Finishing Week 1 of the action, the 2023 DraftKings showdown slates- Buffalo @New York. Drawing the curtain on the first week of action, we have Aaron Rodgers leading the Jets for the first time at home, against a Bills team that will be wanting to make a statement early. The O/U for this one has been set at 47, with the Bills marginally favored (2 point favorite).
DraftKings MNF Showdown 2023 – Buffalo @New York Captain Picks
Josh Allen ($17,100 Capt/ $11,400 Flex)
Allen is an elite QB, going up against a tough defense. Hard to see this game going anyway that doesn’t involve Allen having a big game- other than the wheels absolutely falling off for Buffalo. Stacking him with a pricey Diggs and then a third (punt) receiver like Knox, or Shakir could be an effective starting point for GPP builds.
Stefon Diggs ($15,900 Capt/ $10,600 Flex)
Diggs is an elite receiver- no question. The big question will be the coverage he will get. I imagine that the Jets are going to look to move Sauce Gardner to shadow him, but they might not be able to do that with every snap. Personally, I think that the impact of Gardner’s coverage will be big but not as big as the general field will think- so I’m fine with him in lineups.
Garrett Wilson ($15,600 Capt/ $10,400 Flex)
Wilson is going to cause teams issues on defense. He has all of the attributes needed to be one of the best receivers in the league, and a massive upgrade at QB (even if Rodgers is older/ past his prime). Wilson is going to be a nice pivot from Allen as a CPT, and a great flex option if not.
Allen Lazard ($9,600 Capt/ $6,400 Flex)
Lazard might be the new receiver on the roster, but he has a relationship with Aaron Rodgers and has a (recent) former OC calling plays. He is a big-bodied receiver who is going to be a treat in the redzone. At this price, I quite like having him in as CPT as it opens up alot of option for your flex.
DraftKings MNF Showdown 2023 – Buffalo @New York Flex Picks
Aaron Rodgers ($9,800 Flex)
Rodgers has an insane amount of hype surrounding him after moving from Green Bay to New York. He may know the offense, but I’m not quite confident enough to put him into my lineups as a no-brainer just yet. The Buffalo secondary isn’t one to be scared of, but you’d shouldn’t be targetting them either. Makes a nice flex play with a combination of pass catchers.
Breece Hall ($8,200 Flex)
Hall’s ownership is going to be low in Week 1, with reports of Cook taking the majority of snaps. As a result of his low ownership, and talent, he is an interesting GPP play. No doubt his injury could be lingering. But, Hall has the talent to make a big play or two and hit value. It should go without saying, but avoid him in cash games.
James Cook ($8,000 Flex)
Cook is the starting RB for Buffalo, and should get plenty of touches to start the game. But, he isn’t a bell-cow and will be getting spelled with Damien Harris/ Latavius Murray. The issue is Cook’s ceiling, particularly with Allen being used at the goal-line. But, with his volume and receiving work he has a decent floor- perfect flex in GPPs.
Dalvin Cook ($7,800 Flex)
Cook is inline for the majority of carries in this one, with the Jets reportedly managing the workload to Breece Hall on his comeback from injury. Cook was released from the Vikings, but he is still a dynamic threat. The issue is going to be that the Bills defensive line could make it an inefficient outing, and force the Jets to throw the ball instead.
Gabe Davis ($7,200 Flex)
Davis is the WR2 for Buffalo, and has some huge games in this offense. But, as with all players of his type- he has had plenty where he has struggled to make any impact. On a showdown slate you can never fully discount him, but this is a ceiling play with not much of a floor.
Damien Harris/ Latavius Murray ($5,400/ $1,000 Flex)
Harris and Murray are going to see some play, but really all you can hope for is goal-line touches. I can’t see any reliable workload for either of them, and the Jets DL could make it tough to get anything going upfront. Not a fan or either in my lineups really, with the lack of floor and ceiling.
Dalton Kincaid/ Dawson Knox ($5,000/ $4,400 Flex)
Kincaid is the new shiny toy in the offense, which has meant alot of hype. There is no doubt that he is talented and going to be productive in his career. Could see some work on the outside too as the team look to use his playmaking ability. Think the field is going to go towards him, which will likely push me the other way.
Knox feels like a nice play on the slate. Yes, the Bills selected Kincaid, but Knox is going to be on the field more often than not. With the chemistry that Knox has with Allen, he is an important redzone weapon and could fall into the endzone- hitting value almost immediately.
Tyler Conklin/ C.J. Uzomah ($4,800/ $800 Flex)
Conklin is the ‘starter’ but I can’t see him having a massive amount of snaps more than Uzomah here. Conklin started last season hot, and is a capable blocker, but the price tag feels like a lot given the (likely split). Instead, I’ll save $4k in salary and go for Uzomah who has long shown his pass-catching ability and seems to have an off-field relationship with Rodgers. At just $800, he really only has to catch a few passes for minimal gain and he would hit value.
Randall Cobb/ Mecole Hardman ($3,400/ $3,000 Flex)
The heavyweight battle for the WR3 role in the offense. Cobb is the guy with the relationship with Rodgers, but he really didn’t look anything dangerous last year with the Packers. Hardman on the other hand, is a dangerous player- the issue is that he is really just a gadget player. With the floor not really being there for either, I’d rather go for the ceiling of Hardman.
Khalil Shakir ($2,400 Flex)
Shakir is going to see work out of the slot as the WR3 for the tea, but it’s hard to see him being on the field all that often. I actually think he will be competing with Kincaid for work out of the slot, with Trent Sherfield and Deonte Hardy mixed in. As a result, you are really going to be relying on a big play on limited usage. This could come back to haunt me, but I’d avoid him outside of multi-lineup GPPs.
Michael Carter/ Israel Abanikanda ($2,000/ $1,200 Flex)
If you thought the Cobb/ Hardmand battle for the WR3 role was exciting- wait for this. We have two backs vying what whatever is left after the combination of Hall & Cook. You simply can’t trust either of these options. Carter has shown his upside in the league as a decent runner before the team drafted Hall, and Abanikanda was great in college.
DraftKings MNF Showdown 2023 – Buffalo @New York Kickers and DSTs
On this slate I like both kickers. Tyler Bass ($4,200) has a long leg and has been accurate throughout his career. Greg Zuerlein ($4,000) equally has the attributes needed to be great for fantasy. This game has two good defenses that can great stoppages- which should mean plenty of kicking opportunities.
Equally, both defenses are viable here. The Bills DST ($3,800) are an good real-life defense and are going to be putting pressure on the Jets offensive line consistently. If the pass-rush manages to get to Rodgers, as it did toward the end of his Green Bay career, then he could really struggle. Equally, the Jets DST ($3,600) are a strong unit. Josh Allen struggled in a few games last season- and two of them were against the Jets. In 2022 he combined for just 352 yards, one TD and two INTs through the air. I won’t lie he did blitz them on the ground, with 133 yards and 3 TDs, but there were plenty of stalled drives.
So, there are our DraftKings selections for the 2023 Showdown of Dallas @New York! Remember any DFS questions, you can check out our articles here. Or you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Image Credit: Jasen Vinlove – USA TODAY Sports
