The Commanders are hosting the Cowboys on Christmas Day. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Dallas is favored by seven points and this game carries a total of 50.5 points. These two NFC East rivals have been eliminated from the playoffs and this will be the second time this season the Commanders and Cowboys have faced each other. In the first matchup, Dallas won 44-22. These two clubs both rank in the bottom-five in defensive EPA this season, so we should see another high-scoring affair, even with Josh Johnson under center for Washington.
As always, DraftKings is offering some huge contests for this Showdown slate between the Commanders and Cowboys, and below, I dive into some of my favorite targets for this slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $200K Showdown Special [$50K to 1st] (DAL @ WAS)
Captain’s Picks
CeeDee Lamb ($15,900 CPT, $10,600 FLEX) – This is a tremendous spot for Lamb and he is the best player to roster at captain for this Showdown slate. The Commanders are giving up the most yards per pass this season (7.8) and Lamb torched this defense for 25 FPTS back in Week 7.
The star wideout is leading the Cowboys with a 26.2% target share, including 22 targets over 20 yards and 17 red-zone targets in just 11 games. Lamb ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per route run (2.55) and he has topped 20 FPTS in six of his 11 games.
UTIL Plays
Dak Prescott ($16,500 CPT, $11,000 FLEX) – After back-to-back tough matchups vs. the Vikings and Chargers, Prescott should get back on track in this juicy spot vs. the Commanders and he is a tough fade for this Showdown slate.
The quarterback scored 23.26 FPTS vs. Washington in Week 7 and he has exceeded 20 FPTS in nine of his 15 starts this season. Prescott ranks second in passing yards (4,175), third in passing touchdowns (28) and fourth in quarterback rating (73.1).
Josh Johnson ($12,000 CPT, $8,000 FLEX) – While there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Johnson given this is his first start since 2021, this is a terrific matchup vs. the Cowboys and the veteran is very cheap for a quarterback. Dallas is allowing the most passing touchdowns (26) and the third-most yards per pass this season (7.8).
While it happened four years ago and with the Ravens, Johnson did produce 23.2 FPTS in his last start and in that game, he threw for 304 yards, two touchdowns and one pick, and he rushed five times for 10 yards vs. the Bengals. Given that facing the Cowboys has been a cheat code for quarterbacks this season, Johnson having a similar performance this week is a possibility.
Ben Sinnott ($2,400 CPT, $1,600 FLEX) – With Zach Ertz (knee) done for the season and out the last two weeks, Sinnott has scored 4.6 and 1.5 FPTS as the primary pass-catching tight end for the Commanders. In these games, Sinnott has run a route on 50% of his team’s dropbacks and he has seen a target on 16% of his routes.
Johnson has a history of relying on his tight ends and while he lacks real upside, Sinnott has the potential for 5-10 FPTS in this great matchup vs. the Cowboys. In Johnson’s last start, which came with Baltimore in 2021, he targeted Mark Andrews a team-high 10 times.
Fades
Deebo Samuel ($11,400 CPT, $7,600 FLEX) – While this is a great matchup vs. the Cowboys, Samuel has been underwhelming with Terry McLaurin healthy again and it’s hard to imagine Samuel getting back on track with Johnson under center. McLaurin returned in Week 13 and with him active for the last four games, Samuel is amassing just 7.9 FPTS per game.
The veteran has seen a target on a solid 19% of his routes during this time, but Samuel’s aDOT has been just 5.9 yards and he is averaging a low 1.52 yards per route run, hurting his upside significantly.
THE OUTCOME
While there is a chance the Commanders keep this game close given how bad the Cowboys’ defense is, Dallas should walk away with a win against its division rival.
Final Score: Cowboys 28, Commanders 24
