The latest DraftKings showdown slate for 2020 brings us the divisional matchup between Atlanta @Tampa Bay. Whilst Tampa Bay has already secured a playoff spot, postseason seeding is still at stake in this Week 17 NFC matchup. Brady and the Buccaneers enter the game off the back of a 47-7 annihilation of Detroit. A game in which Blaine Gabbert took over signal-calling in the second-half with the Bucs leading 34-0.
Atlanta on the other hand, fell to a narrow 17-14 loss against the defending Super Bowl champions, Kansas City. The spread on this game currently sits at 6.5 points in favor of Tampa Bay, with the O/U at 50.5. A home win here for Tampa would ensure them the 5th seed in the NFC. Meaning a matchup with one of the sub .500 NFC East sides next week. A loss, however, could result in a potential trip to New Orleans, Green Bay, or Seattle on Wild Card weekend. So I imagine the Bucs will not come out of the gate too slow.
DraftKings Showdown: Atlanta @Tampa Bay Captain Options:
Calvin Ridley ($15,600 Capt/ $10,400 Flex)
With Julio Jones’ season officially over, Ridley again enters this matchup with huge upside. In games without Jones, Ridley is averaging 11 targets, 7 catches and 115 yards. Tampa Bay have been below average versus opposition wideouts this season, surrendering 39.9 DKPTS per game, 11th-most in the league. When these two met in Week 15, Ridley went 10-163-1 for 35.3 DKPTS, and should be in for another big game on Sunday.
Mike Evans ($15,300 Capt/ $10,200 Flex)
Evans could become the first NFL player to have 7 consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons to begin their career. He just needs 40 yards on Sunday, and I expect him to surpass that target with ease. His price-tag on this slate is steep, but is definitely merited following his 10-181-2 outing last week. The Bucs’ offence as a whole struggled in the first-half of the Week 15 matchup between these two. But Evans is coming off back-to-back 100 yard games, and he should reach that mark again this week.
Antonio Brown ($11,100 Capt/ $7,400 Flex)
Brown provides a more contrarian choice at Captain, and I’ve picked him purely based on incentive motives. Brown can pocket himself an extra $250,000 in contractual incentives if he catches 11 passes on Sunday. 11 seems like a large number, however Brady seems to have taken Brown under his wing, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he looks Brown’s way multiple times here. A risky pick, although one with an interesting narrative.
DraftKings Showdown: Atlanta @ Tampa Bay Flex Options:
Tom Brady ($10,800 Flex)
The only reason I’m hesitant to play Brady at Captain is the potential risk of him being rested in the latter stages as he was last week. Although he managed 32.92 DKPTS in the first half alone last week, it was record-breaking and unlikely to be repeated to such extent. Tampa beat writers have suggested Brady could hit the bench if Tampa surge to a big lead. I think this week Brady faces a far tougher test than last week however, so expect him to see nearly four full quarters of action. If you want to go really risky, Blaine Gabbert ($6,000) came in and threw 2 TDs last week, so is definitely viable in large-scale GPPs. Overall though, I like Brady in the Flex, and he should be able to score big again.
Ronald Jones II ($8,000 Flex)
Back after 2 weeks on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Jones figures to lead the backfield once more in Week 17. What’s interesting is that Bruce Arians himself said he plans to give Jones ‘a ton of work’ against the Falcons, even more so given that Jones is only 100 rushing yards from a 1,000 yard season. Whilst Fournette led the backfield admirably in Jones’ absence, it seems clear Jones will regain RB1 status in the Bucs’ backfield this Sunday.
Russell Gage ($6,800 Flex)
Gage has solidified himself as WR2 in Julio Jones’ absence, hitting double-digit DKPTS in 4 of his last 6. He saw 10 targets when these two met in Week 15, to with 68 yards and a TD. He’s not my favourite play on this slate, but he’s definitely viable, and should see a fair number of targets.
Hayden Hurst ($4,800 Flex)
Tampa Bay have surrendered 8 TDs to opponent TEs this season, T9th-most in the league. I love Hurst in this matchup, and believe he is still under-priced here. He’s gone 9-68-2 across the last 2 weeks, and I image Matt Ryan should thrive in this game, with no pressure against an average passing defence, so Hurst figures to see a decent number of targets. I would not be surprised to see him hit pay dirt for a third week running.
Ryan Succop ($3,800 Flex)
Despite his shaky outing last week in which he missed 2 PATs and a FG, he should bounce back, and this matchup provides the perfect opportunity, in which Tampa are 6.5 point favourites in a potentially high-scoring game, giving him a solid floor in cash games.
Brian Hill ($1,000)
Hill is my favorite value on this showdown slate. At just $1,000 he’s under-priced, despite the messy RB situation in Atlanta. For the second week running, Hill saw more rushing attempts than Gurley, but less than Ito Smith. However, it is in the passing game that I think Hill has real value. He saw 3 targets last week, and whilst he caught them all for just 25 yards, he scored 9.1 DKPTS, or 9.1x value at this price. Combine that with his matchup this week – against a Tampa Bay defense who have surrendered the most catches to opposition RBs (96), Hill could be in for a nice day, and I love him at such a low price.
So, there are our DraftKings selections for the 2020 Showdown of Atlanta @Tampa Bay! Remember any DFS questions, you can check out our articles here. Or you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Becker – USA TODAY Sports
