The 11-4 Cowboys look to build off their impressive Week 16 win over the Eagles, heading to Nashville to take on the reeling Titans in the last Thursday night game of the season. This contest isn’t projected to be a nail-biter, as the Cowboys sit as hefty 10-point road favorites with a total of 40.5, according to BetMGM. There’s a chance both star RBs sit this one out with the Titans resting Derrick Henry for Week 18 and Tony Pollard nursing a thigh injury, but despite that, we’re able to put together a competitive DraftKings Showdown lineup. Hopefully, adding a couple of differentiators to our lineup will lead to some DFS cash at the end of the night. (Update: Henry (hip) and Pollard (thigh) are both inactive tonight while Josh Dobbs starts QB for Tennessee in place of Malik Willis.)
Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They’re full-point PPR and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player’s original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Titans vs. Cowboys Week 17 Thursday Night Football
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): RB Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys ($13,200)
With Pollard (thigh) failing to practice the past two days, there’s a shot he’s held out of Thursday’s contest. If that’s the case, Elliott’s going to see a spike in his workload, making him a viable Captain add in Showdown lineups. A matchup against a Titans rush defense that ranks second in DVOA could potentially lead to DFS players avoiding Elliott, but volume is king in DFS. Eliott still has a chance to see 15-20 plus touches. There’s also a chance the Titans rest some starters with their Week 18 matchup against the Jaguars being a de-facto AFC South Championship game. That could lead to Elliott racking up 100 rushing yards while reaching paydirt in the process.
MORE TNF:
FD lineup | Henry update | Pollard update | Start ’em, sit ’em
FLEX WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($11,400)
Lamb popped off in Dallas’ 40-34 Week 16 thriller, posting his second game with double-digit receptions, 100-plus receiving yards, and two touchdowns of the season. We’re not expecting Lamb to replicate that output on Thursday, but another 100-plus receiving yard, one-touchdown showing is possible against a Titans pass defense allowing the 26th worst EPA/drop-back. Lamb also averages nine targets per game, so how can we not roster Dallas’ WR1 in a plus matchup?
WEEK 17 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
FLEX QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($10,600)
Prescott’s going to garner a high roster percentage in Showdown lineups, and for good reason. He’s coming off his best game of the season, putting up 32 DK points while finishing as the overall QB1 in fantasy. If Dallas’ offensive line can hold up in pass protection, expect another big day from Prescott, who leads all QBs in clean pocket completion percentage (76.8 percent). Dak’s a must-roster given the matchup against a shaky Titans’ pass defense.
Week 17 DFS: Best values
FLEX D/ST Cowboys ($5,800)
Malik Willis has yet to prove himself as a passer, sporting an underwhelming 39.8 pass grade per PFF. With the Titans pegged as double-digit underdogs, Willis is likely going to be forced to air the football out, which is good news for the Cowboys’ defense. Dallas’ D/ST hasn’t produced a double-digit DK-point showing in three straight weeks, but look for that streak to end on Thursday night with the potential for a handful of sacks and a couple of turnovers.
WEEK 17 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
FLEX WR Robert Woods, Titans ($5,000)
While we’re not expecting much offense from the Titans, Woods still has some upside. He could be Willis’ security blanket underneath, as he’s sporting a relatively low 8.0 aDOT this season (88th among WRs). Willis has yet to stress defenses downfield, averaging just 4.5 yards per attempt. We’re hoping Woods can rack up some cheap receptions, especially in garbage time.
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX RB Hassan Haskins, Titans ($3,000)
If Henry (hip) doesn’t suit up on TNF, Haskins will be the team’s lead back. At just $3,000, his projected usage more than justifies rostering him at this cheap price. If Henry does suit up, Haskins could still see a big enough workload to warrant a roster spot, as he played 25 percent of snaps last week and hauled in a couple of catches. (Update: Henry (hip) is officially listed as “doubtful”.)
