Draftkings NFL Showdown Picks: Texans vs. Cowboys 11/18/24

The NFL presents Draftkings football fans with a matchup featuring the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys. Let’s take a look at this game from a Draftkings perspective.

Before we dive into the Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings single game showdown contest.

Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules

You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.

The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.

If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.

*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.

Here are my Draftkings picks for this week’s Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup.

Draftkings NFL Showdown Picks

Captain-C.J. Stroud, Quarterback, Houston Texans $9,800

In my opinion, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been the driving force behind the Houston Texans success on the offensive side of the football this season. Let’s review C.J. Stroud’s relevant key player game data from the 2024 NFL regular season to better shed light on my previous statement.

In the ten games that C.J. Stroud has played for the Houston Texans in the 2024 NFL regular season, Stroud amassed 2,371 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, and 148 rushing yards.

Last month, in the Houston Texans 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills, C.J. Stroud accumulated 331 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and 27 rushing yards. This performance earned Stroud a hefty 36.7 DraftKings points.

Examining the data just presented more closely, C.J. Stroud compiled 20.9 DraftKings points in the Houston Texans victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Additionally, I like C.J. Stroud from a general matchup perspective. Why? The Dallas Cowboys have had issues containing opposing quarterbacks this season. Let me be more specific. Through ten games played in the 2024 NFL regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are ranked a rather low 28th in total Draftkings points allowed a game (20.6) to the quarterback position. Keep in mind that the NFL has 32 teams in the entire league. Having stated that, being ranked 28th in any defensive category is clearly not good.

In summary, I think quarterback C.J.  Stroud is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in Monday night’s NFL game. For that specific reason, I am backing Houston Texans starting quarterback C.J. Stroud at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NFL Showdown slate.

Flex Plays

Tank Dell, Wide Receiver, Houston Texans $9,400

In the nine games that wide receiver Tank Dell has played for the Houston Texans in the 2024 NFL regular season, Texans starting quarterback C.J. Stroud has targeted Dell a whopping 56 times. In those 56 targets, Tank Dell compiled 35 receptions, 394 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, and 24 rushing yards.

In summary, I fully expect talented Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell to continue his outstanding play versus a vulnerable Dallas Cowboys secondary on Monday night.

Additional flex plays I like to perform well (Draftkings price noted): Cooper Rush, Quarterback, (Dallas Cowboys) $8,000: CeeDee Lamb, Wide Receiver (Dallas Cowboys) $10,800: Joe Mixon, Running Back (Houston Texans) $11,000: Dalton Schultz, Tight End (Houston Texans) $5,000.