There are some questions being raised about whether either team in this Cowboys-Eagles Saturday night special is really going all out for the win, but as things stand, the Cowboys have said they aren't resting any starters, and we'll have to wait and see about the Eagles. That said, be sure to know the latest reports throughout the week. For now, we're operating under the assumption that both teams will at least start their usual first-stringers and play them most of the game, and we're building our DraftKings Showdown lineup that way. It's a tricky game to navigate in DFS, but there are ways to take advantage.
Here are the important settings for DraftKings single-game contests: It's full-point PPR, and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player's original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Cowboys vs. Eagles
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain: (1.5x salary, 1.5x points): RB Dalton Schultz, Cowboys ($8.400)
Believe it or not, Schultz has outperformed CeeDee Lamb and/or Amari Cooper several timest his season, and we're sure to avoid the chalk here. There's also a better chance Schultz stays in the game longer if Dallas decides to start pulling players, so his upside could be higher than other some other Cowboys' pass-catchers. With Tony Pollard (foot) out, there could also be more targets in the intermediate passing game.
FLEX: QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($11,200)
If the Cowboys call off the dogs early, you'd have to think Prescott will have put on a solid performance to put the game somewhat out of reach. Ideally, this stack is built on Prescott feeding Pollard, Amari Cooper, and Cedrick Wilson early on.
WEEK 18 FANTASY RANKINGS (PPR & STANDARD):
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX: QB Jalen Hurts, Eagles ($10,600)
The vast majority of the time, you want to stack a QB with a WR or TE, but Hurts is just fine by himself in DFS because of his elite rushing upside. His running game is matchup-proof, too, so unless the Eagles refuse to let him run with the playoff coming up, he'll be one of the top point scorers. If Hurts is eventually ruled out, we'll likely pivot to Gardner Minshew stacked with an Eagles' wideout or tight end.
WEEK 18 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
FLEX: WR Amari Cooper, Cowboys ($8,800)
Cooper has been a boom-or-bust guy for much of his career, but since he was quiet in the first meeting with Philly, we're betting on a big performance here. You could also move salary around and pick CeeDee Lamb, but he's just as likely to bust and his price tag is much higher.
FLEX: WR Cedrick Wilson, Cowboys ($6,600)
With Michael Gallup (ACL) out for the year, Wilson will slide back into the No. 3 WR role, and if Cooper and/or Lamb are on limited snaps at all, he'll be the go-to target. Obviously, we're operating under a lot of speculation in such a weird week for DFS, but because he can produce with the starters or backups, he's an attractive play.
SATURDAY FULL-SLATE DFS: DraftKings | FanDuel
FLEX: RB Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles ($1,600)
Miles Sanders (hand) won't play, and Boston Scott and Jordan Howard were both added to the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, so Gainwell could be the last man standing in the Eagles' RB room. He'll be chalky at this price if that's the case, but Gainwell is someone who can produce in a passive or aggressive offensive game script. We know he's a quality pass-catcher and solid runner, and there should be no one to vulture his red zone carries other than Jalen Hurts. If both Scott and Howard play, we'll have to look for a pivot, but if just one of them plays, Gainwell is still a great value at price.