Sunday Night Showdown Slate Article- Colts @ Chiefs

This Sunday night Showdown slate article is extremely difficult to write, because of all the uncertainty about the health of several key players in this game.  The final status will likely not be until 6:30 pm eastern on Sunday night, making it difficult to provide you with an article in time for lineup lock.  What I am going to do is include some what if scenarios so that you can make the decisions when the active/inactive list is released.

The game has a whopping 57 point total, with the Chiefs being an 11 point favorite.

Patrick Mahomes is the highest priced player on the slate and I do not need to go into how good he is, we all know he is the best fantasy qb in the game right now.  It is however difficult to have him in the Captain and make really strong rosters given his high salary.  I will be owning Mahomes as my Captain on about 20-25% of my teams, which will likely be underweight the field.  I will however own him on 100% of my teams overall.  My strategy is going to try and get somebody in the Captain spot that has a lower salary, but has a high ceiling.  Given the game script that this game will likely follow, Jacoby Brissett could be a decent option as the only the fifth highest priced guy.  Brissett has recorded 3, 2, 3, and 2 touchdown passes in his four games.  Mix in the fact that he will likely add a couple DK points with his legs and the fact that he will be throwing the ball A LOT, makes him an intriguing Captain option.

T.Y Hilton and Marlon Mack are both questionable for the Colts.  The Chiefs are giving up nearly 6 yards a carry to opposing runningbacks. The game script is probably not ideal for Mack and given his price and potential reinjury, it makes him a risky option.  If Mack is ruled out then Jordan Wilkins is a must play at only $3,000.  I also like Nyheim Hines to be on the field a lot with more targets than usual with the Colts passing the ball while coming from behind.  If T.Y Hilton is out, then Zach Pascal and Chester Rogers become appetizing options given their price.  Rogers caught three balls for 48 yards and a td on 8 targets and Pascal had 4 receptions for 72 yards on 7 targets in T.Y Hiltons absence last week.  Neither is likely a great Captain option, but certainly solid plays in the flex spot if Hilton is out.

On the other side of the ball whether or not Damien Williams plays, basically dictates who I play from the runningback position.  If he is out then Darrel Williams will be a lock and load.  He had 19 DK points stemming from 3 catches for 43 yards and two rushing tds last week filling in for Williams. If Williams is active then I really like him in this game to get the bulk of the carries as well as the targets. Of course we have LeSean McCoy to worry about as well, which makes it really tough.  I am going to favor Williams if healthy, but I will still own some McCoy shares.

We will need to stack some pass catchers with Mahomes and although Kelce is the best option, he is also $10,000 making it really difficult to own both and almost impossible if Mahomes is in the Captain spot.  I will own some Mahomes/Kelce stacks, but likely with a cheaper guy in the Captain spot.  A guy like Mecole Hardman is a good option, because of his explosiveness and ability to generate a big play.  Hardman received the playing time last week, just not the targets (5).  One long touchdown however generates enough points to create value and his price allows us to stack a couple studs like Mahomes and Kelce.

Overall my highest owned players will be Mahomes and Brissett.  I will be owning more players at less ownership this week, because frankly anybody can score in this game.  A late meaningless, garbage time touchdown by someone like Pascal could win you hundreds of thousands of dollars, so I want exposure to more of those guys for this game.

In games where there is expected to be a ton of offense, it is far less likely for a kicker or defense to be among the highest scoring.  I never have a defense or kicker in the Captain spot and have far less exposure to them overall than most people.  Games like this however, I want a very limited exposure at all, so I will own just the Chiefs defense on a few teams and no Colts or kickers.

A few lineups that I like:

Captain- Brissett, Mahomes, Hardman, Robinson, Pascal, and Hines

Captain- Hardman, Brissett, Mahomes, Kelce, Doyle, and Pascal

Captain- Mahomes, Mack, Hardman, Robsinson, Ebron, Cheifs

Captain- Brissett, Hilton, Mack, McCoy, Robinson, Williams

QB:

Mahomes $12,800

Brissett $8,400

 

RB

McCoy $7,400

Damien Williams $7,000 (if active)

Mack $6,800 (if active)

Hines $6,600

Darrel Williams $6,400 (if Williams is inactive)

Wilkins $3,000 (if Mack is inactive)

 

WR:

Watkins $8,800

Hilton$8,000 (if active)

Robinson $7,200

Hardman $6,200

Pascal $4,200

Rogers $3,600

Cain $1,200 (total punt)

 

TE:

Kelce $10,000

Ebron $5,000

Doyle $4,800

K:

None

DEF:

Chiefs $4,400