NFL DFS: Best DraftKings Showdown Picks for Giants at the Football Team

We were absolutely spoiled to get such a spectacular offensive shootout on Thursday Night Football in Week 1 with the Dallas Cowboys squaring off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following a back-and-forth game between Dak Prescott and Tom Brady, don’t expect a high-scoring affair on Thursday night in Week 2 when the New York Giants travel to face the Washington Football Team. Vegas knows this is going to be an ugly game, as the over/under is hovering around 40-41 total points, depending on what sportsbook you look at.

Despite the expectations of it being a low-scoring, defensive battle, we still have the opportunity to play the Showdown contest on DraftKings. Getting both quarterbacks into your lineups may not be a priority this week as there may not be much scoring from either side. Before you open the DraftKings app to insert your showdown lineup, check out who I’m liking in my captain and flex spots.

Captain Spot Considerations:

Antonio Gibson ($14,400)

Remember the thrilling 31-29 game we got between the Cowboys and Buccaneers last Thursday? Ah, those were the days, huh? Well, this Thursday’s game won’t have anywhere near the level of excitement on the scoreboard. Taking that into account, I love Antonio Gibson as my captain this week as Washington could lean on the second-year back with a backup quarterback. Gibson carried the ball 20 times for 90 yards and received five targets in the passing game in Week 1. If we can get 20+ touches again from Gibson, there’s a good chance he’s one of the highest-scoring players on Thursday night, if not the highest.

Taylor Heinicke ($15,300)

Is it bad that I might trust Taylor Heinicke more in this game than Daniel Jones? Heinicke will replace Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for the Football Team after the veteran quarterback suffered a hip injury that landed him on injured reserve. We’ve seen Heinicke perform decently as a starter at times, but he’s far from a trustworthy choice in NFL DFS. With Washington being favored at home, I’ll side with Heinicke, even though you could definitely make the argument for Jones as he might be asked to throw more to stay in the game. That is especially true as Saquon Barkley is questionable, and if he plays he’ll likely be on a snap count like he was in Week 1.

Sterling Shepard ($12,000)

One of the bright spots for the Giants in Week 1 was Sterling Shepard. Shepard has always been an underrated wide receiver in the NFL due to a lack of consistency from the quarterbacks he’s played with. However, Shepard is clearly Jones’ favorite option after recording seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown on a team-high nine targets in Week 1 versus the Denver Broncos. Last week, we witnessed Keenan Allen be mighty productive with 28 snaps coming out of the slot versus Washington, per PlayerProfiler. It just so happens that Shepard logged 34 slot snaps in Week 1, meaning that he could be in for another busy game. If we use Shepard in the captain spot, we’re hoping that the Giants are playing from behind and are feeding Shepard catches, which is worthwhile in full-point PPR formats like DraftKings has.

Flex Considerations:

Terry McLaurin ($9,000)

I was close to listing Terry McLaurin as a choice for captain, but I don’t believe Washington will need to put the ball in the air as much as New York. So why don’t I have Jones over Heinicke? There’s still a chance that Heinicke outscores Jones with less volume, (which is why I have Washington’s defense as my next pick) and for McLaurin, most of the volume should be heading in his direction. Even with Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries, Logan Thomas, and Gibson, McLaurin is the clear No. 1 wide receiver in Washington. If the Football Team scores a couple of passing touchdowns, McLaurin should be favored in catching one of them.

WAS D/ST ($5,600)

Yes, I understand that Jones is 4-0 against Washington in his career. But Jones is still a turnover-prone quarterback that will be playing against a talented defense at home that is motivated to make people forget about their Week 1 performance. The likes of Chase Young and Montez Sweat will be living in the backfield with New York’s offensive line not being nearly as formidable as the offensive line that the Los Angeles Chargers have. I expect a couple of miscues from Jones in this NFC East showdown. In 27 starts in the NFL, Jones only has four games where he hasn’t committed a turnover. Narrator: That is not particularly good.

Graham Gano ($3,600)

It’s hard to be confident in the offense of the Giants, but maybe they can get close enough for Graham Gano to kick some balls through the uprights. Gano fared well in his two games versus Washington in 2020, making all five of his field-goal attempts and all four of his extra-point attempts. I typically advise against using both kickers in a showdown contest, buuuuuut this week, I may make an exception. That being said, I wouldn’t use both kickers if you intend to use Washington or New York’s defense in your lineups.

Dyami Brown ($1,400)

Value on this slate isn’t going to be easy to come by unless Barkley surprisingly gets ruled out, which would leave the majority of the workload to Devontae Booker ($2,800). You could use Kadarius Toney on DraftKings for $1,800, but I’ll go right below him to Dyami Brown as my favorite salary-saving choice. Both Toney and Brown finished with negative receiving yards in Week 1, but Brown did see four targets. All we need is a few catches for Brown to be worth using, and if he can score a touchdown, we are golden.