DC Defenders vs. Michigan Panthers
June 14, 2025 8:00 pm EDT
The UFL presents Draftkings football fans with a playoff matchup featuring the Michigan Panthers and the DC Defenders. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Michigan Panthers vs. DC Defenders 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 Defenders vs. Panthers matchup.
Draftkings UFL Picks
Captain-Jordan Ta’amu, Quarterback, DC Defenders $11,000
Talented quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has been the driving force behind the DC Defenders success on the football field this season. With that said, how has the veteran UFL quarterback performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s examine Ta’amu’s relevant game data from the 2025 UFL regular season to answer that question.
In the ten games that quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has played for the DC Defenders this season (including playoff games), Ta’amu has amassed 2,357 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns (first in UFL), 191 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the ten games that Jordan Ta’amu has played for the Defenders this season, Ta’amu is averaging 21.1 Draftkings points a contest.
More recently, in the DC Defenders 33-30 victory over the Arlington Renegades last month, Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu certainly played at a high level. Ta’amu compiled 240 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 21 rushing yards in the DC Defenders win over the Renegades.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings UFL showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my opinion, Jordan Ta’amu is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this UFL playoff game. Having stated that, I am backing DC Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu at the captain position for this one game Draftkings UFL Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Chris Rowland, WR, DC Defenders $8,200
In addition to quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, wide receiver Chris Rowland has been a significant contributor for the DC Defenders this season. Let’s examine Rowalnd’s game data from the 2025 UFL season to better shed light on my previous statement.
In the 11 games that Chris Rowland has played in the 2025 UFL season, DC Defenders starting quarterbacks have targeted wide receiver Chris Rowland 78 times. In those 78 targets, Rowland amassed 47 receptions, 564 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this week’s UFL Championship game (Draftkings price noted): Bryce Perkins, Quarterback (Michigan Panthers) $10,000: Tua Taua, Running Back (Michigan Panthers) $9,400: Cornell Powell, Wide Receiver (DC Defenders) $8,200.
