In a battle of east meets west, the New York Jets welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to the swamps of northern New Jersey to wrap up Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season at MetLife Stadium. The Jets are flying high as winners of three straight, having taken their season off life support in this recent stretch. And there's something magical happening with the green and white, somehow finding ways to win games they had no business doing so. Whether it was Jalen Hurts tossing an interception late in the fourth quarter or the Giants' inability to make a field goal, Gang Green has a higher power on their side right now.
The same, however, can't be said for the Chargers, who never seem to get the bounces going their way. Injuries have hurt this offense that started with more stars than Hollywood, forcing the team to rely on rookies and depth players to hold the fort. L.A. is back to 3-4 after picking up a win at home against the Bears on Sunday night in Week 8. With a win in the Meadowlands, the playoffs can once again become a possibility. No matter what, both sides are desperate for a 'W' this week, hoping that coming out on top here can propel them to January football. And that reality is giving us quite a few good options to craft a DraftKings Showdown lineup that will have you checking the prices of NFL playoff tickets by Tuesday morning.
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.
Chargers-Jets DraftKings Picks: DFS lineup for Week 9 Monday Night Football
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): RB Breece Hall, Jets ($15,600)
The last time we saw Hall on "Monday Night Football," he was on a pitch count in his first game back off a torn ACL. Now the running back doesn't have those concerns anymore, back to his old ways of terrorizing defenses. The engine that powers the Jets offense will likely be called upon again with offensive line health being at the top of the Gang Green's minds heading into Week 9. Expect plenty of Hall in both the run and pass games. It's been the latter where Hall is more efficient recently, totaling 130 yards and a touchdown through the air in the team's last two games. The Chargers are allowing the second most receptions (6.6) and receiving yards (54.9) per game to opposing running backs this season. That will continue under the bright lights on Monday night.
FLEX RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers ($12,000)
Much like Hall, Ekeler is getting back to his usual self. After an ankle injury cost him most of the season to this point, Ekeler now has three games under his belt, his best coming in the most recent effort. The star went over 100 total yards against the Bears, the best sign that he's back to full strength. While the Jets defense is certainly one of the better units in the league, they do struggle to contain running backs. With shutdown corners, Gang Green's front tends to find themselves in tough spots against the run. Ekeler is one of the best in the league and with injuries creating difficulties for the Chargers on offense, he is their best chance to move the ball. Trust L.A. to recognize this and act accoringly.
FLEX WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($9,600)
After taking Hall to lead the lineup as captain, we are also going all-in on Wilson -- Garrett, that is. Zach-to-Garrett has been percolating in recent weeks with the receiver recording 190 yards over the last two games. Wilson is a ball magnet, leading the Jets with 68 targets this season. But he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 2 and appears primed to breakout by finding the Gotham green paint once again. As long as Zach is looking Garrett's way, we have to trust the Wilson's to make some magic against a defense that is allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers and the most yards (199.0).
FLEX D/ST Jets ($4,200)
For all their faults, Monday night presents an opportunity for the Jets to announce themselves on a big stage. The team was left for dead after Aaron Rodgers went down in Week 1, mocked for their blowout loss to the Cowboys in Week 2 and the same can be said for their showing against the Patriots. But then Taylor Swift showed up in Week 4 as the Jets nearly upset the Chiefs. But perhaps it was a fluke. Beating a bad Denver team was no big deal, upsetting the Eagles was another fluke and they were lucky to beat the Giants. And while the Chargers aren't the same team we're used to, this win would do a lot for New York's playoff hopes and help solidify the narrative that they are a good team. Luckily for Gang Green, the Chargers love to use their receivers, but they are banged up and will be matched up against one of the best cornerback rooms in the league. Justin Herbert is still battling an injury and Ekeler might be the only other player that scares anyone on the Jets sideline otherwise. In a big spot, expect them to come up big, like they have all year under the lights.
FLEX TE Donald Parham Jr., Chargers ($3,200)
After singing the praises of the Jets defense, it feels a bit weird to then follow it up with a L.A. tight end, but here we are. While Ekeler can wreck a game all by himself, Parham and his fellow tight end Gerald Everett might be even more of a threat. The Jets have allowed the fourth most fantasy points per game to tight ends, routinely hurt by the position and giving up the most touchdowns on average (0.71) as well. Parham has been the preferred option in the end zone for Herbert, scoring four touchdowns to only two for Everett. It's hard to not like that upside in the red zone.
FLEX TE Tyler Conklin, Jets ($3,000)
First it was Travis Kelce. Then it was Cole Kmet. Now is it Conklin's turn? The Chargers defense is certainly lacking some juice recently, in dire need of a new battery. And it's been amplified by their inability to defend tight ends all of a sudden. Conklin is second on the team with 29 targets and has become a security blanket for Wilson. He's almost had a few touchdowns as well and will certainly be featured as Nathaniel Hackett tries to fix his offense's woes in the red zone. Conklin might be the answer to that.
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
Best SuperDraft Chargers-Jets 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.
Win BIG with SuperDraft! Join now and get a free deposit match of $20!
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): RB Breece Hall, Jets (Multiplier 1.75x)
- Super FLEX: RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers (Multiplier 1x)
- Super FLEX: TE Gerald Everett, Chargers (Multiplier 1.65x)
- Super FLEX: TE Tyler Conklin, Jets (Multiplier 1.85x)
- Super FLEX: K Greg Zuerlein, Jets (Multiplier 1.8x)
On the surface, this Monday night game looks like a star-studded matchup. But after you get past the stars, the lack of depth is obvious, meaning we need to get creative here with complementary pieces. We like the running backs and tight ends to have an impact in this one, with Zuerlein's inclusion providing a solid return for an offense that struggles in the red zone.
