Draftkings NFL Showdown Picks: Chargers vs. Patriots 12/29/24
Draftkings picks and predictions for this week's Chargers vs. Patriots matchup.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots
December 29, 2024 1:00 pm EDT
This Sunday, the NFL presents Draftkings football fans with a matchup featuring the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers. Let’s take a look at this game from a Draftkings perspective.
Before we dive into the New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers 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 Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots matchup.
Draftkings NFL Showdown Picks
Captain-Justin Herbert, Quarterback, Los Angeles Chargers $10,000
How important has quarterback Justin Herbert been to the Los Angeles Chargers offense this season? Let’s review Herbert’s relevant player data from the 2024 NFL regular season to answer that question.
In the 15 games that Herbert has played for the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL regular season, quarterback Justin Herbert compiled a massive 3,243 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 252 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.
Last week, in the Los Angeles Chargers 34-27 win over the Denver Broncos, Justin Herbert certainly played at a high level. More specifically, Herbert accumulated 284 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and added 28 rushing yards.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NFL showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest.
In summary, I think quarterback Justin Herbert is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in Sunday afternoon’s NFL regular season game. For that specific reason, I am backing Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert at the captain position for this one game Draftkings NFL Showdown slate.
Flex Plays
Ladd McConkey, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Chargers $10,600
In the 15 games that wide receiver Ladd McConkey has played for the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL regular season, Los Angeles starting quarterback Justin Herbert has targeted McConkey a whopping 94 times. In those 94 targets just noted, McConkey amassed 69 receptions, 960 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.
In summary, I fully expect Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey to continue his outstanding play versus a vulnerable New England Patriots defense on Sunday afternoon.
Hunter Henry, Tight End, New England Patriots $7,200
In the 15 games that tight end Hunter Henry has played for the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL regular season, New England quarterbacks have targeted Henry 96 times. In those 96 targets just noted, Henry tallied 66 receptions, 674 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Additional flex plays I like to perform well in this game (Draftkings price noted): Drake Maye, Quarterback (New England Patriots) $9,800: Quentin Johnson, Wide Receiver (Los Angeles Chargers) $7,600: Austin Hooper, Tight End (New England Patriots) $7,800.