DST ($7,800 / $5,200) is way too expensive and are just a pure GPP play for me, and even though the Giants DST ($5,100 / $3,400) is significantly cheaper, I still will only be targeting them in GPPs as a correlation play on some Barkley lineups.
Sunday Night Football NFL DFS Strategy
All six of the highest-priced players could easily end up being the highest scoring, so if you’re doing MME, I would make sure to have at least a few lineups with each in the captain spot. If you’re only doing one or a couple of lineups, then I like going with Pollard at captain in cash games, and Waller is my favorite GPP captain. I’m finding a lot of builds ending up as 4-2 Cowboys stacks, as I’m mostly interested in Jones and Waller from the Giants’ side on a p/$ basis, so going with some Giants stacks with a Cooks / Gallup bring back should be a contrarian way to go in GPPs.
DraftKings DFS Showdown Rankings
1. Darren Waller – At almost $4,000 cheaper than Pollard in the captain spot and $1,000-$2,600 cheaper than the five players above him in the flex spot, he is my favorite p/$ cash game flex play and also my favorite GPP captain play.
2. Tony Pollard – With Elliott out of the picture, Pollard will be looking at a massive usage rate, and even as the highest-priced player in this game, I think he’s worth jamming into cash games and having a lot of lineups with him as the captain.
3. Jake Ferguson – At under $5,000, he is the cheapest flex play that is cash game viable for me and a great way to build a well-rounded lineup with plenty of studs.
4. Barkley / Lamb – Both are clear top plays in this game and worth having a lot of exposure to in GPPs, especially Lamb on non-Pollard builds and Barkley on lineups without the Jones / Waller stack.
5. Jones / Prescott – Pretty much everyone’s lineup should have at least one if not both of them, and if you only go with one in cash games, Jones would be my pick.
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer for Sunday Night Football
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