The Denver Broncos are stampeding into Arrowhead to take on the Kansas City Chiefs tonight on TNF. With fantasy glory and $1,000,000 (ONE MILLION DOLLARS!) on the line, it’s now more crucial than ever to assemble a winning DraftKings lineup that can dominate the competition. This article offers insights on who should take the coveted captain slot, which core player should anchor your player pool, a value gem that can boost your salary cap flexibility, a sleeper pick with breakout potential, and one player to steer clear of – the dreaded bust. Get ready for a wild wild DFS showdown on TNF.
*Disclaimer: These picks have been constructed with the mindset of building a single lineup. When building large field/multi-entry tournaments, if the player sees the field you’ll want to have a piece of him somewhere, my “busts” included.*
TNF DraftKings Showdown Picks
Captain
Isiah Pacheco
DraftKings Captain Salary- $14,100
I never thought I’d see the day that I would be personally recommending Isiah Pacheco. I personally don’t find him to be the most talented running back. Alas, numbers don’t lie, and Pacheco has left no reason for doubters like myself to keep hatin’. While he may run like he’s on horseback, Pacheco is averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry through 71 attempts. A once-cloudy backfield is becoming clearer by the day.
#Chiefs HC Andy Reid lauds 'high-octane' RB Isiah Pacheco: 'He's going to go 100 mph and run hard every time'#ChiefsKingdom #NFL pic.twitter.com/VK9Oq1hbrv
— UrgentSports. (@RedNewzSports) October 5, 2023
Apart from Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are the only other running backs to record a carry for Kansas City this season. Pacheco has absolutely dominated the backfield carries as well, his 71 attempts are 43 more than Edwards-Helaire’s 28 carries and 64 more than McKinnon’s 7. Having already allowed 8 rushing touchdowns this season, the Broncos DST represents by far the friendliest matchup for fantasy running backs. The variables are lining up for Pacheco to go off on TNF tonight.
Captain to consider: Travis Kelce (if T-Swift is present)
Core Play
Patrick Mahomes
DraftKings Salary- $12,800
Imagine creating a lineup and omitting Patrick Mahomes. He’s a threat to march down the field anytime his offense has the football. Mahomes’ DraftKings price tonight is a tad bit pricy tonight considering that his number one option, Travis Kelce (ankle) is going into tonight’s TNF showdown a bit hobbled. Apart from Kelce, Mahomes has the luxury of throwing to Justin Watson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Richie James Jr, Rashee Rice, and Justyn Ross.
With such an embarrassment of riches, Mahomes has been distributing the ball at an all-time high. Choosing which one of his WRs is going to score is just about as easy as guessing the winning PowerBall numbers. Rostering Mahomes cuts through all of that. An ever deeper look reveals that they might not be worth rostering anyways. No Chiefs pass catcher has topped 71 yards. The two highest outputs have come from Moore (70) and Kelce (69). Mahomes may have to do it all himself tonight, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
Core play to consider: Courtland Sutton
Value
Jaleel McLaughlin
DraftKings Salary- $7,000
If this game goes the way that a lot of us think it’s going to go, then Jaleel McLaughlin is in for some usage. If the Chiefs we all know and love come out to play, then they should blow the Broncos out. McLaughlin is the running back of choice when in passing situations or comeback mode. Fellow running back (and starter?) Javonte Williams (quad) should be returning to play on TNF. One would have to figure that the Broncos will ease Williams back onto the field. Javonte Williams missed last week’s game, which saw Jaleel McLaughlin find the end zone for the second consecutive game.
Jaleel McLaughlin is electric ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/t9i57lzOHR
— RanDynasty (@ran_dynasty) October 8, 2023
If by chance the game script allows for the Broncos to run the football, McLaughlin is a good option. His 68 rushing yards last week and the 72 in Week 4 lead all Denver ball carriers. He has yet to top 9 carries, so it will be interesting to see what sort of usage he receives in this matchup. Regardless, Jaleel McLaughlin is one of the only Broncos worth rostering tonight.
Value to consider: Harrison Butker
Sleeper
Justyn Ross
DraftKings Salary- $600
Perhaps Justyn Ross is just waiting for a TNF primetime game to break out. An off-season hype God, expectations were sky high for the sophomore receiver who lost his rookie season to injury. So naturally it was a bit of a head-scratcher when he only caught one pass in Week 1. I was twice as dumbfounded when he put up zeros in the box score for the next three weeks of play.
Last week against the Vikings Ross got a surge in usage as he set season highs in every statistical category. Ross caught three passes for 33 scoreless yards. Season highs, I know. The six targets that Ross received really jumps out though. With a super cheap price of $600 on DraftKings, Ross has a really good chance of paying of his salary if he continues to get looks from Patrick Mahomes.
Sleeper to consider: Chiefs DST
TNF Bust
Javonte Williams
DraftKings Salary- $7,200
This really hasn’t been the start to the season that Javonte Williams had been hoping for. Returning from an ACL injury, there was doubt from many that he would even be ready to start the season. He proved those doubters wrong by suiting up Week 1 against the Raiders and putting up an unimpressive 13-52-0 rushing line. Williams would go on to rush for 44 and 42 yards the next two weeks. Not the worst production for a guy in a backfield committee, but it’s not the production we’re looking for at his cost. Williams is $200 more expensive than McLaughlin, who projects to get more playing time and opportunities tonight. Coming back from an ACL injury and now a thigh injury, it wouldn’t shock me to learn that Williams is on a pitch count tonight.
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