The curtain raiser of the 2023 DraftKings showdown slates- Detroit @Kansas City. The big question here is the status of Travis Kelce. Officially, as of the time of writing, he is questionable. But, even if he plays I don’t think he is going to be anywhere near as effective as he normally is. The expectation is for plenty this one to be a shootout, with an O/U of 54.5 and the Chiefs around a TD favorite.
DraftKings TNF Showdown 2023 – Detroit @Kansas City Captain Picks
Patrick Mahomes ($18,300 Capt/ $12,200 Flex)
I’d be happier with Mahomes as CPT if Kelce were to play. The receivers outside of him on the depth chart don’t exactly scream ability and talent. But, Mahomes is the type of QB that elevates the play of those around him. With his arm talent, he should be able to find free receivers downfield. But, without Kelce I won’t have as many lineups with him as my CPT- simply as his ceiling is lowered without his favored (elite) pass-catcher.
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($15,300 Capt/ $10,200 Flex)
St. Brown is looking like he is going to be the most talented receiver on the field, with Kelce’s status in question. The Lions hyper-target St. Brown with half of his game with double-digit targets. The way that he makes himself free out of the slot, he should really benefit from the PPR scoring here. At the price, he is my favored CPT play.
Kadarius Toney ($10,500 Capt/ $7,000 Flex)
Toney looks like he is ready to start the season, and is a great playmaker on his day. With Kelce’s status up in the air, there are going to be plenty of targets up for grabs here. Toney has done incredible things with small amounts of targets before in this offense. A great ceiling play, but you have to understand there is little to no floor here- regardless of Kelce’s status.
David Montgomery ($9,900 Capt/ $6,600 Flex)
Montgomery is my ‘going to be overlooked’ CPT play. I’ll have some lineups with him in, but I’m not going crazy. Alot of hype has been given to Jahmyr Gibbs this offseason, but Montgomery is set to take the role of Jamaal Williams at the goal-line. If he splits the carries here with Gibbs and gets the goal-line work he could smash if the Lions are able to get into the endzone a few times. Something far more likely with the Chiefs without Chris Jones.
DraftKings TNF Showdown 2023 – Detroit @Kansas City Flex Picks
Travis Kelce ($12,000 Flex)
Any other week and Kelce is a CPT play, or flex. This week I’m just taking him out of my pool- regardless of if he plays or not. If he plays, I can’t believe he won’t be on a snap count, and certainly won’t be at full strength.
Jared Goff ($9,400 Flex)
Goff looked great last year, comfortable in the offense and behind a decent Lions offensive line. I’m not massively confident in him being in the CPT spot, but I’m happy putting him in one of my flex spots. Especially in stacks with St. Brown. I’ll even have some lineups with a Detroit mega stack of some other pass receivers.
Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,200 Flex)
Gibbs steps immediately into this offense in a meaningful way, as he should take the old DeAndre Swift role as primary runner and pass-catcher. With the PPR scoring on DraftKings, he has a nice floor. I’m not as sold on the ceiling, as the early indications are that Montgomery is going to be getting the goal-line work. But, with how this offense has been run, he should see plenty of work in this one.
Isiah Pacheco/ Jerick McKinnon ($6,800/ $5,600 Flex)
The Chiefs backfield is one of those that I want the production of it- but I have no idea week to week where it will come from. Pacheco looks set to be the early down-back, and should also be used at the goal line. That goal-line usage might be more reliable this week with favored target Kelce looking unlikely to play. It might even mean a few targets come his way elsewhere on the field, which would help his floor.
McKinnon is alot more of a ‘roll the dice’ play. He gets some work through the air, which could increase this week, but really his fantasy value comes from scoring TDs with a high rate. With McKinnon’s lack of reliable touches out of the backfield, he feels more of a GPP play than a cash one.
