Thursday Night Football will feature a battle for AFC East supremacy when the Bills square off against the Dolphins.
An elite showdown of this magnitude warrants a DFS Thursday Night Millionaire contest. Choosing the right captain is essential since they earn 1.5x fantasy points. Here are my three favorite players who are worthy of claiming the crown.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.25M Thursday Night Millionaire [$1M to 1st] (BUF @ MIA)
DraftKings Showdown Captain (CPT) Picks
Josh Allen ($16,500)
The NFL’s most polarizing player leaves no room for debate from a fantasy perspective. He throws too many bone-headed interceptions and loses fumbles at an alarmingly high rate, but for all his faults, Josh Allen is a gifted playmaker with an offensive workload you can’t ignore.
For someone of his stature, he continues to prove he’s one of the best dual threats in the league, fully comfortable taking off when a play breaks down and putting his head down to fight for extra yards. This scrambling ability matters most in the red zone, where Allen had more than double the rushing touchdowns out of all of Buffalo’s running backs combined last season. Allen’s trend of poaching scores continued Sunday in the season opener when he had two scurried finishes in the endzone.
This matchup is also too enticing to ignore. In the ocean, a dolphin’s kryptonite is a killer whale; on land, it’s number 17 on the Bills. Allen has a 10-2 record against division rivals and an absurd 4.7 TD/INT ratio. Even with an injury to his non-throwing hand and a short turnaround, I don’t expect the 28-year-old generational athlete to miss a beat.
Tyreek Hill ($17,400)
Despite the horrific situation he had to deal with before entering Hard Rock Stadium a few days ago, Tyreek Hill channeled his frustrations and was dominant on the field. Against a frisky Jaguars secondary, the first-team All-Pro amassed 130 yards, highlighted by an 80-yard sprint down the left sideline for a crucial touchdown.
The 30-year-old speedster is the most productive wide receiver in the sport and is a massive play waiting to happen. Sean McDermott understands this danger better than anyone and has done a great job limiting Hill’s explosiveness in prior meetings.
The Bills have never allowed Hill to amass over 100 yards in a game in seven career meetings. With stud corner Taron Johnson out, it puts more stress on a thin position room to keep the prolific pass catcher in check.
Historical patterns are not enough to outweigh the vast opportunity share. When Hill plays, he should be in everyone’s DFS contest.
James Cook ($13,500)
The only player who could reduce Josh Allen’s fantasy dominance is James Cook. The third-year back burst onto the scene at the end of last season when the franchise switched to Joe Brady as offensive coordinator. Last year, Cook finished with over 1,100 yards on the ground and flashed high-end recieving upside.
With Stefon Diggs out of the equation, the 24-year-old becomes the top skill position weapon on a team that routinely finishes in the top ten in scoring. Ty Johnson ($2,200) will likely get some goal-line work, but Cook is due for some touchdowns.
Cook put up 3.7-yards-per-carry against a mediocre Cardinals front seven, but that stat doesn’t account for rushes late in the game facing a loaded box designed to chew clock. Cook ran the ball hard and consistently got to the second level when he wasn’t immediately swarmed behind the line of scrimmage. With his touches consistently increasing, he’s a high-floor, high-ceiling captain.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.25M Thursday Night Millionaire [$1M to 1st] (BUF @ MIA).
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is 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.
