DraftKings Fantasy Football features a 2024 NFC Playoff rematch. Two explosive offenses will provide plenty of DFS action for the 2024 Sunday Night Football Kickoff. Check out the NFL Showdown Slate DFS picks for the Week 1 Sunday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.5M Sunday Night Showdown [$500K to 1st] (LAR @ DET)
Captain’s Picks
Jameson Williams ($8,100 CP): The trustworthy studs are expensive but consistent. They’re reliable and need to be included in DraftKings SNF Showdown Slate lineups. That can only happen with a value pick as the Captain’s Pick. Reliability is sacrificed for reliability. Williams is the quintessential boom-or-bust pick because he’s a boom-or-bust player. Mostly, he’s been a bust because he got busted. A gambling suspension slowed his sophomore season and his college ACL injury made the first-round picks’ rookie season a wash. Is this the year? Williams showed signs of a breakout towards the end of 2023. He’s flanked by an explosive receiver that commands the defense’s attention. The Lion’s passing game is protected by the best offensive line in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Williams could be the star in primetime.
UTIL Plays
Puka Nacua ($9,800): Have you heard this before? The Lions spent their offseason improving their secondary. We’ll see how it goes this time. Even if it has improved, it shouldn’t matter. The best defenses could not stop Nacua last season. The 2024 Lions’ defensive backs are better than the secondary that allowed Nacua to catch nine passes for 181 and a touchdown in the playoffs. The Lions aren’t the only ones improving. This is only Nacua’s second season. He broke all of the rookie receiver records last season. We haven’t seen anything yet. The Sunday Night Football spotlight is on Nacua. This could be the start of something big.
Jared Goff ($9,000): It’s got to be Goff. It’s a handcuff. Williams provides the value. Goff provides him with the ball. Nacua is not mandatory. Amon-Ra St. Brown ($11,000) can be a substitution in that spot. Both quarterbacks have the weapons for better or worse. The Lions and Rams can pass and run effectively. Each quarterback has a predictable fantasy point ceiling. The difference is that Goff and Williams are an affordable combo.
David Montgomery ($6,600): This isn’t a flashy pick. Montgomery isn’t a flashy player. He’s an under-appreciated workhorse. Everyone loves Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,400). He’s flashy and explosive. His second season should be a breakout. Gibbs will have slate-breaking games. Hopefully, they’re on the main slates, not the Week 1 Sunday Night Football Showdown slate. It’s tough to get to Gibbs. Montgomery fits in lineups and gets more work than his salary suggests. The Lions have a great offensive line. They’re going to use it. That’s how Montogomery scored 15 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 1,200 yards last season.
Fades
Cooper Kupp ($9,600): There’s one decision for the DraftKings NFL DFS Sunday Night Football Showdown Slate. Which elite receiver is the fade? Who’s in? Who’s out? If Goff and Williams are the combo, Amon-Ra St. Brown could be the fade. There are only so many balls to go around. That’s fine. The gutsy call is figuring out who is the fade on the runback. Two Rams receivers in one lineup is too pricey. It’s Puka or Kupp. Puka is on the rise and Kupp could be on the decline. It’s not that hard of a choice — the greatest rookie receiver ever or a 31-year-old receiver coming off an injury.
THE OUTCOME
Is the hype real? Is the city of Detroit back? The Lions are a popular pick for the Super Bowl. That hasn’t happened in 40 years. Has it ever happened? The Lions are facing high expectations. It’s not just the city counting on them. This time, the entire NFL is watching the Lions. All eyes are on the Lions on Sunday night. Can they live up to the hype? They earned the hype.
Final Score: Detroit Lions 31, Los Angeles Rams 28
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.5M Sunday Night Showdown [$500K to 1st] (LAR @ DET)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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.
