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It appears we will have our first “weather” game of the 2019 season on Thursday night, as the Jaguars host the Texans in what is expected to be a very windy night, with sustained winds of 15-20 mph and gusts around 30 mph. 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
Leonard Fournette ($14,700): Wind is always the element of weather that should be the most concerning to fantasy players. Rain and snow are irritants, but can be played through. Wind is a different deal, as it has the greatest impact on passing and kicking games. That said, we want to feature a runner in this slot and while Derrick Henry ($15,900) might be the better player, Fournette has the better matchup, at home against a demonstrably weaker of the two run defenses. And maybe Fournette plays a little angry this week after not converting the two-point conversion that turned a stirring Week 2 win into a tough loss for the Jags.
CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
D.J. Chark ($11,400): You want to win these Showdown slates, you have to take some risks. And, hey, maybe the weather folks are wrong, or maybe Gardner Minshew just doesn’t give a damn – clearly his attitude about clothing – and chucks the ball all over the place. If so, Chark has proven to be Minshew’s binky, getting nine targets in Week 2 and scoring for the second straight game.
FLEX MEN
Both defenses (Titans $5,200, Jaguars $3,800): Given the wind, and given the history of bad offense in Thursday night games, one would have to anticipate this game will be low-scoring and possibly interception-filled. That’s a pretty nice recipe for getting in on the low-priced defenses.
Delanie Walker ($8,200): If we’re in a swirling world of short passes, then the tight ends are going to have an outsized role here, and Walker is clearly the better of the two starters for each team and a favorite target of Marcus Mariota. He’s as safe a play in this game as anyone.
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.