For arguably the first time all season, we have a Thursday night game on Amazon Prime to be excited for. The Bengals march their way into Baltimore to kick off Week 11 for a classic AFC North showdown, one that could go a long way in determining the division winner. It's an incredibly tight division that has all four teams within one game in the loss column.
The stakes are high on Thursday night, and the stars will be out in full force. With each team coming off heartbreaking losses, will the Bengals or Ravens emerge victorious? Can Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson bounce back? More important, how much money will our DraftKings lineup win? We'll learn all those answers as the action unfolds on Prime Video.
Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're 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 THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
FD lineup | ATS pick | Best props | Start-sit
Bengals-Ravens DraftKings Picks: DFS lineup for Week 11 Thursday Night Football
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): QB Lamar Jackson, Ravens ($16,200)
Jackson is right in the thick of the MVP race, but it's time for the quarterback to start putting up MVP-like numbers again. He's turned the ball over three times in the past two weeks and eclipsed 200 yards passing last week for the first time since Week 7. Perhaps the biggest issue from a fantasy standpoint is Jackson's lack of impact in the running game this year. His rushing attempts have dropped to 9.2 per game and yards have dropped to 48.1 per game. With only one touchdown on the ground in the past six games, Jackson needs to start being that dual-threat quarterback again. The Ravens are at their best when he's mobile, and while the injury concerns are very real, we expect Jackson to make an impact with his legs given the importance of this game.
FLEX QB Joe Burrow, Bengals ($10,000)
Much like Jackson, Burrow will need to be at his best to get a win on Thursday night in Baltimore. Cincinnati dug itself a hole with a bad start to the year, and collapses against teams like the Texans only add to the pressure. He won't have Tee Higgins (hamstring) as an option in the passing game, but Burrow is finally healthy and his play has taken a noticeable jump. The matchup isn't great, but the guy with the ball in his hands will have to play like the star he is to secure a much-needed win for Cincinnati.
FLEX TE Mark Andrews, Ravens ($8,800)
Andrews has a dream matchup on Thursday night against a Bengals defense that has been crushed by tight ends recently. Over the past three games, Cincinnati is allowing just over 100 yards per game to the position, and Andrews is a fixture in Baltimore's passing attack. He hauled in five-of-eight targets for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals in Week 2, something that Andrews could build on at home this week. Expect him to be heavily involved all night long.
FLEX RB Keaton Mitchell, Ravens ($5,600)
Mitchell took a step back after breaking out two weeks ago, but he still managed to score a touchdown on just three carries last week. Some more usage in the passing game would go a long way to establishing Mitchell as a top option out of the backfield in Baltimore, but we'll take a flier at a favorable price for an explosive running back who is just one play away from changing the game.
FLEX K Justin Tucker, Ravens ($5,400)
As long as Tucker remains the Ravens' kicker, field goals will always be on the menu. Considering this game is taking place on Thursday night, it would only be fitting to see a kicking competition take place on Amazon Prime.
FLEX K Evan McPherson, Bengals ($4,000)
As much as we're hoping for fireworks on offense, the much more likely outcome is a kicking duel between Tucker and McPherson. Both defenses have been playing well for the most part, and both offenses have struggled at times to find the end zone. We anticipate seeing McPherson attempt more than a few field goals on Thursday night.
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
Best SuperDraft Bengals-Ravens DFS Picks
This year, we're also listing our favorite single-game DFS plays on SuperDraft.
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
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Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
- Champion (+50% points): TE Mark Andrews, Ravens (Multiplier 1.9x)
- Super FLEX: QB Lamar Jackson, Ravens (Multiplier 1.05x)
- Super FLEX: QB Joe Burrow, Bengals (Multiplier 1.1x)
- Super FLEX: WR Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals (Multiplier 1x)
- Super FLEX: RB Gus Edwards, Ravens (Multiplier 1.4x)
Big-time players make big-time plays and as we head into the stretch run, it will be those players that make all the difference. In a race for the AFC North crown, neither team can afford for its best players to have a bad night, which is why we're expecting those stars to shine bright under the lights in Baltimore with our SuperDraft lineup.
