Navigating the Showdown Slate on DraftKings: Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills

The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs concludes with a familiar matchup between two of the league’s top quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.  Mahomes has gotten the best of Allen in the playoffs in their two previous matches, but Allen did defeat him earlier this season.
However, this time Mahomes will have to travel, a first in his playoff career. 

In this DFS competition, you construct a lineup consisting of five flex spots and one additional “captain” spot, which grants that player 1.5x their point total.  We want to select our highest-upside player in this slot.  However, their salary is worth 1.5x as much, so be careful when constructing your lineup, as the top option may limit your flex options.

Who should be our captain?

Both teams do a great job of spreading the ball around, which encourages me to select one of the two starting quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.  Even though the O/U is set at 45, I would not be surprised if these two quarterbacks end up going “toe-for-toe” in this one.

Josh Allen's price as a captain is the most expensive on the slate at $18,300.  I prefer him to a slightly cheaper Mahomes captain ($15,900) due to his much higher upside as a runner.  Just last week, we saw Allen take off for a 52-yard score.  Allen is also likelier to spread the ball around as Dawson Knox, Khalil Shakir, and Dalton Kincaid caught touchdown passes in the Wild Card Round.  

Patrick Mahomes is also an excellent option as your captain, but it may be more efficient to select his RB/WR/TEs instead, as his offense has become centered around three players over the past month.

Rashee Rice is the third option I consider as a captain.  He is the fourth most expensive option in this spot at $14,400.  Selecting Rice provides a little more leeway when picking your flex players.  In addition, Rice has become the number one option for Patrick Mahomes over the second half of the season, scoring four touchdowns since Week 12 and only scoring under 19 DraftKings fantasy points in two games since Week 12.  Rice has also seen at least nine targets in every game in this span besides one (Week 17).  Rice could have a massive day if this game becomes a high-scoring affair.  I find it difficult not to include Rice in your lineup as either the captain or a flex.