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Best lineup strategy for Washington vs. Vikings in TNF Showdown

Dalvin Cook is easily the best play on the slate, but does he make the best sense in the Captain slot? We break down the best options for DraftKings Showdown in Week 8 Thursday Night Football.

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

This is the kind of game that Daily Fantasy was made for. There’s probably not much reason to follow this game, unless you’re playing the Showdown slate. Thank you, DraftKings! Let’s look at some players to target in DraftKings’ $1 million six-man Showdown slate — with an entry fee of $10 and a first-place prize of $250,000 — and who to use in the critical Captain slot:

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS

Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings ($19,500)

It’s almost criminal what Cook is likely to do to the Washington defense in this game. Washington is ranked 27th (out of 32) in rushing yards allowed this season and Cook has been devastating, with four games of 27 or more DraftKings points through Minnesota’s first six games. And with Adam Thielen sidelined, the offensive load only falls more squarely on Cook’s shoulders. Throw in players like Wendell Smallwood at $1,800 and even Cook’s inflated price point isn’t that forbidding. Don’t overthink this one.

CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington ($13,800)

Case Keenum makes his triumphant return to Minneapolis and will need to throw the ball early and often in order to keep pace. McLaurin has been Washington’s biggest bright spot this season and should be able to take advantage of a leaky Minnesota pass defense. Scary Terry is about all they have, and he’s a sneaky pivot off Cook, if you dare.

FLEX MEN

Minnesota defense ($6,800)

Sure, it’s a revenge game for Case Keenum, but the Washington offense has produced exactly two touchdowns over the past three games. It’s a bit of a horror show a week before Halloween and the Vikings defense could be scooping up the candy all night with sacks and turnovers. They are the perfect correlation play with Cook.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota ($11,000)

Adam Thielen as already been ruled out with a hamstring injury and Diggs has been coming on the past couple of weeks. Washington’s pass defense has been atrocious this season and with Diggs scoring 70 combined DK points the past two weeks, he is going to be a handful for Washington to keep off the board.

Wendell Smallwood, RB, Washington ($1,800)

This is definitely shaping up as a stars and scrubs slate, and with Chris Thompson ruled out, Smallwood fills a vital role in lineup construction. As the likely pass-catching back in a game Washington should trail throughout, Smallwood should get more than the one target he saw last week. And if Adrian Peterson re-injures himself, or the game gets out of hand early and they sit him, Smallwood could get all sorts of volume. He’s almost an auto-play at that price, given his expected activity.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jeffgo33) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.