Merry Christmas — who’s ready for some football? Wait, isn’t Christmas the NBA holiday? Yes, yes it is, but the NFL is joining the party in 2020 with a Friday afternoon game between the Saints and Vikings. As usual, we’re here with DraftKings Showdown picks to help you get your NFL DFS fix.
Our lineup goes off the board from our usual direction of trying to play at least one quarterback. We’ve faded both Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins this week while including two stud running backs and a defense. It’s truly a throwback NFL lineup, but it should be pretty different than the common lineup selections.
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DraftKings Showdown Picks: Saints vs. Vikings
Captain (1.5x price, 1.5x points): RB Alvin Kamara, Saints ($17,100)
The Saints’ offense is back to normal with Drew Brees under center, and that means Kamara gets a lot of the mouth-watering targets that make him so valuable in DK’s full-point PPR scoring. It’s not a great matchup for either running back in this game, but while Dalvin Cook will be hugely popular, too, we’ll ride with Kamara at a slight discount.
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FLEX: RB Dalvin Cook, Vikings ($12,000)
Cook is almost a play by default here. We’re mostly fading Minnesota’s passing attack out of fear that New Orleans will totally shut it down, but if there’s one game-breaking player on the Vikings, it’s Cook, and we don’t want to miss out on such a talented player at assuredly very high ownership.
FLEX: WR Emmanuel Sanders, Saints ($8,800)
Sanders is the top dog in this receiving corps with Michael Thomas (ankle) on IR, so without Brees in our lineup, we have to play Sanders. Minnesota’s pass defense has gotten better after it was torched early in the year, but it’s by no means intimidating.
FLEX: TE Irv Smith Jr., Vikings ($5,200)
If Kyle Rudolph (foot) makes it back from injury, Smith may need to be pivoted to Jared Cook in an even Saints-heavier lineup construction, but Smith is a solid play if Rudolph misses his third straight game. The Saints have allowed 12.6 DK points per game to the tight end spot this season, and Smith has played well the past two weeks with no Rudolph.
FLEX: D/ST Saints ($4,200)
The Saints have a strong run defense and a solid pass rush, and Kirk Cousins isn’t especially intimidating. As long as the New Orleans secondary proves adequate against Justin Jefferson and Austin Thielen, there should be some points to be had in the sack and turnover departments.
FLEX: WR Juwan Johnson, Saints ($2,200)
Playing Johnson depends in part on Tre’Quan Smith’s injury status, but it’s also a nod to snap counts, as Johnson was the second-most played and targeted Saints wide receiver last week. To be fair, he didn’t catch a pass and Lil’Jordan Humphrey scored a touchdown, but whether Smith plays or not, Johnson looks a better play than the more-expensive Humphrey.