There is an important Thursday Night Football matchup in Week 17. The Bears host the Seahawks as Chicago looks to break their long losing streak and the Seahawks look to stay in contention for a playoff spot.
There are plenty of breakdowns for the game’s outlook, player props and more, but this article will look at some of the top DFS options to help you build your Showdown team.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.25M Thursday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st]
Captain Plays
Hitting on your captain (CPT) is essential to having Showdown DFS success on DraftKings. Players drafted as the captain earn 1.5x fantasy points, so they can make or break your entry. Here are my favorite captain plays for this week’s TNF matchup:
Zach Charbonnet ($12,600)
Zach Charbonnet will be the primary back for the Seahawks in this game as Kenneth Walker III will miss the game with an injury. Walker missed another game a couple of weeks ago and Charbonnet had a monster performance in that game against the Cardinals. Charbonnet finished with 134 rushing yards, 59 receiving yards on seven catches and two touchdowns. Charbonnet was one of the highest-scoring players of that entire week in fantasy. He should jump on the chance again and have another big week with Walker on the sidelines.
The Bears rank 19th in defensive EPA/play and 28th in defensive EPA/rush. Things have only gotten worse for the Bears in recent weeks. Since Week 10, they rank 31st in defensive EPA/play and 30th in defensive success rate. That makes this an incredibly favorable matchup for Charbonnet on the ground and in the short passing game. The Bears rank 27th in the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season and Charbonnet should also take advantage of them.
D.J. Moore ($15,000)
D.J. Moore is on a really good run of games coming into this matchup. It was a slow start to the season and an even worse middle of the season for D.J. Moore as he adjusted to life with a new quarterback. The additions of Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen also significantly decreased Moore’s target share for the first half of the season. However, in recent weeks, Caleb Williams has made D.J. Moore his top target. Moore now leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with two games left in the season.
Moore is averaging 7.1 receptions per game and 71.3 receiving yards per game over his past six games. He should be able to attack the Seattle secondary and pick up a couple of big gains, as well as being a good possession receiver for Caleb Williams. Seattle ranks 22nd in the league in opponent receptions allowed. They have a tough run defense, which makes teams more likely to throw against them. Chicago is also likely to be trailing in this game, which would lead to a pass-heavy game script. This should be a seventh straight good game for D.J. Moore.
Value Picks
Caleb Williams ($9,600)
It has been an up-and-down rookie season for Caleb Williams. He has had to deal with coaches getting fired and organizational disaster from the Bears. He has shown flashes of brilliance but has also really struggled at times, mostly due to the Bears’ disastrous offensive line issues. Despite that, he has good games where has put up big numbers this season. Williams has specifically been much better at home this season. He has an 11-1 TD-INT ratio at home compared to an 8-4 ratio on the road. Williams has also been running the ball well the past few weeks and should rack up some yardage on the ground in this game as well.
DK Metcalf ($9,200)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has emerged as the Seahawks’ leading receiver this season. However, Metcalf is still liable for a monster game at any given time. Metcalf has four games with 99 or more receiving yards this season and had a solid game last week with 57 yards and a touchdown. Since Week 10, the Bears rank 30th in defensive EPA/dropback and 31st in defensive dropback success rate. They have been dreadful in the secondary and Metcalf should be able to get open and create some explosive passing plays in this game.
Cole Kmet ($4,400)
Just like for most members of the Bears, it has been an up-and-down season for Cole Kmet. However, Kmet did manage to find the end zone last week and has shown flashes of high-level production this season. This should be a pass-heavy game for the Bears. The Seahawks rank 19th in opponent receptions per game but they have done a good job of limiting deep shots. That sets up well for Kmet to rack up a few receptions underneath. Seattle is allowing 5.3 receptions per game and 54.9 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends this season and Kmet should capitalize on the positive matchup.
Seahawks D/ST ($4,000)
The Bears are 27th in the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing D/STs. The Bears are giving up 4.0 sacks per game, the second-highest mark in the NFL. The Seahawks should have an all-out effort in this game with their playoff hopes on the line and get after the Bears. The Bears’ offensive line has already struggled mightily this season and now they will be without one of their starters, G Teven Jenkins, for this game as well. Things have been trending in the wrong direction for the Bears’ offense and the Seahawks should be able to create a lot of negative plays in this game.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.25M Thursday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) 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 cannot access any non-public information.
