NFL DFS Showdown Lineup Optimizer Values: DraftKings Picks for Bengals vs. Rams
NFL Showdown season continues with the Rams vs. Bengals on Monday 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 0-2 Bengals will host the 1-1 Rams in the second game of another Monday Night Football doubleheader, and if you’re looking for content for the PHI/TBB showdown slate, check out LineupHQ for projections and tools to build lineups for that game, as well as plenty of content on our NFL home page.
It’s sounding like Joe Burrow is going to suit up for this game, and the Bengals being 3 point favorites right now is also a big indication of where Burrow’s status is leaning. Puka Nacua is officially questionable but fully expected to play, and it’s going to be great to see him on a national stage. Irv Smith is doubtful with a hamstring injury so don’t count on him tonight, while the Rams promoted Royce Freeman from the practice squad to help as the RB3 with Cam Akers traded away.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Rams vs. Bengals Week 3
Currently, this game is sitting at a 45.5 total, with the Bengals favored by 3 points. When I first tried guessing the line before looking, I was thinking maybe -1 CIN with how great the Rams have looked so far, along with the unknown ability of Burrow with this calf re-aggravation, so unless Burrow can get through this whole game and really put the team on his back, I’m expecting a pretty close game and I kind of think the Rams find a way to win this.
Quarterback
Joe Burrow has thrown for just over 300 yards through two games, with just two TDs and 1 INT. As the most expensive player from this game he is a very tough sell for cash games, as he will likely have no rushing/scrambling ability with this calf injury, and having Aaron Donald coming after him all game just doesn’t usually lead to quality QB performances. If Burrow is active and you’re doing a bunch of GPP teams by all means have exposure to him, but if you’re doing single entry or focusing on double-ups, I think I’d rather spend the salary elsewhere.
Matthew Stafford has had two pretty tough matchups to begin the year, with games at Seattle and home vs. the 49ers. Even in those tough matchups he has put up over 300 passing yards per game, and now gets a Bengals defense that has allowed 51 points through two games. I would consider Stafford a must play in cash games, probably in a flex spot over the captain spot, and I like stacking him with at least one of his top two WRs.
Running Back
Kyren Williams began the year as someone we knew would be involved in the offense right away, but there was still uncertainty with just how much behind Akers. Those questions were put to bed right away as he had 2 TDs on 17 touches in Week 1, and followed that up with 2 more TDs on 20 touches against SF in Week 2 when Akers was first inactive. Now that Williams is the unquestioned RB1 it’s wheels up for him in all formats, and I am calling him a must-play for cash games and someone that you should have plenty of captain spot exposure to in GPPs. The most exciting part of Williams’ upside is his usage in the passing game, shown by his 6 catches on 10 targets last week.
Joe Mixon has been pretty solid so far this season, considering how bad the CIN offense has looked overall, along with tough matchups against CLE and BAL to start the year. He has no TDs yet but is still averaging over 10 FPPG as he gets around 5 targets per game, which is great for a full PPR site, and with Burrow’s likely immobility today, we should see a lot more short passes today that will help Mixon the most. As the 7th most expensive player from this game, he makes a ton of sense as a cash game play with a high floor and big time ceiling if he can get his first TD or two of the year.
Wide Receiver
Puka Nacua is setting all kinds of rookie records with 25 catches on 35 targets that has led to 266 receiving yards through two games. Anyone seeing 15+ targets a game is a fantastic cash game play, and definitely someone to have plenty of captain spot exposure to in GPPs. His running mate Tutu Atwell has also been fantastic so far, with 13 catches and 196 yards on 17 targets. Atwell is only $7,000 as a flex spot play, so if you don’t use Nacua, I would absolutely go with Atwell in cash games with Stafford, as he is by far the highest upside play under $8k. Van Jefferson is only $4,400 but is the clear WR3 at this point having only seen 9 total targets through two weeks, so he’s off my cash game radar.
JaMarr Chase has been really disappointing so far, with just 70 total yards on 10 catches and no TDs. A lot of that can be attributed to the health of Burrow along with tougher matchups with CLE and BAL, but the Rams pass defense has been really good too, having allowed only 150 pass yards/game so far. I’m not saying don’t play Chase, as he still has the ability to score from anywhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he struggled again today with a QB not at 100% against an above-average pass defense. He’s also the second most expensive player from this game, so it’s impossible to play him in lineups that include Stafford, Kyren, one of the Rams WRs, and any other top CIN player, so I like spending down a bit more at WR. This leads me to Tee Higgins ($8,600), who is almost $2.5k cheaper than Chase, has seen more targets than Chase along with 2 TDs, and is the CIN WR I prefer to use in cash games as he’ll help you build a more well-rounded team. Tyler Boyd ($5,200) is too pricey for cash games, but definitely worth having in tournaments on lineups that don’t include both Chase and Higgins.
Tight End
All three of the active Bengals TEs are $200, so if you’re doing a ton of GPP teams, I could see mixing them in on a few lineups, but individually they just aren’t cash game options with 0 FP floors.
Tyler Higbee is also pretty unappealing as a cash game play, as he’s $6,200 but only has 61 total yards on the year on 10 targets, as the emergence of Nacua and Atwell has really limited his target share and ceiling. If I were to use a Rams skill player under $7k it would just be Jefferson.
Defense/Special Teams
I’m more interested in the Rams DST ($3,400) against a less than 100% Burrow than the Bengals DST, who have allowed 24+ points/game so far. I’m not looking to use either in cash games, but if you absolutely need to fill a final flex spot for under $4k, the Rams D would be my pick.
I’m also more interested in the Rams kicker Brett Maher ($4,000) over Evan McPherson ($4,200), as I really think the Rams will move the ball easier than the Bengals today and he’ll get more opportunities. As always, both are fine options to fill a final cash spot.
Monday Night Football NFL DFS Strategy
It’s looking like most optimal builds will include Higgins, Mixon, Williams, and Atwell just from a salary standpoint, as all are over $1k cheaper than the top three of Burrow, Stafford, and Chase. It will require using one of the CIN TEs or a Ben Skowronek ($600) to fit in 5 top skill players, but if you’re doing MME I would absolutely have that angle covered a variety of ways. For cash games, I’m liking using a cheaper guy in the captain spot like Atwell, while using the Rams D or a kicker in a flex spot to allow you enough salary to fill the remaining flex spots with high-usage, high-ceiling skill players.
DraftKings DFS Showdown Rankings
1. Kyren Williams – He’s just too cheap at $9k for the guaranteed usage and elite upside with his 10+ targets in the range of outcomes.
2. Joe Mixon – Also too cheap at $8,400 for a high usage RB involved in the passing game, who should see more targets with Burrow looking to get the ball out quick today and not have to scramble with his injury.
3. Tee Higgins – I love his $2,400 price discount to Chase, as he has just as much of a ceiling and arguably a higher floor.
4. Tutu Atwell – He’s a steal at $7k for someone averaging over 18 FPPG who hasn’t even scored a TD yet.
5. Stafford / Puka / Chase – Most lineups won’t be able to fit all three without using a sub $1k player, but at least one of them should be on pretty much every lineup you build.
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer for Monday Night Football
Check out LineupHQ for this Showdown slate! It’s your one-stop shop for all of the tools you need to build and edit multiple lineups with one click, such as excluding certain players, adjusting your ownership and stack preferences, and doing any mass late-swap edits.