Raiders vs. Chargers on Week 10 Thursday Night Football provided me an opportunity to do something I've been wanting to do in a DraftKings Showdown contest all season: Pick a very cheap captain as a value and then load up on studs. By selecting Zay Jones as my captain, there was only one construction of FLEX plays that I couldn't do (had to choose one of Darren Waller and Keenan Allen as it's currently constructed). Last week's snap counts gave me a ton of reason to believe that Jones is very underpriced in this one-game NFL DFS slate.
What's important to note is that if you use Jones at captain, you don't have to automatically load up on the highest-priced guys unless you believe they will have the best games. For the most part, that's how it'll work out, but I did leave money on the table, which might help differentiate in tournaments. If you prefer Austin Ekeler to Melvin Gordon, or Tyrell Williams to Darren Waller, or Keenan Allen to Philip Rivers, those options are all available for you.
WEEK 10 NON-PPR RANKINGS
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Raiders vs. Chargers
CAPTAIN (1.5x points, 1.5x price): WR Zay Jones, Raiders ($3,900)
Jones' production hasn't come yet in Oakland, but he played the most snaps of any Raiders' receiver in Week 9, even more than Tyrell Williams. There's no reason that usage won't continue after the Raiders sought him out in a trade, so if the targets follow, Jones is an absolute steal at this price and lets us do nearly anything with our other five slots.
MORE TNF: Start 'em, sit 'em | Betting guide
FLEX: QB Philip Rivers, Chargers ($10,000)
Because of the cheap captain pick, I'm gonna try and grab every available touchdown I can. That starts by playing both quarterbacks, and with the Chargers actually coming off a good result for once, Rivers should come out slinging it three-quarters like he always does.
WEEK 10 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
FLEX: QB Derek Carr, Raiders ($9,600)
If you went more expensive at captain, I like Carr at his price better than Rivers at his, but we have the luxury of playing both. Any passing touchdown in this game will be touched by our lineup.
FLEX: RB Josh Jacobs, Raiders ($9,400)
Jacobs (shoulder) does have an early questionable tag, although his status isn't really in doubt. Maybe the injury scares people away, and be sure to check on him before kickoff, but his workload is too consistent to fade in this lineup construction.
WEEK 10 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
FLEX: TE Darren Waller, Raiders ($8,600)
The choice here was between Waller and Tyrell Williams. Since I'm betting on a good game from Jones, I'll expect that to mean a down day from Williams. Waller seems basically matchup proof and gets a ton of looks no matter the opponent, and he's finally started finding the end zone, too.
MORE WEEK 10 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
FLEX: RB Melvin Gordon, Chargers ($7,200)
We left money on the table for this pick. We could've played either Tyrell or Mike Williams in this spot, but like I mentioned in the Rivers blurb, we're gonna try and snag all the touchdowns in this game. We only miss with this lineup construction if Austin Ekeler scores, or if something unlikely happens. Gordon got 20 carries and his heaviest snap load in Week 9, so it's clear this is his backfield.