Starting Week 3 of the action, the 2023 DraftKings showdown slates- New York @San Francisco. This slate has opened up slightly, with the news of Saquon Barkley being ruled out, as well as Brandon Aiyuk a game time decision. The O/U for this on has been set at 45 points, with the 49ers a huge 10 point favorite. This should be a game the Giants are chasing early based on how both have started the season.
DraftKings TNF Showdown 2023 – New York @San Francisco Captain Picks
Christian McCaffrey ($19,800 Capt/ $13,200 Flex)
McCaffrey is the obvious CPT play on the slate. There is nothing to not like (other than his price tag). He is a major part of this offense that is working and moving the ball well. And last week we saw James Conner rip this defensive front apart. In a GPP I’d prefer CMC in the flex spot as a leverage play, but I’ll have some CPT plays.
Daniel Jones ($15,300 Capt/ $10,200 Flex)
Jones looked good last week in a comeback victory over the Cardinals, but it was the Cardinals. But after struggling in Week 1 against the Cowboys, it was good to see him pull the offense back. This week, without star Saquon Barkley, he is going to need to do more work on offense. This 49ers defense is a tough unit, but Matthew Stafford looked strong enough last week against them. If Jones were to break off one of his ‘Bambi’ runs, he could have a very nice game here.
Deebo Samuel ($13,200 Capt/ $8,800 Flex)
Samuel was more involved last week against the Rams than in Week 1, with 9 targets 5 rush attempts leading to 6 receptions, 101 total yards, and a score. With the weapons that this 49ers offense has, it’s hard to really (reliably) predict who is going to score outside of CMC. But, if Aiyuk were to miss the game, Samuel should have a good opportunity to score.
Darren Waller ($11,100 Capt/ $7,400 Flex)
Waller is going to need to take a step forward in this one, without Barkley. Last week, he looked like the healthy player we want him to be with the Giants, and got 8 targets- which should be very possible here too. The pricing also allows you fit a number of studs in your lineup too.
DraftKings TNF Showdown 2023 – New York @San Francisco Flex Picks
Brock Purdy ($9,400 Flex)
Purdy might be a game-manager in the offense, but he is doing well for fantasy. It doesn’t get headlines, but that’s fine. The difficulty is that the only way Purdy gets in the optimal lineup is in a scenario where CMC struggles, which means Purdy has to air it out- and that doesn’t seem likely. If you do go for him, you have to stack him with some pass-catchers.
Brandon Aiyuk ($8,600 Flex)
Looks like a game-time decision with expectation of him not playing. I’m out on him here
Matt Breida ($7,000 Flex)
With Barkley ruled out of the game, Breida looks to be the next man up for the Giants, with Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray also getting some touches. Now, Breida doesn’t have the ability of Barkley, and therefore you can’t expect that he gets to that level of production. But, he is a decent pass-catcher, and Kyren Williams did well last week against this 49ers defense. The pricing isn’t ideal, but he is a decent flex option.
George Kittle ($6,600 Flex)
Kittle is interesting, especially with the status of Aiyuk up in the air. Kittle has had plenty of boom primetime games after a few weeks of struggling. That’s exactly the situation here. The pricing is decent, and he doesn’t need to do too much to hit value here.
Isaiah Hodgins/ Darius Slayton/ Parris Campbell ($6,400/ $5,600/ $4,400 Flex)
The Giants are most likely going to need to air the ball out in this one. The issue is, that outside of Waller, the receivers are just a group of pass-catchers. Each has their own role in the offense, but the split is pretty even.
| Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Age | Pos | G | GS | Tgt ▼ | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
| 86 | Darius Slayton | 26 | WR | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 77 | 12.8 | 0 |
| Parris Campbell | 26 | WR | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 | |
| 18 | Isaiah Hodgins | 25 | WR | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 64 | 12.8 | 1 |
Campbell is the odd one out, as he has struggled for production with the targets that he has managed to get. Slayton is the player that has the best chance of breaking a big catch for a TD, but you need to mix in the other two.
Jalin Hyatt ($5,200 Flex)
Hyatt is talented, and the receivers ahead of him aren’t massively talented. But, he still hasn’t been able to get on the field all that much to start the season. With his pricing as the WR3, despite not being on the field, it’s hard to really make a case for adding him here. Even with his 89 yard game last time out.
Gary Brightwell/ Eric Gray ($5,000/ $1,400 Flex)
Brightwell has seen a massive jump in his salary cost, making it hard to consider him here. Hard to see there being much of anything reliable for workload after Breida, and mixing in Gray. Gray equally is an expensive play on the slate, considering that he is unlikely to see many touches as the RB3 for the Giants. I’d be tempted if he was a min-price play, but not here.
Jauan Jennings ($4,800 Flex)
Jennings is on the field alot for the 49ers, but he doesn’t get much usage with the other players on offense. The price is going to be a bargain if Aiyuk is going to miss this one, as it should mean looks for Jennings. Otherwise, should only be considered as a pivot in GPPs.
Eli Mitchell ($2,400 Flex)
Mitchell has to see a game soon where he gets more touches, just to save CMC- could this be the one? Up to this point, it’s only been CMC getting the play- which has hurt his price. You can’t discount him completely, especially when you look at the pricing of the Giants RBs on the slate. But, you need to view him as a GPP play only at this point.
Sterling Shepard ($1,000 Flex)
Shepard is really the bottom of the receiving depth chart, more likely to score zero than anything else- with a single 4-yard reception on the season. He has also only really been on the field for a handful of snaps in each game.
Daniel Bellinger ($800 Flex)
Bellinger is worth a punt at this price, as he has shown his way into the endzone before. He is on the field for more than half of the team snaps, and at the price, you can fit alot of studs in your lineup.
Kyle Juszczyk ($400 Flex)
Juszczyk tends to be a popular punt play on showdown slates, so worth considering when setting GPP plays. The price point is cheap enough that he only has to catch a few passes to hit value, and has shown his ability to find the endzone at times.
Ronnie Bell/ Ray-Ray McCloud ($200 Flex each)
Bell and McCloud are only really worth considering if Aiyuk is ruled out. Bell was on the field more last week, so is potentially the more stable play of the two. But, with McCloud on kick and punt returning duties, he is my preferred play between the two.
DraftKings TNF Showdown 2023 – New York @San Francisco Kickers and DSTs
The 49ers DST ($5,800) are full of playmakers, and Jones has struggled with sacks and turnovers at times during his career. The pricing isn’t great, and the ownership is likely to be higher, but you can’t discount them from your player pool. The Giants DST ($3,200) are significantly cheaper on the slate, but the 49ers offense is an efficient offense that protects the ball. Unless the Giants force a turnover and score, it’s hard to see them hitting value here.
The kickers in this one, as with other showdown slates are decent sources of value here. I’d give the nod to Jake Moody ($4,200) as the home kicker, and has had a perfect start to season, including from at range. Graham Gano ($4,000) hasn’t really done anything this season, with the Giants struggling to stay in games for large periods. If he is called upon, then he has the leg and accuracy to convert. But, my favored option here would be Moody.
So, there are our DraftKings selections for the 2023 Showdown of New York @San Francisco! Remember any DFS questions, you can check out our articles here. Or you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Image Credit: Robert Hanashiro – USA TODAY Sports
