The winner of Sunday night’s regular-season finale between the Chargers and Raiders will be headed to the postseason. These teams met in Week 4 with the Chargers winning 28-14 on home soil. DraftKings Sportsbook has listed the Chargers as three-point road favorites in Week 18 and set the total at 49.5, suggesting we could see a reasonably high-scoring and entertaining matchup, much to the delight of those in DFS single-game contests. There's a whole lot on the line, and we know both teams will be going after the "W," so this should be a great opportunity to make some noise with our Draftking Showdown lineup.
Before we get into our picks, here are the key DraftKings Showdown rules: It's full-point PPR, and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain picks 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: Chargers vs. Raiders
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): RB Josh Jacobs, Raiders ($11,700)
Jacobs is no Austin Ekeler, but naming him our "Captain" frees up valuable salary for our lineup. Just because he wouldn’t be our first choice in a vacuum doesn’t mean he can’t prove worthwhile. The Chargers have been happy to surrender rushing yardage to running backs, and Jacobs has seen healthy volume over the past several weeks.
WEEK 18 SNF LINEUPS: FanDuel
FLEX RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers ($11,600)
Ekeler has been steady and productive all season, routinely venturing into the 20-point range. He’s a solid bet to extend his current touchdown streak to eight games thanks to his dual-threat ability. He scored a pair of touchdowns and tallied 32.5 DK points when these two teams met in Week 4.
WEEK 18 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
FLEX QB Justin Herbert, Chargers ($11,400)
The Chargers drafted Herbert to win games like these, and much of the burden will be placed upon his shoulders on Sunday. The Raiders are ranked 25th in passing DVOA, so production -- and fantasy points -- should be attainable in large chunks. Herbert has eclipsed the 30-point plateau four times this season, and a fifth won’t be out of reach in this must-win contest.
MORE WEEK 18 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup builder
FLEX TE Jared Cook, Chargers ($5,600)
The Raiders have liberally surrendered fantasy points to tight ends this season, something that could benefit Cook in the season finale. Cook missed last week’s game due to COVID but received 17 targets across his previous three outings. Another respectable target share should allow him to venture into double-figures, especially if he can find his way into the end zone for the fifth time this season.
SATURDAY SINGLE-GAME DFS:
KC-DEN FD | KC-DEN DK | DAL-PHI FD | DAL-PHI DK
FLEX RB Justin Jackson, Chargers ($5,200)
Jackson has received decent work in recent weeks, even as Ekeler’s No. 2. He offers value both on the ground and through the air, so there’s a pathway to 10-plus touches and perhaps a shot at his third touchdown.
SATURDAY FULL-SLATE DFS: DraftKings | FanDuel
FLEX K Daniel Carlson, Raiders ($3,400)
Carlson has scored in double figures four times in the past six weeks, including 21 points in Week 12. We’re not anticipating that nice of a showing from Carlson, but another 10-plus DK point performance is not too much to ask for from the Raiders' recently extended kicker.