Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have back-to-back showdowns to start the season off. Last night, we had the Cowboys and Eagles begin the season. Now, we travel once again to São Paulo, Brazil, for an AFC West divisional matchup between the Chiefs and the Chargers.
The first few games of the season are always the most difficult ones, so make sure to make multiple lineups, especially in GPP contests. You can build multiple game scripts, and don't be afraid to get wild with it, as you never know what could happen. It could be the difference between taking the whole tournament down and not cashing at all. We have been successful with showdown slates in years past, so let's hope the trend continues!
I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Chiefs vs. Chargers NFL DFS showdown slate on September 5. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. For questions, follow either me @DFSKoby or @LucidMediaDFS as we will be heading the majority of showdowns this season, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat any time!
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MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Xavier Worthy- WR, $13,500 (DK), $17,400 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 98 targets, 59 receptions, 638 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns
Xavier Worthy finds himself in a spot where he will be a prime target for Patrick Mahomes. We began to see Travis Kelce's production decline slightly toward the end of the season, which also resulted in Worthy experiencing an uptick. Worthy, in his last six games of the season, saw an 80% or better snap share (not counting Week 18).
He doesn't have Rashee Rice nor DeAndre Hopkins anymore. Only JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquise Brown will likely be in the WR2/3 spots.
XAVIER WORTHY FIRST TD OF HIS CAREER!! ⚡️
(via @Chiefs)pic.twitter.com/85zBZLwQaq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 6, 2024
Worthy should have no issue continuing to see eight or more targets a game. Both teams, I think, will struggle to get the run game going, and we will likely see a passing clinic from both sides.
Ladd McConkey - WR, $15,900 (DK), $18,300 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 112 targets, 82 receptions, 1,149 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
Ladd McConkey was a great addition to this Chargers squad, and I expect him to improve in Year 2. Keenan Allen has returned to the WR corps, but I don't expect that to hurt McConkey too much, who finished the year with a near 90% snap share last season. In the last five weeks of the season, McConkey became a top WR in the league; he scored 14+ fantasy points in all five games to end the season.
McConkey only played in one game against the Chiefs last season, and he finished with 17.7 FP, collecting five of his seven targets for 67 yards and a touchdown. That was early in the season, too. The Chiefs didn't really make any improvements on the defense while losing guys like Justin Reid and Joshua Uche.
Like I said with Worthy, I expect this one to be a passing clinic. McConkey is going to be a big part of that.
Other Captains/MVPs: Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes
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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Patrick Mahomes - QB, $10,000 (DK), $13,200 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 67.5% Completion%, 3,928 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and 11 interceptions
Both teams have been excellent against the run last season, so I do expect this one to be more of a pass-heavy game. The Chiefs had one of the best run defenses in the regular season, and the Chargers ranked in the top 10 as well. The Chargers defense, however, gave up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs.
Patrick Mahomes had a slightly down year by his standards, but I think he can bounce back and have a fantastic season.
He really started to get it going toward the end of the season, where he finished with 20+ fantasy points in four of his last five games. I wouldn't recommend putting him at the captain spot on either site, as he is very expensive, but he does make for a great option in the flex. Expect this one to be back and forth all game long.
Quentin Johnston - WR, $5,400 (DK), $5,800 (FD)
Even with McConkey taking the reins as WR1 for the Chargers, Quentin Johnston showed he can be an elite WR2 in this offense. In his last four games of the season, he saw 38 targets and caught 26 of them, and that was all alongside McConkey. Obviously, they have Keenan Allen on the roster now, but I don't think that will matter much here.
Quentin Johnston TOUCHDOWN
📺: #LACvsCAR on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/OzD8IfKRTC— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
The Chiefs had an elite run defense, and with there not being a clear idea as to who will get those carries, it's tough to want to roster either Omarion Hampton or Najee Harris in Week 1. For now, I'm going with the passing game being the primary focus for the Chargers in Brazil. Johnston is also quite a bit cheaper than Allen.
Other Flex Options: Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Marquise Brown
Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Cameron Dicker - K, $5,000 (DK), $7,800 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 39/42 Field Goals, 9-11 50+, 33/36 XP
Dicker was exceptional for the Chargers last season, where he kicked 39-of-42 in field-goal attempts, putting him at a 93% completion rate with a season-long of 59! He has continued to improve throughout his career, and I wouldn't be surprised to see something in the 60s this year. He was 9-of-11 in kicks 50+ as well.
Teams, once they were in the red zone, only converted 54% of the time against the Chiefs. If the trend continues, we could see more field goals from the Chargers' side of things.
Will Dissly - TE, $2,400 (DK), $4,600 (FD)
I'm actually surprised to see the TEs so low for the Chargers. Herbert started making a connection with Dissly toward the end of last season, where he saw 16 targets between his last four games. The big issue here is that the Chargers signed Tyler Conklin in the offseason. This could impact his work.
That being said, the connection he built with Herbert should help him secure the TE1 spot. Either way, you should probably have a little bit of both Dissly and Conklin, especially for how cheap they both are.
Other Value Options: Harrison Butker, Noah Gray, Omarion Hampton (FD)
NFL football is back, baby! Enjoy the second game of the season and the rest of NFL Week 1, everyone!
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