Marvin Jones/ Josh Reynolds ($6,200/ $2,800 Flex)
Jones is back with the Lions, after a small stay in Florida. He has upside, as a redzone weapon for the team, but it’s not quite the ceiling he used to have previously. His field-stretching ability just isn’t quite there now. Nor is Goff’s arm talent.
At the price, I much prefer the option of Reynolds. He should be on the field a lot of the time, potentially ahead of Jones, and he has a good relationship with Jared Goff. He start out last season strongly, and has a great opportunity to do the same this season.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling/ Skyy Moore/ Rashee Rice/ Richie James/ Justyn Ross ($5,400/ $4,800/ $4,600/ $2,000/ $1,000 Flex)
The Chiefs receivers are……..a question mark. Here, I’ll split them into two groups- this is the first one. All of these plays feel risky, as they don’t really have established roles in this offense. With the way the Chiefs play, and the ability of Mahomes, they all feel similar- high ceiling and little/ no floor plays.
MVS has been a frustrating fantasy player since he came into the league, a typical boom-or-bust play. He could catch two passes and win you the slate- so you can’t discount him. To start the season, without Kelce, he should be able to get some work through the air.
Moore has a good opportunity to become Mahomes leading WR in this offense. He should see plenty of the field as the WR2/ WR3 in this offense and has significant breakout potential. Really this Chiefs receiving group has a chance to impress with increased targets to start the season.
Rice feels like he is too highly-priced really to feel comfortable having him too much. He is a nice upside play, but we really haven’t seen him operate in the NFL yet. Starting a rookie in his first game feels risky, even if Kelce’s targets are up for grabs. But again, you can’t discount him completely with the ability of the offense.
James might be the guy that I end up having more of than the others. He has good reviews out of training camp, and has a similar ceiling as the others but for a lower price tag that should let you grab some of the higher-priced players on the slate. With him also having kick and punt return duties too, he could break a return and score big.
Ross looked fine during preseason, and has the raw talent to make a play and be effective- if given the opportunity. But that is the question- will he be given the opportunity? As you can see there are plenty of names above him in the depth chart- making this a GPP only play.
Sam LaPorta/ Brock Wright ($5,000/ $600 Flex)
LaPorta is listed behind Wright on the depth chart. The thing is, that might be the case in reality, but Wright is likely to be used as a blocker, rather than a pass-catcher. With the receiving depth chart limited for Lions, LaPorta could become a featured receiver in this offense- making him an immediate replacement of T.J. Hockenson.
If you want to go for Wright in your lineups, I don’t hate it as a GPP play. He has shown his ability to get in the endzone with strong redzone ability. But, you have to understand that there is no floor that you can rely on here. The price means that it really will take only a small amount to hit value, and leaves plenty for you to build elsewhere.
Noah Gray/ Blake Bell ($2,400/ $200 Flex)
Gray is going to be a popular player if Kelce is limited, or on a snap count. The price is nice, which again will attract people to add him. He has popped up before, but has clearly seen limited work with Travis Kelce ahead of him on the depth chart.
Bell is a nice min-pay option, if Kelce is ruled out. With such a cheap tag it doesn’t take much to hit value, and Bell has just as a good a chance as any to fall into the endzone.
DraftKings TNF Showdown 2023 – Detroit @Kansas City Kickers and DSTs
The kickers are in play here, with both teams able to move the ball down the field. As ever though, they offer you a decent floor, but aren’t going to provide you with a ceiling. Harrison Butker ($4,400) is my preferred kicker, as he is the home kicker and has been more consistent in his career. But, you can’t completely discount involving Riley Paterson ($4,200) in your lineup mix.
The DSTs aren’t really in consideration for me in this contest, with the exception of multi-GPP lineups. Both QBs are able to avoid taking sacks, and look after the football effectively. I’d rather take punts elsewhere than the Chiefs ($3,800) and Lions ($3,200).
So, there are our DraftKings selections for the 2023 Showdown of Detroit @Kansas City! Remember any DFS questions, you can check out our articles here. Or you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Image Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig – USA TODAY Sports
