In what should be one of the better games of the NFL's Week 9 slate, Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Chiefs (5-2) host Derrick Henry and the scrappy Titans (5-2). The victor will prevail as the sole occupant of the No. 2 seed in the AFC, at least for the time being. Sportsbooks love Kansas City in this one — listing Andy Reid's squad as nearly 13-point favorites — and we aren't touching that spread with a ten-foot pole. We will, however, be constructing a FanDuel single-game lineup, which we will discuss today.
It's been 'No Tyreek, No Problem' for Mahomes, Reid, and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Despite the speedy wideout taking his talents to South Beach in the offseason, Kansas City still leads the NFL in points, passing TDs, first downs, third-down conversion percentage, and red-zone TD percentage through eight weeks. The Chiefs also rank second in the NFL in total yards and passing yards, and should build on those rankings against a shaky young Tennessee secondary.
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It surprises nobody that Travis Kelce has been the busiest receiver in this pass-heavy attack — the stud tight end leads K.C. in targets (60), catches (47), receiving yards (553), and TDs (7). But JuJu Smith-Schuster has been solid in his first year as a Chief, and both Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have shown flashes of brilliance lately. If rookie Skyy Moore and recently-acquired speedster Kadarius Toney can show out, this squad might be headed to its third Super Bowl in five years.
As for the Titans, the King is back in Nashville. We're not talking about Elvis, we're talking about Derrick Henry. The two-time rushing champ stumbled a bit out of the gates this season, but he has returned to his dominating form over the past few weeks. That's important, because Tennessee has struggled to establish its passing game — and for that matter, with stopping the opposing team's passing attack.
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Ryan Tannehill (ankle) missed the Titans' Week 8 game against Houston — his first missed start in 49 games — and he didn't practice on Thursday. Rookie Malik Willis stepped under center in the Texans game, completing just 6-of-10 passes and throwing a pick. The 17-10 Tennessee victory was pretty much all King Henry, with the veteran bruiser amassing 219 rushing yards and two TDs.
What can we expect from this AFC clash? Well, let's just say we won't be promoting any Titans to our captain spot. But plenty of savvy, under-the-radar plays exist for this primetime affair. Let's dive right into our FanDuel single-game lineup for Sunday Night Football, and ride into the Titans-Chiefs game with the confidence of Patrick Mahomes against the blitz.
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Before we break down our lineup, here are the notable scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the "MVP" is multiplied by 1.5, but he doesn't cost any additional money like the "Captain" in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel's default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDs, and there are no bonuses for 300-yard/100-yard games like on DraftKings.
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FanDuel Single Game DFS Picks: Titans at Chiefs Week 9 Sunday Night Football
$60,000 budget, need at least one player from each team
MVP (1.5x points): Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs ($16,500)
In my DraftKings' Showdown column, I went with a contrarian strategy and made JuJu Smith-Schuster my 1.5x-boosted Captain. That afforded me the ability to roster JuJu, Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Derrick Henry. But in FanDuel, the prices are higher, you don't pay more for your 1.5x-boost, and there are no bonuses for 100-yard receiving days. Thus, we're sticking with the tried-and-true Mahomes at MVP. He's the best player in this game, averaging nearly 25 FanDuel points compared to Henry's 19.8 and Kelce's 17.6. The Chiefs are a pass-first, ask questions later offense, and Mahomes still has plenty of downfield weapons to spread the field for him. Tennessee ranks in the bottom 10 in DraftKings points allowed to QBs this system, having allowed four of their seven opponents to produce 300-plus passing yards. The Chiefs had an extra week to prepare for this one thanks to their Week 8 bye, and Mahomes gets up for primetime games. Just this season, the stud QB is 3-0 at night, with nine TDs, one interception, and an average of 258.7 passing yards. This choice was easy peasy.
AnyFlex RB Derrick Henry, Titans ($16,000)
As we saw last week when King Henry rolled over Houston for 228 total yards and two TDs, Tennessee is not afraid to give its main only offensive weapon 30-plus touches. And stacked boxes don't mean a thang to the two-time rushing king: he ranks second behind only stud rookie Dameon Pierce in yards per rush when facing eight-plus defenders in the box. You can't argue with his usage or production when he's on a heater like he's currently on, especially when it's producing positive results for the team. Henry's carries have increased in each of the past four weeks: 20-22-28-30-32. He's scored two TDs in two of the Titans' past three games, and seven TDs in the past six games. And as he does every year, he leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (107.9). On the surface, the Chiefs' rushing defense looks solid — they have allowed the third-fewest rushing yards and second-fewest ground TDs — but look closer and you'll see K.C. has surrendered 127 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks. All hail the King.
AnyFlex WR JuJu Smith-Schuster ($11,500)
Smith-Schuster has quietly been one of the better receivers in the AFC this season, he's just getting out-shined by big names like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Davante Adams, and Stefon Diggs. But he's built quite a chemistry with Mahomes, and has recorded FanDuel points totals of 21.9 and 19.8 over the past two weeks. A superb route-runner with great hands, Smith-Schuster should make this young, inexperienced Titans secondary look as bad as their numbers have been this season. Tennessee has surrendered the fourth-most FD points to wideouts, and allowed 300-plus air yards in four different games already this season. Mahomes clearly loves JuJu — he's peppered him with eight targets on five different occasions, and hit him for touchdowns in each of the past two weeks. TDs are a huge part of the FanDuel recipe for success, with catches counting for just half a point and no yardage bonuses. Get some good JuJu in your lineup this Sunday night.
AnyFlex WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs ($10,000)
Now we're having fun! MVS needed some time to get acclimated to the Chiefs' system, but he has demonstrated a clear rapport with Mahomes over the past few weeks. A home-run hitter thanks to his blazing speed, the former Packer recorded 111 receiving yards two weeks ago at San Francisco and 90 yards two weeks before that against Vegas. With so many weapons all over the field, and such a weak opposing pass defense, we like our chances going with the boom-or-bust speedster in the primetime matchup.
AnyFlex TE Austin Hooper, Titans ($5,500)
Hooper was our $1,800 dart-throw at the end of our DraftKings Showdown lineup, and he'll complete the back-end of our FanDuel entry as well. Believe me, you won't find anyone better for $5,500 or less — FanDuel is tough for upside fliers! Here's what we get with Hooper: a security blanket and red-zone threat. Whether rookie Malik Willis gets his second start this weekend or banged-up veteran Ryan Tannehill gets back on the field, these guys will be looking for the big body and strong hands of their tight end. The Chiefs rank in the bottom-10 in DraftKings points allowed to TEs, and Tennessee will have to pass a bunch to keep up with Mahomes. This is a much different test for Malik Willis than the Texans were last week — you can't just run your way to a victory over one of the best offenses in football. And if Hooper finds the end zone, you're sitting pretty with production from your cheapest roster spot.
