NEW YORK GIANTS vs WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

  • Spread: Washington -4.5
  • Live- 40.5

Good afternoon, Family! Are you ready for some Sunday Night Football? What better way to end your week than an NFL DFS Showdown on DraftKings and FanDuel? Tonight, we have what on paper looks like a snooze fest but a game with playoff implications. It’s an NFC East rivalry game between two teams that tied two weeks ago- the 7-5-1 New York Giants travelling to FedEx Field to take on the also 7-5-1 Washington Commanders. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and we have a low 40.5 Vegas game total on tap. The Commanders will be led by Taylor Heinicke, who has taken over the quarterback job from Carson Wentz, and his favorite target Terry McLaurin. The Giants have two veteran franchise players – dual threat quarterback Daniel Jones and star runner Saquan Barkley- always a threat to nuke any DFS slate. For tonight’s matchup there is a full rundown of players and suggestions below and you can always take a look at our Weekly Match-Up Report and use NFL DFS Tools like our DFS Lineup Generator (a.k.a. the DFS lineup optimizer). 

First, from the words of our fearless leader at Fantasy Alarm, Howard Bender:

Now before we begin, for those who are new to the process, 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, often, 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, now let’s get to tonight’s action.

 

Weather

  • Location: FedEx Field
  • Temp: 33 degrees
  • Humidity: 49%
  • Precipitation: 0%

 

Notable DFS Injuries

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

 

2022 DVOA Defensive Rankings:

New York Giants

  • Vs Pass: 26th
  • Vs Run: 31st

Washington Commanders

  • Vs. Pass: 14th
  • Vs. Run: 4th

 

**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.

TOP DFS CAPTAIN/DFS MVP Picks

Saquon Barkley- New York Giants RB

Barkley did have a season low in touches (11) and snap share (31%) last week but that was mainly due to a huge negative game script as well as a neck injury that he was dealing with. His numbers are down after a fantastic start to the season but he practiced fully all week and just two games ago he smashed this same offense for an 18-63-1 rushing and 5-18 receiving line. 

Darius Slayton- New York Giants WR

With Richie James questionable (concussion) and Daniel Bellinger dealing with a lingering rib injury, Slayton is the alpha of the receiving room. Since taking over in Week 4, the slot-man is second on the team in red zone targets and has at least 58 receiving yards in seven of 10 games with 15 catches over his last three along with three touchdowns. Slayton is my top leverage play of the night.

Terry McLaurin- Washington Commanders WR

With Taylor Heinicke at quarterback McLaurin has at least four catches and 48 yards in all seven games plus he had by far his best game of the season against the Giants in Week 13 with an 8-105-1 stat line on 12 targets. As one of the busiest receivers in the league since Heinicke too over McLaurin is one of my favorite overall plays tonight. 

Daniel Jones- New York Giants QB

Jones actually leads the Giants in red zone touches over the last four games plus he has 50+ yards rushing in five games this year. In the Week 13 game against Washington, Jones was 25 of 31 for 200 yards and a touchdown, along with 12 carries for another 71 yards on the ground. We should see Jones throwing the ball in a negative game script but either way with the way he runs he has the floor and ceiling to be a top play tonight- especially in the FanDuel MVP spot.

Brian Robinson/Antonio Gibson – Washington Commanders RBs

The rookie Robinson and veteran Gibson split the offensive workload for the Commanders. BRob is the main ball carrier and averages 18 carries a game at five yards per touch. With a Giants run defense that is ranked 31st in the NFL he should hit the century mark tonight. On the other hand, Gibson is the passing down back and will see more looks in the red zone, especially with J.D. McKissic done for the season. You can play both together in lineups tonight or use Robinson in game scripts that see the Commanders winning and Gibson in a high scoring shootout script. 

 

DFS Utility Plays

Taylor Heinicke- Washington Commanders QB

Heinicke stepped in for Carson Wentz when he was injured and led Washington to a 5-1-1 record. He seems to have won the job because Wentz is now healthy again, but Ron Rivera is sticking with his “hot” quarterback. This is a Utility play only due to Heinicke being more a game manager instead of a runner and also the fact that most of his passes go to only one main WR (McLaurin) which will hurt him in the captain position.

Curtis Samuel- Washington Commanders WR

Samuel is the gadget player and leverages off the more popular McLaurin. He will catch and run the ball and can be a red zone threat.  He started the season on fire seeing lots of targets and some rushing work has seen four or fewer targets in five of Heinicke’s seven starts. His price has adjusted though, down to $6,600 and that makes him an interesting GPP play.

Jahan Dotson- Washington Commanders WR

Dotson is a deep threat and seems to be better with Heinicke at the helm. He makes for a nice passing game stack piece and had a nine target day just two games ago against this same Giants defense. He is a rookie growing into his role and is seeing more snaps as the season moves on plus is getting healthier. Breakout game tonight? 

 

DFS Value Plays

Joey Slye- Washington Commanders K

Slye has four straight games of at least two field goals and three of those games with three plus. He is 20/23 in field goals on the season and has made three of four in 50+ yard situations. Slye is a near lock in cash lineups.

Graham Gano- New York Giants K

The veteran kicker is near-money from 50m yard plus over his last four seasons going 20/26. This season he is 22/25 in field goal attempts and 5/6 from 50+ out. With the Giants struggling to finish drives all season we could see a big game out of Gano. Don’t be surprised to see one of Gano or Slye in the winning lineup tonight.

Logan Thomas- Washington Commanders TE

Tight ends in primetime are a thing. Even though Thomas and John Bates split time, Thomas has been targeted more. He has 40 targets for 24 receptions, 210 yards and a touchdown on the year. Bates is a GPP play as he is cheaper and will come in much less owned than Thomas.

Other DFS Value/DFS Dart Plays

Washington DST: Only $3.8K on DK- too cheap for a 4.5 home favorite

Nick Vannett – New York Giants TE: The TE2 is only $200 and makes everything else work in your lineup; plus, Daniel Bellinger is not fully healthy. Mop up work?

Dyami Brown- Washington Commanders WR: May see a deep throw

Kenny Golladay- New York Giants WR: Like Brown for the Commanders- may see a deep throw.

Matt Breida- New York Giants RB: Can be used as leverage on non-Barkley lineups; will see a few opportunities

 

 

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