Howdy, FOLKS!
Welcome to an all-new weekly article produced by @ClubFantasyFFL and written by me, Doug (@oklahomiedoug). Most of you may know me for my 12+ years in the IDP fantasy football circle, but for those that don’t, Howdy. I’m a small-town guy, like drive 60 miles before ya see a red light, small town. However, we do have FOOTBALL!! In this weekly article, I will provide you with my optimal lineup for the Captain Primetime Showdown on Draftkings. Well, enough chit chat, let’s get into what ya came for!
This week, Draftkings has only allowed us the luxury of a Thursday Primetime Showdown. Hopefully, this is just a Week 1 thing, but time will tell. Let’s dive FULLY into it this week and try to pad those pockets!!
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Thursday 7:20/8:20 NFL Network
Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Captain (1.5x multiplier)
Tom Brady $16,800
TB12 struts into the season opener feeling like the 15-year old kid that got held back a year and is still allowed to play pee-wee football.
Tampa Bay brought back Every. Single. Piece. of their 2020 Super Bowl-winning team. Possibly the most influential piece in this conversation — all five offensive linemen, who ranked 5th best in sacks allowed and 4th overall in 2020. Mike Evans, who totaled 1,000+ yards, star in the making Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and bestie Rob Gronkowski.
On the other side of the ball, the Cowboy’s defense travels to Tampa with a new defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, a top-10 draft pick in Micah Parsons, and free-agent signings Malik Hooker and Keanu Neal. In my personal opinion, anything will help that 2020 defense, which allowed a 100.4 QBR (26th), ranked 22nd in yard per completion, and bottom five in the entire league in touchdowns allowed. However, this will take time. The new DC just got outscored in the 2021 pre-season by 44 total points. Demarcus Lawerence hasn’t gotten more than 6.5 sacks in two years. The secondary is still not good. The Bucs home opener, unveiling Super Bowl banner, on primetime — ALL SIGNS point to Tom “Terrific” delivering in a BIG WAY!
Honorable Mention
Tampa Bay Defense
Yup, you read that right. The Bucs are primed for three turnovers, in my opinion.
The defense ranked Top 5 in most statistical categories, returns every player, and adds an outstanding pass rusher from the 2020 draft, Joe Tryon. Going up against a quarterback that hasn’t taken meaningful snaps since everyone thought those digital cards were the new BitCoin. Plus, the Cowboys are without arguably their most important piece upfront in Zach Martin. Getting the 1.5x multiplier for Captains could be the key to cashing in big tonight. However, it’s Week 1, and I playing it safe. (Still have them in my lineup.)
FLEX Spots
Dak Prescott $10,400
If there is one area to exploit the defending champs, it’s through the air. The rather young secondary was in the league’s bottom half in Quarterback Rating and a staggering 246.8 yards per game, bottom 10 in the NFL. However, Dak can gain some confidence in his abilities as the game goes on and clean up in the stat department once the game has been pretty much decided. Under $11,000 for a quarterback of Dak’s caliber is a must-start.
Amari Cooper $8,400
As mentioned above, the Bucs secondary will trot out a pair of youngsters at cornerback. Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting (24 yrs old). The two CBs have only accounted for just over 20 pass deflections since 2019 — the bottom of the league, as well as being bottom five in Interceptions. With CeeDee Lamb roaming and Michael Gallup shoring up the outside X position at wideout, look for Coop to exploit the holes in a very soft secondary.
Ronald Jones II $5,000
One could see how this could raise some eyebrows. This is a team that can forget about running the football, they were 22nd in running back attempts in 2020, and there is a running back ahead of him on the depth chart in Leonard Fournette. However, I’ve loved what I’ve seen from RoJo in the pre-season, and his finishing 22 yards shy of 1,000 in 2020 is oh-so-promising. I’ll chalk this one up to a #HomiesHoroscope. (A gut feeling I’ll provide weekly, keep track of all of them and win an AMAZING PRIZE PACKAGE!)
DST Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4,800
(see Honorable Mention Above)
Tony Pollard $4,200
I could see a scenario where Zeke cannot get going due to the stout front 7 (3 D-Lineman, 4 Linebackers) and myself predicting a run-away victory for the Bucs. Therefore, insert the more speedy running back to split out wide or provide a much-needed spark for an offense under immediate snap stress.
Optimal LINEUP
- Captain- Tom Brady
- Flex- Dak Prescott
- Flex- Amari Cooper
- Flex- Ronald Jones II
- Flex- Tony Pollard
- Flex- DST Tampa Bay
Honorable Mention LINEUP
- Captain- Zeke $14,400
- Flex- Tom Brady $11,200
- Flex- Chris Godwin $8,600
- Flex- Leonard Fournette $7,000
- Flex- Ronald Jones II $5,000
- Flex- Greg Zuerlein $3,600