We wrap up NFL Sunday with an exciting Sunday Night Football matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ravens are flying cross country from Charm City for this matchup. If they win they’re pretty much in cruise control to win the AFC North. The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals have lost their starting quarterbacks. The Pittsburgh Steelers have some fight in them and sans Matt Canada, they could make a run as a Wild Card team. The division is easily Baltimore’s to lose. But they’re on the road and this is basically a must-win game for Los Angeles. Another underwhelming year for the Bolts and per usual, they’ve been plagued by injuries. The Chargers have been competitive despite the 4-6 record. Five of their losses have been by three or fewer points, but if they can steal this win they still have a fair shot to finish 10-7 and sneak into the playoffs. It all starts with this pivotal matchup and they have the luxury of playing at home. So let’s take a look at how we should construct our NFL DFS Showdown lineups for Sunday night’s big game!

 

Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers

Spread: Baltimore Ravens (-3)

Over/Under: 48.5 Points

Weather: This game will be played in a controlled environment.

Notable Injuries

Baltimore Ravens

Los Angeles Chargers

NFL DFS MVP/Captain

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

A lot of the time when I look at quarterbacks for DFS analysis, I try to consider their ceiling in relation to how the opposing defense has performed against the position. The Chargers are horrendous defensively. And it only gets worse when you consider that they placed Joey Bosa on IR earlier this week. Tyson Bagent may have thrown two picks against the Bolts, but he still threw for 238 yards, completing 67.5% of his passes. Zach Wilson, despite being sacked EIGHT times by Los Angeles, still completed 67.3% of his passes for 263 yards. Bagent and Wilson play at the level of backup quarterbacks in the NFL. The Chargers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to hit the 300-yard bonus in half their games this year and in each of those performances, the quarterback tossed multiple touchdown passes. But even if Lamar doesn’t register the 300-yard bonus on DraftKings, he still possesses the rushing upside we love when considering quarterbacks as our MVP/Captain. He’ll cost you 36% of your budget at Captain on DraftKings, but there are enough value plays for this game and we can make it work.

Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Tough matchup? Absolutely. But the offense runs through Keenan Allen currently. Since coming off the bye week, he has six straight games with at least nine targets including 30 over his last two outings. Over those last two games he has 21 catches for 291 yards and three touchdowns. This matchup is certainly tough, but he’s popped off for 30+ fantasy points on DraftKings in four games (out of 10) this year. That’s the slate-breaking upside we’re looking for. We have to assume that regardless of the game flow, whether in a blowout or a competitive game, the Chargers will look to get him the ball. The Ravens have yielded just four touchdowns to opposing wide receivers since Week 3, but this is certainly one of the better offenses they’ll have seen this year.

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

He had a dud of a game last week in what should have been a smash spot against the Green Bay Packers, but prior to that game he had three straight outings finding the end zone and hitting over 20 fantasy points on DraftKings. Coincidentally enough, in that three-game span he also had 22 targets. We’ll need that passing volume for him to be optimal at Captain this week. The Ravens have been tough at times against the running back position. But last week, Joe Mixon had a productive afternoon and he caught five passes out of the backfield. We’ll probably need a minimum of five receptions for Ekeler in this matchup, but he should be in line for 15+ touches and if he finds the end zone there’s a good chance he’s going for 20+ points on DraftKings. When it comes to the eyeball test, he does look noticeably slower and seems to be lacking some explosiveness, but we can’t argue with the volume he’ll likely get.

Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens

I have zero faith in Gus Bus getting the 100-yard bonus on DraftKings. He also may only get one or two receptions. He’s only gone for over 70 rushing yards in one game this year. However, his touchdown equity is through the roof lately. He has NINE touchdowns over his last five games and he’s scored multiple touchdowns in three of those outings. So given the touchdown equity, if he has a chance to score twice then that equates to 18 fantasy points when you play him at Captain on DraftKings. The price tag is creeping up as he’s now the fifth-most expensive player on the slate but he gets most of the volume in this backfield and, if it isn’t Lamar Jackson, there’s a good chance it’s Gus Edwards finding the end zone on the ground.

