DraftKings Showdown Week 4: Denver Broncos @ New York Jets
Week 4 Thursday night showdown on DraftKings serves up the Broncos at the Jets and to me, this is the hardest showdown slate off the season so far. There are so many questions going into this one. Who is the Jets running back? Who is the Broncos quarterback? Are the defenses in play at the Captain slot? Who will catch the ball on either team? There are players returning from injury as well so how much will they be involved? Let’s see if we can get through this together.
UPDATE: It looks like Brett Rypien will make the start for Denver at QB on Thursday. There’s a section at the bottom specifically about how that will affect the slate.
I’m going to cover creating a cash game lineup and we’ll also unearth some bargains you can use in your GPP lineups. Read our Week 1 article to learn more about the different strategies for these two contest.
These are my personal opinions on the games and strategies at the time of writing this. I may employ different players and strategies than above if later or further information makes me reevaluate my opinions.
Week 3 Cash Game Options
All these uncertainties do not bode well for cash games. Our cash game cheat code has worked the last three weeks but this week I’m not convinced it will. If you wanted to take a week off from playing cash and switch to GPPs, I’d completely understand.
Looking at the Broncos, Brett Rypien will make the start this week but who knows how long he will last! At the running back position Melvin Gordon has benefitted from the absence of Phillip Lindsay but reports indicate that he might be back on Thursday albeit on a snap count. Also, as shown last week, Gordon’s effectiveness as a fantasy points scorer was non-existent once Denver went behind to Tampa Bay. I really want to play Gordon in cash but he’s the most expensive player on the slate at $11,000 ($16,500 – captain) and his usage isn’t guaranteed.
On the other side of the ball, one thing that is certain is that Sam Darnold is the QB. I feel a lot of sympathy for him as he deserves better talent around him. One thing that might help him is the return of Jamison Crowder. As I write this, all indications are he’ll be back. Carrying the ball, Frank Gore has over 15 touches each of the past two weeks. However, he’s just not doing much with them. Fantasy wise, his best week has scored 7.2 fpts.
If you play cash this week, consider using Crowder instead of a RB for the Jets. Both kickers are locks in cash this week. The implied points total for this game is 40 points so picking a defense might work too.
Week 2 GPP options
I’m far more comfortable with mass-multi-entering (MME) GPPs this week. As well as the usual suspects, I’m going to add defenses to my Captain spot rotation. There really are slim pickings this week and my player pool will be smaller than usual but these are the players I will have a high exposure to:
Noah Fant - $9,000 (Captain - $13,500)
The athletic tight end has received 21 targets over the first three weeks and comes up against a Jets D who has allowed three touchdowns to opposing TE’s so far. Every time I’ve seen him, he just looks good. Sorry, I can’t be more analytical than that. My favourite Captain play this week.
Jamison Crowder - $8,200 (Captain - $12,300)
If he’s active, he is a target magnet in this Jets offense. He only played Week 1 but he was targeted 13 times and finished with 27.5 fpts against a tough Bills D. This continued his trend from last season. There’s not many reliable options for Darnold to throw too so expect Crowder to receive his usual workload.
Jerry Jeudy - $7,800 (Captain - $11,700)
The rookie has hit the ground running with 24 targets to start the season. He hasn’t found the end zone yet so the more statistical fantasy experts would tell you that he has positive regression coming his way. I say, he’s a playmaker in a game without many and could break this slate.
Chris Herndon - $5,400 (Captain - $8,100)
Ugh. I can’t believe I’m going back to Herndon again but here we are. His price has dropped and he’s only the ninth most expensive non-QB on the slate. If the Jets do well, I expect that Crowder and Herndon will have done well also. He’s a FOMO pick for me after getting burned by him so far.
Brett Rypien Starting Impact
My natural reaction is that this downgrades the Broncos offense although will it really be that much of a downgrade from Driskel? I expect the Broncos to be run-heavy on Thursday night as a consequence. Whilst the game is in the balance, expect more touches for Gordon. Lindsay is supposedly on a snap count so Royce Freeman might be the biggest benefactor of the QB change. If the win gets out of reach for Denver, I’d expect them to rely on Freeman to protect both Gordon and Lindsay.
Do I need to tell you that the Jets defense has been upgraded after this news? If you are playing multiple lineups, I’d throw the D into a few Captain spots.
