The Lions and Texans square off in a premier Sunday Night Football showdown.
DraftKings is offering a primetime DFS contest for the chance to win $300,000. I’ve gone through the contest and identified a pair of under-the-radar options that can help give you a critical edge.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.2M Sunday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st] (DET @ HOU)
DraftKings Showdown Value Picks
Sam LaPorta ($6,200)
No matter how grim it seems, it’s still not the time to push the panic button on Sam LaPorta. A product of Tight End University (Iowa), LaPorta had all the traits of a budding superstar in his rookie campaign. His tenaciousness as a blocker blended with phenomenal lateral movement as a pass-catcher was so impressive to watch. I don’t throw around the G-word lightly, but the shades of Gronk were apparent.
The sophomore slump has been shocking and increasingly discouraging. It starts with playcalling—the Lions have not thrown the ball much across their last six contests. When they decide to air it out, LaPorta has not been a central focus. He’s on pace to have 65 fewer targets than a year ago and only has one outing with at least five receptions.
What’s wrong? A diagnosis feels increasingly more challenging to uncover. Most of the issues likely revolve around his reduced opportunity. Last season, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson made more of a concerted effort to scheme LaPorta looks, and the big man delivered. In the red zone, in particular, the physical freak was a matchup nightmare for defensive backs, which is how he scored ten touchdowns. He’s only crossed the goalline twice in 2024, which has completely sunk his DFS floor.
Houston has done a tremendous job erasing opposing tight ends, but eventually, LaPorta will have a bounce-back showing. This value does not indicate the kind of player he can be when everything is going right. Buy the dip, and trust LaPorta one more time.
Robert Woods ($3,200)
I know what you’re thinking—yes, Robert Woods is still in the NFL. It’s year 12 for the crafty wideout, who has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. The veteran had enough juice in the tank to crack into a loaded Texans pass-catcher room, and injuries to Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs have thrust Woods into the starting rotation. The 32-year-old played 39 snaps last game, but still managed to be second on the team in yards.
He’s a professional route runner whose fundamentals have compensated for his lack of elite athleticism. With C.J. Stroud constantly under duress, unleashing Woods underneath as a security blanket could help tremendously. This passing attack is too lethal to be this inept for long, and Detroit allows the third most fantasy points to wide receivers. Don’t expect a monster outing, but some easy work near the line of scrimmage could help him become DFS relevant.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.2M Sunday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st] (DET @ HOU)
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is xaiver-aguiar) 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 skills 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.
