The Week 9 Sunday Night Showdown on DraftKings features the Seattle Seahawks taking on the Washington Commanders in a primetime NFC matchup. Both teams are fighting to stay in the playoff race, adding extra intensity to every drive. With $250K up top in DraftKings’ $1M contest, lineup construction and captain selection will be critical in this evenly matched game.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1M Sunday Night Showdown [$250K to 1st] (SEA @ WAS)
Captain’s Picks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($18,000 CP): Washington’s defense isn’t very good. JSN is very good. The latest star to emerge from WR University (Ohio State) leads the NFL in receiving yards (50 receptions for 819 yards and four touchdowns). Every week the Commanders get smoked by a WR1. The NFL’s WR1 shouldn’t have much of a problem adding a touchdown and another 100 receiving yards to his season total.
UTIL Plays
Sam Darnold ($10,600): The case is closed. The sample size is large enough. Darnold’s run with the Vikings was not an aberration. The aberration was his early career struggles. That shouldn’t be a surprise. Any quarterback that spends five seasons playing for the Jets and Panthers would look like a bust. Despite playing for dreadful teams, Darnold’s stats weren’t terrible. On better teams (Vikings and Seahawks), Darnold has looked like an All-Pro QB.
Kenneth Walker III ($7,600): Touchdowns, yards and receptions. It’s pretty simple. Pick players that accumulate those statistics. Anytime a player can pad stats in all three categories, they’re a no-brainer. Unfortunately, Walker is no longer being featured in the receiving game, but he is on pace for a 1,000-yards rushing season. Washington’s run defense is one of the worst in the NFL. The Seahawks will likely implement a run-heavy attack as road favorites on Sunday night.
Luke McCaffrey ($5,400): Terry McLaurin has been ruled out. McCaffrey was McLaurin’s replacement from weeks four through seven. Last week, McLaurin returned, and McCaffrey still played half of the offensive snaps. None of the Commanders’ offensive weapons look appealing in this matchup. It’s best to spend as little as possible for the mandatory pick from the less formidable team. McCaffrey hasn’t been an impact player, but he does have the second-most receiving touchdowns for the commanders.
Fades
Jacory Croskey-Merritt ($7,400): It’s hard to root against a seventh-round pick. The rookie out of USC burst onto the scene in the season-opener. He was impressive against the Chargers in Week 5. The other seven weeks weren’t much to talk about. He looks like a seventh-round pick. The Commanders have lost two games in a row. Both were blowout losses. Croskey-Merritt averaged less than three yards per carry in both losses. Seattle doesn’t succumb to seventh-rounders.
The Outcome
Any team can win in the NFL. Seattle is the better team, but there are no guarantees. Winning on the road is tough. Traveling across the country for a primetime game is no small task, but Seattle is no small team and the Commanders simply are not playing good football.
