The 2020 playoffs are here, and we continue with our DraftKings Showdown coverage with Los Angeles @Seattle, the second of Saturday’s Wild Card games. Two team’s from the NFC West, with No. 3 seed Seattle hosting the No. 6 seed Los Angeles. The two sides have already met twice this season, with one win apiece. Seattle are currently the 4-point favourites, with the O/U at 42.5.
DraftKings Showdown: Los Angeles @ Seattle Captain Picks:
Russell Wilson ($16,500 Capt/ $11,000 Flex)
Whilst Wilson’s early season form has arguably dipped off dramatically, he was still able to put up some solid stats in the regular season. Throwing for 4,212 yards, to go with 40 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Whilst he was held to a season-low 12.92 DKPTS when these two met in Week 10, he did manage to put up 19.9DKPTS in their Week 16 matchup. Despite his slight end-of-season dip in form, I expect Wilson to have a solid game on Saturday. This Rams defense has undoubtedly been one of the best in the league this year, but when you have a QB with the rushing upside of Wilson; it’s difficult not to project a solid floor too.
Cooper Kupp ($11,700 Capt/ $7,800 Flex)
Kupp was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, and looks set to make a comeback in this wild-card matchup. Despite testing positive for COVID-19, I don’t see LA holding back on Kupp. He comes into this game with his lowest salary on a showdown-slate this season. As such, I love him in the Captain spot, especially given the lack of value on this slate. Before missing last week, Kupp caught 8 of 9 targets for 66 yards when these two met in Week 16. Scoring more DKPTS in both meetings between these two than fellow wideout Robert Woods. I still like Woods here, but at a $1,000 discount in the flex, and $1,500 in the Captain spot, I lean slightly towards Kupp.
Jacob Hollister ($3,900 Capt/ $2,600 Flex)
My favourite value Captain choice on Saturday afternoon is Seahawks TE Jacob Hollister. With Greg Olsen’s status for the game iffy at best, TE snaps look to be split again between Hollister and Dissly. The Rams’ defence has been solid against TEs in terms of yards allowed this season, ranking 9th at 45.7 YPG. However, they’re middle of the pack in terms of TDs surrendered to opposing TEs, giving up 7 so far this season. Whilst Hollister’s stats last week were poor, catching 1 of 3 targets for 6 yards, he had found the end zone in the two games previous. He has seen 11 targets across his last three games. More importantly, four of these have been in the red zone, so could definitely hit pay dirt here. If so, he would be a steal at his cheap price in the Captain spot.
DraftKings Showdown: Los Angeles @ Seattle Flex Picks:
Tyler Lockett ($9,600 Flex)
It’s no secret Lockett has taken a backseat in this Seahawks offence behind DK Metcalf. However, Metcalf struggled against Jalen Ramsey in their two regular-season meetings. Something that I can definitely see this happening once more on Saturday. Opposition defences seem to have finally caught on to the dangers of Metcalf, snd he’s posted an average of 52.8 yards over the final 5 weeks. Metcalf saw double coverage frequently on Sunday against the 49ers, and was held to just 21 yards, compared to Lockett’s 90. Whilst Lockett has been somewhat underwhelming this year, he’s my favourite Seattle pass-catcher on this slate.
Robert Woods ($8,800 Flex)
Seattle has surrendered the 2nd-most yards to opposing WRs this season, and the 4th-most DKPTS. I’m not sure I love choosing either of the top LA WRs if Wolford started again, but if Goff returns under centre, Woods is definitely in play. Despite a below-average passing offense this season, should LA fall behind in this elimination matchup. I can see Goff/Wolford being far more aggressive with the ball, and the Seahawks secondary is easily penetrable. Factor in Woods’ occasional jet sweep runs, and he definitely could do well on Saturday.
Cam Akers ($8,600 Flex)
It looks like it could finally be ‘Cam Akers Szn’ if NFL Twitter is to be believed. He finally saw lead back touches Weeks 13 to 15, and again on Sunday, even after missing Week 16 due to a high-ankle sprain. He saw 21 rushing attempts last week, averaging a poor 1.6 yards per carry. Whilst this presents some concern, his emerging role in the passing offence sees his viability rise; he went 4-52 catching last week. Again, should LA fall behind here, Akers figures to see some usage in the passing attack. So I certainly like him in this matchup. Especially when facing a defence surrendering over 40 yards receiving to opposition RBs this season, to go with 5 total TDs in that span, tied 3rd-most in the league.
Chris Carson ($8,200 Flex)
Carson is currently listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup, but if he plays he figures to see a full workload of carries. At the least, he has end zone potential! That has him as the favourite on this slate at +125 to score a TD on Saturday. At his price, an average of 87.8 yards per game is somewhat discouraging. So he definitely needs to find the end zone to provide value. Despite that, if Seattle takes an early lead, as Vegas suggests, Seattle could give Carson a heavy workload to wind down the clock.
Seattle DST ($4,600 Flex)
The idea of using the Seattle DST on a showdown slate seems crazy, especially given their perception as a poor defence. Only 5 teams are averaging more sacks per game across the last 3 games, with Seattle sitting at 3.3. Conversely, whilst the Rams currently sit 7th-best in terms of QB protection on the year, surrendering just 1.6 sacks per game over 16 games. Although, their form in the last 3 games is concerning, with only 9 teams seeing more than their 2.7 per game average since Week 15. If Wolford draws the start here, the Seattle DST becomes ever more viable, and I think they could be under-owned, even in this spot.
Gerald Everett ($1,600 Flex)
The pricing on this slate is ugly. Meaning you are likely going to be forced to punt somewhere if you choose to pay up at Captain. I think Everett is probably the most viable of the low-priced guys. He was somewhat banged up to start the season, and only became a viable part of this offense in Week 7; before this he was seeing less than two-thirds of offensive snaps. Since his emergence in the offense, he actually has a higher target share than Higbee, as well as five targets in the red zone. There isn’t much value on this slate to get excited by at all, but Everett at least presents an okay-ish choice, to allow you to pay up elsewhere.
So, there are our DraftKings selections for the 2020 Showdown of Los Angeles @Seattle! Remember any DFS questions, you can check out our articles here. Or you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Image Credit: Steven Bisig – USA TODAY Sports