Odell Beckham., WR, Baltimore Ravens

I’m throwing out five Captain candidates for Sunday’s game. Odell did pop up on the injury report but early reports indicate that he’ll play Sunday night. With everyone likely locking in Zay Flowers at Captain, or maybe they pay down to Rashod Bateman, Isaiah Likely, or Keaton Mitchell, I’m digging in and looking to be overweight on Odell. Mark Andrews ran just four routes last week. After he left due to injury, Odell had a 39% first-read target share from Lamar Jackson. And Odell has benefitted greatly on the year when Andrew has been out as he’s generating a 25% target per route run rate but averaging nearly three yards per route run according to Jacob Gibbs of CBS Sports. In last week’s game he popped off for four receptions on seven targets for 116 yards. And let’s not forget, the Ravens played on Thursday in Week 11 so they should be well rested as a group and they have the bye week coming up.

Mid-Tier & DFS Value Plays

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

You are more than welcome to play Herbert at Captain if you think he goes for 300+ passing yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens are a brutal matchup for quarterbacks, however. No quarterback this year has dropped 300 passing yards on this defense and only Jared Goff has thrown for over 250 yards, but he needed 53 attempts to get there. The Ravens are only allowing 172.7 passing yards per game and they generate pressure on quarterbacks. But Justin Herbert is still an elite talent at quarterback so I can’t completely leave him out of the Playbook. He offers a decent floor and correlates with any Los Angeles pass catcher at Captain. But this is the kind of matchup where he may not end up in the optimal lineup.

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Zay Flowers is expected to play in this matchup despite popping up on the injury report. He’s a fine flex and I, like many others, have said that he’s exciting to watch when the ball is in his hands. He’s shifty and quick, but on the other side of the coin he doesn’t have much touchdown equity. Does the possibility go up with Andrews out? Sure, but the Ravens have been running it with Gus Edwards in short yardage, goal-to-go scenarios and it’s been successful. I don’t want to harp on the lack of targets in recent weeks because this game script could be a big one for Flowers without Andrews. I expect more work to flow through him and Odell Beckham. But the matchup is great for Baltimore’s pass catchers and Flowers likely won’t come off the field all that much. He is viable at Captain, but likely won’t be there in my five lineups. 

I’m going to briefly mention Keaton Mitchell ($6,800) at running back for the Baltimore Ravens. I do think that without Andrews, maybe they get him more snaps and utilize him more out of the backfield. I saw some on Twitter speculate that he becomes more of a Jerick McKinnon-type player with Andrews out. But he’s a bit touchdown dependent and I wish he was under $6,000 on this slate. But the extreme efficiency in Weeks 9 and 10 have juiced the price tag and I’m not particularly excited to pay this price for a running back who may not touch the ball a ton. He’s definitely a play-at-your-own-risk option.

Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Similar to Keaton Mitchell, I don’t love the price tag on Isaiah Likely at $5,200 on DraftKings because it’s based off what we assume he could do. Since Week 3 he’s been priced under $1,000 in every game. Now with Mark Andrews out it’s juiced to over $5K and I don’t love that. If the field eats the chalk and assumes that Likely automatically assumes the Andrews role then I’ll pivot and find value elsewhere. The good news for Likely is that the Chargers have allowed at least six receptions for 60 yards in each of their last five games. That’s some solid production, but the Chargers defense is horrendous against all positions.

Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have about three capable tight ends that can find the end zone. Stone Smartt got there last week so shoutout to Andrew Cooper for that call. But Everett is shaping up to play in this matchup. The workload fluctuates but he previously found the end zone against good defenses like the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys. He’s my preferred tight end to target of the three on the Chargers, but I might also prefer to pay down to Quinton Johnston just for the workload if Jalen Guyton is out.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens

I know Bateman technically appears ahead of Odell on some depth charts, but on the team’s official listing it has Odell ahead of Bateman. But I still expect Bateman to see plenty of work on three-wide receiver sets. Both Flowers and Odell had injuries leading into this game and the Ravens will still find use for their former first-round pick. $4,000 is a reasonable price but there is risk here because he has not shown much of a ceiling this year. He has zero games with double-digit fantasy points and he hasn’t seen more than five targets in a game so tread carefully.

