Wow! What a Week 1 it was in the NFL. Good thing it’s not over. 

We’ve got Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visiting Sin City to take on Raiders tonight and that means Showdown slate, baby!

Now before we begin, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders

Spread: Ravens -4

O/U: 50

Weather: dome

Notable Injuries:

Baltimore Ravens

J.K. Dobbins, RB – knee (out for the season)

Gus Edwards, RB – knee (out for the season)

Justice Hill, RB – Achilles (out for the season)

Derek Wolfe, DE – back (out)

Jimmy Smith, DB – ankle (questionable)

Marcus Peters, DB – knee (out for the season)

Las Vegas Raiders

Josh Jacobs, RB – illness (questionable)

Richie Incognito, LG – calf (out)

Roderic Teamer, S – shoulder (doubtful)

Final 2020 DVOA Defensive Rankings

Ravens

vs Pass: 10th 

vs Run: 12th 

Raiders

vs Pass: 26th 

vs Run: 28th 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/Captain

Lamar Jackson, QB BAL – He’ll likely be rostered as people’s captain/MVP the most and rightfully so. The passing is still very much a work in progress, but Jackson’s ability to run makes him one of the most valuable guys on the field for fantasy. With all the injuries to their running backs, it will be interesting to see just how often he is going to try and take matters into his own hands. He’s always good for at least one rushing touchdown, so make sure he’s somewhere in your lineup.

Darren Waller, TE LV – The Raiders passing game revolves around Waller who routinely plays more like a wide receiver than he does a tight end. He’ll line up all over the place and the Raiders will look to try and create as many mis-matches as they can in an effort to free him up. Expect plenty of targets and strong results as the Ravens ranked just 22nd against the TE position last year, largely due to how aggressive the defense is with the pass-rush.

Derek Carr, QB LV – Last season, Carr finished up with more than 300 passing yards in four of his last five games and he surpassed the 300-mark six times last season. He seems to be getting more comfortable in Jon Gruden’s scheme and should try to air it out a little more as we expect the Ravens to grab an early lead. Carr also has a strong pass-catching back in Kenyan Drake at his disposal so expect some designed screens and a number of check-downs as well. 

Ty’Son Williams, RB BAL – Welcome to the show, kid! Williams is getting a real strong opportunity here to be the lead back for a very run-centric team and with everything we ware hearing, John Harbaugh is excited to give him a strong workload. Yes, they brought in Latavius Murray and Trent Cannon while signing Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman to the practice squad, but Williams is the one with the upside. He’s hungry to prove himself and again, Harbaugh wants to see what he has in him before he turns to the crusty, over-the-hill veterans.

Mid-Tier

Mark Andrews, TE BAL – Funny enough, the Raiders ranked fifth in DVOA against the tight end position, so we’re not looking to put him in the captain’s seat. However, we know how much Jackson likes to lean on him and his red zone work is always on-point. The MANdrews also just signed a four-year, $56M extension, so he’s going to want to justify that number just as much as the Ravens want him to.

Kenyan Drake, RB LV – With Josh Jacobs questionable with an illness, we can probably expect Drake’s workload to increase. If Jacobs is out, Drake becomes the lead, but even if Jacobs starts, there’s a good chance he leaves early. But even if Jacobs is there all game, the Raiders spent $11M on Drake for a reason and they’re going to use him. At minimum, he’ll be the third-down, pass-catching back and should see a strong workload.

Sammy Watkins, WR BAL – After watching Watkins over the last two seasons, how do we not get him into our lineups for a Week 1 match-up? Last year he had seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown and the year before that, he had nine grabs for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Then he vanishes like a fart in the wind, never to provide fantasy owners with anything else for the rest of the season. With Hollywood Brown and the MANdrews drawing coverage, Watkins could find himself in a lot of one-on-one situations. Given his last two years of Week 1 stats, the old “third time’s a charm” adage seems pretty enticing.

Marquise Brown, WR BAL – When healthy, Brown is the go-to for Lamar Jackson and should see a decent dose of targets as the Ravens really need to incorporate a stronger passing attack. He had a really nice six-game stretch near the end of the regular season last year where he averaged almost seven targets per game and scored six touchdowns. If he and Jackson can rekindle that on-field bromance, he should be a worthwhile add to your lineup.

Henry Ruggs, WR LV – He’s considered the No. 1 receiver on this Raiders team and we all know he’s got fantastic big-play ability. The speed is outstanding and his ability to stretch the field will be a huge help for Carr as he looks to take more downfield chances. Outside of two games last year, there wasn’t a whole lot to love for fantasy, but that was a rookie season with expectations way too high because of where the Raiders drafted him. Hopefully things settle down a bit more for him.  

Dart Throws

Justin Tucker, PK BAL – He’s the most-accurate and prolific kicker in the game right now and you know he’ll see his opportunities. Would it be the weirdest thing in the world to see him kick three field goals and two or three extra-points tonight? Not at all. It’s Week 1, there’s some new personnel in this offense and maybe they don’t have it all together for this first game. Obviously, this is only a play on Draft Kings or FanDuel as Yahoo doesn't allow the use of kickers.

Ravens D/ST – The Raiders offensive line is atrocious and the Ravens could be chasing down Derek Carr all night long. I could see a number of sacks with Calais Campbell and Justin Houston on the right side and a heavy pass-rush could force Carr into a few bad throws as well. I kind of like the under in this game too, so there’s that.

Peyton Barber, RB LV – He’s only worth playing if Josh Jacobs is out. Yes, if Jacobs plays at less than 100-percent and the rumbley-bumblies force him to the locker room early, Barber also gets his shot, but I’m more incline to use him as a short-yardage/goal-line dart-throw if Jacobs is out. 

Bryan Edwards, WR LV – After Waller, Edwards could be the next in-line for the second-most passing targets. He was highly-touted last season as a potential breakout but injuries hampered his rookie season. The work he put in this preseason was strong and he earned the spot as the X-receiver in this offense and if the hype is real, he could be worth the roster spot. If you want to go a little contrarian, you could also look at Hunter Renfrow. 

Daniel Carlson, PK LV – There’s always the chance this offense continues to stall inside the red zone which means Carlson could see some decent opportunities and kick some field goals. If you need to save some salary, you just might be able to go the two-kicker route. Again, DK only here.

Zay Jones, WR LV – Let’s shout it out to our favorite SXM producer, Sandro Anello (@onlysandro). He’s riding high off the Week 1 Quintez Cephus touchdown which means he’s going to be all over throwing a dart at Jones tonight. If you want to get in good with him, give him a follow on Twitter, enjoy his random calls and maybe you’ll get a free sticker!

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