The NFL season gets underway on Wednesday night with a special rematch of last year’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. DraftKings is kicking off the season in style with plenty of promos and options to get in on the action with the start of the season. In daily fantasy options, the DFS Showdown contests include a massive $2.25M Wednesday Kickoff Millionaire, which will award a top prize of $1 million! In this post, we’ll break down some of the top Patriots vs. Seahawks showdown picks for this first game of the new season.
The Seahawks will be celebrating their championship from last season, while the Patriots will be looking to avenge their loss. Both teams have tweaked and adjusted their rosters this offseason to avoid the Super Bowl hangover, and they have plenty of new faces, which should have an impact on the result of this rematch.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Seattle is a three-point home favorite, with the point total set at 44.5. The Patriots are +142 on the Moneyline, while the Seahawks roll in at -170.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $2.25M Wednesday Kickoff Millionaire [$1M to 1st, TD Throne Eligible] (NE @ SEA)
Patriots vs. Seahawks NFL DFS Showdown Picks and Strategy for NFL Kickoff Special
Jaxson Smith-Njigba ($15,900 CP): Smith-Njigba is the biggest fantasy star in this matchup, and he’ll be looking to build on his impressive season last year, when he established himself as one of the top receivers in the NFL. In his third year in the NFL, he racked up 22.8 FPTS per game in the regular season, averaging over 105 receiving yards per game and scoring 10 touchdowns. He had a strong postseason as well, highlighted by 34.3 FPTS in the NFC Championship Game, but the Patriots held him in check in the Super Bowl, only allowing him 6.7 FPTS with four catches for 27 yards. JSN has had to sit with that all offseason, so look for him to be ready to light up the Patriots in this rematch.
He will be in a tough matchup against Christian Gonzalez, who just signed an extension that makes him the highest-paid, but Smith-Njigba has the potential to overcome that matchup and still bring plenty of upside since he had the largest target share of all wide receivers in the NFL last season (35.9%) and the seventh-highest catch percentage (73.0%) of all receivers with at least 250 routes run. With mostly the same pass-catchers back for the Seahawks this year, JSN should have high volume with both a high ceiling and high floor if you can afford to build around him as your Captain’s Pick in Wednesday’s Patriots vs. Seahawks showdown picks.
Rhamondre Stevenson ($12,600 CP): Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson is another option that makes sense to build around in this DFS Showdown for the opener. Stevenson will have the New England backfield to himself mostly, after TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) was ruled out. Stevenson and Henderson are expected to share work this season, with Stevenson the early-down grinder and Henderson the passing-down, big-play specialist. However, Stevenson could get all the work in this matchup, which boosts his upside and lowers his risk.
Stevenson had 17.3 FPTS in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks last season, scoring as a receiver and totaling 63 yards with five catches and seven carries. The Patriots had to go away from the run game as they tried to play catch-up, but Stevenson still posted a solid total. Last season, he struggled with some fumble issues early in the season, but the coaching staff stuck with him and he ultimately averaged 13.2 FPTS per game. He was actually more involved and productive on the road, scoring six of his nine touchdowns on the road and averaging 13.7 FPTS per game. He’s still touchdown-dependent, but without as much competition in the backfield, Stevenson is a good value to build around.
FLEX Plays
Drake Maye ($10,000): Maye’s emergence as a top QB option was key for the Patriots’ deep run in the playoffs, averaging 21.5 FPTS in his 17 regular-season games. He threw 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions while averaging over 250 passing yards per contest and adding four rushing scores during the regular season. His potential for rushing scores and his tendency to spread the ball around make him the preferred QB option in this DFS showdown, since Sam Darnold ($9,400) focuses most of his attention on JSN.
Romeo Doubs ($6,600): While A.J. Brown ($9,600) was the Patriots’ biggest addition in the offseason, they also fortified their receiving corps by signing Doubs as a free agent. The veteran had a strong year with the Packers last year, averaging 11.5 FPTS per game in his 17 regular-season and postseason contests. Doubs has already demonstrated a strong connection with Maye in training camp and usually isa strong red-zone threat. While the Seahawks will focus on Brown, it could be Doubs who makes a splashier Patriots debut, and he comes at a very affordable salary as well.
George Holani ($4,200): On the other side, the Seahawks return most of the same receivers, but they have a whole new backfield with Zach Charbonnet (knee) still recovering from last year’s season-ending injury and Kenneth Walker now playing with the Chiefs. While first-round rookie Jadarian Price ($7,200) is an exciting talent to watch long-term for the season, he missed all of the preseason while dealing with lower leg issues and hasn’t yet played at NFL speed in any game action. Even though he has no injury status and is good to go for his debut, the team could rely more heavily on the veteran Holani, who is a more trusted option in passing down and scoring situations. If he’s getting most of those critical downs, he’ll be a great DFS Showdown value at just over $4,000.
Fades
Jadarian Price ($7,200): Price is definitely a dynamic talent that I think will have fantasy value this season, but it’s very hard to trust the rookie to have a big enough role to be worth this salary in his debut. He is extremely high-risk, especially against a New England defense that did a good job against the run last season. Price is a huge unknown and could be a differentiator if you roll with him, but I’ll wait to see how involved he is before trusting him to pay up this much for him.
THE OUTCOME
The Patriots’ Super Bowl run from last season was definitely helped by multiple things breaking their way in the playoffs. The team has strengthened the offense overall this year and will look to continue its upward trajectory. However, going on the road to take on Seattle in a hostile environment will be a very tough test. The Seahawks defense was excellent all year last year, and ultimately, I think they’ll do enough to help the Seahawks get a close win at home behind a strong showing from Smith-Njigba.
Final Score: Seahawks 17, Patriots 13
