The NFL presents Draftkings football fans with a matchup featuring the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams. Let’s take a look at this NFL game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams 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 Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams matchup.
Draftkings NFL Showdown Picks
Captain-Sam Darnold, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings $9,400
How important has quarterback Sam Darnold been to the Minnesota Vikings offense this season? Let’s review Darnold’s relevant player data from the 2024 NFL regular season to answer that question.
In the six games that Sam Darnold has played for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL regular season, Darnold compiled 1,370 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, and 100 rushing yards.
More recently, in the Minnesota Vikings 31-29 win over the Green Bay Packers three weeks ago, Sam Darnold accumulated 275 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and 15 rushing yards.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the Vikings victory over the Packers, Sam Darnold tallied a robust 22.5 Draftkings points.
Additionally, I like Sam Darnold’s matchup in this game. Why? The Los Angeles Rams have had issues containing opposing quarterbacks this season. Let me be more specific. Through six games played in the 2024 NFL regular season, the Rams are ranked a rather low 22nd in total Draftkings points allowed a game (18.9) to opposing quarterbacks.
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. Having stated that, I am backing Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold at the captain position for this Draftkings NFL DFS Showdown contest.
Flex Plays
Kyren Williams, Running Back, Los Angeles Rams $11,200
Talented Los Angeles running back Kyren Williams has certainly been a key contributor to the Los Angeles Rams offense in 2024.
In the six games that Kyren Williams has played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2024 NFL regular season, Williams has compiled 436 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 14 receptions, 71 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
In conclusion, I fully expect talented Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams to continue his outstanding play versus a vulnerable Minnesota Vikings secondary on Thursday night.
Additional flex plays I like to perform well (Draftkings price noted): Matthew Stafford, Quarterback (Los Angeles Rams) $9,000: Justin Jefferson, Wide Receiver (Minnesota Vikings) $11,800: Tutu Atwell, Wide Receiver (Los Angeles Rams) $4,200: Colby Parkinson, Tight End (Los Angeles Rams) $4,400.