Baltimore Ravens D/ST

I have zero interest in the Chargers defense and for good reason… They suck. I’m not going to play one of the worst defenses in the league against one of the best offenses even if said offense is flying cross country for this game. Justin Herbert can throw for 300+ yards and multiple scores. But the Chargers are beat up offensively and in Austin Ekeler’s big 37-yard run from last week, he topped out at 13mph.

The Ravens are the only D/ST I’ll consider in this matchup. They have 44 sacks in 11 games with 15 takeaways and they’re a tough matchup through the air and on the ground. The total is high and Los Angeles might keep pace but I don’t hate the slight discount we’re getting on the Ravens.

Kickers

The kickers in this matchup are in play but both are very expensive in comparison to the defenses in this game. Justin Tucker is always in play. I don’t care how bad the matchup is. The guy can drill from deep while adding four extra points. Here is my one reservation in this matchup… He might only kick extra points in this game. And that does concern me. Only one kicker, against the Chargers, has attempted at least three field goals and that came way back in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Every other kicker has attempted between zero and two field goal attempts. Which is fine if they’re from deep. But field goals carry so much more weight than extra points do. The Chargers are so bad defensively that offenses just aren’t stalling in the red zone. Over his last five games, Tucker has attempted 10 field goals but in that same span he’s kicked 21 extra points. The Ravens just don’t stall as often as we’d like in the red zone and playing Tucker provides a good floor, especially if playing Lamar at Captain, but I am concerned he may not reach double-digit fantasy points.

Cameron Dicker might be my preferred pivot off Tucker. He saves you some money and is on an offense that can move the ball, but they play a defense that does well to keep teams out of the end zone. That bodes very well for Dicker in this matchup. Opposing kickers have attempted at least three field goals in 6-of-11 games this year against Baltimore. Dicker hasn’t missed a field goal since Week 3 and he provides a solid floor as long as the Chargers don’t fall too far behind.

NFL DFS Dart Throw Bargains

Quinton Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Look, I don’t think he’s that great. With all the great, young players emerging from the 2023 NFL Draft class, Johnston has severely underperformed. He struggles gaining separation and the route tree might be a bit limited. But there is still size and raw, untapped talent. This is a player that was $5,600 for the last couple Showdown slates for the Chargers. Now he’s $3,000 and it’s possible he goes out and gets six targets in a game the Chargers could throw the ball 40+ times. I don’t love the talent, but I do love the price tag. If Jalen Guyton ($2,400) is active then I’ll get exposure, but he’s been limited in practice all week.

Nelson Agholor, WR, Baltimore Ravens

The most darty of dart throws you can have. In Week 11 he had just one target and he took it 37 yards for a touchdown. Maybe he sees a few more snaps but he’s arguably the fourth, maybe even the fifth, wide receiver on the depth chart and if you don’t like this option then you can save $600 and go with Justice Hill ($1,600), who won’t get as many carries as Gus Edwards or Keaton Mitchell, but a few catches his way can pay off the price tag.

Alex Erickson, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

In the past, I’ve acknowledged value plays for the Chargers like Simi Fehoko, Derius Davis, and Stone Smartt. And playing those names are all fine, but Smartt gets a downgrade with Gerald Everett likely playing. So let’s throw a new name into the ring. Erickson only had one target against the Green Bay Packers last week, but he was on the field for 51 offensive snaps. That’s somewhat telling and he’s only $400. Now Erickson is 31 years old so he’s no spring chicken. But he’s $400 and in this price range we’re hoping to strike gold. But the Chargers are hurting at wide receiver and he saw a lot of playing time last week.

Devin Duvernay, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Simple play here. Duvernay is a depth piece at wide receiver. Not a tremendous ceiling and the floor is zero points. But he’s $200 and we just need a reception or two and he gets return work for the Ravens as well. He popped up on the injury report earlier in the week but looks like a full go for this game.