Disclaimer
These contests are intended to be fun as you're watching the game. It's incredibly difficult to get a real edge as there are so few options, and in MME contests, there are often many duplicate lineups. One play or one penalty can change the entire outcome of the game.
Macro Level Game View
Jayden Daniels is out due to a hamstring injury
- Over/Under: 47.5
- Spread: Chiefs -10.5
- Chiefs Implied Team Total: 29
- Commanders Implied Team Total: 18.5
Captain Consideration
Kansas City Chiefs Showdown Players
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes II - Captain/Flex
Patrick Mahomes II is currently the league MVP and will keep that title, pending health. He's quarterbacking a Chiefs offense that ranks third in EPA/Play and leads the NFL in both Pass Rate Over Expected (PROE) and Early Down Pass Frequency (EDPF). He ranks seventh in passing yards per game (257.1) and sixth in pass touchdowns per game (2). Mahomes is playing at home against a struggling Commanders defense that ranks just 23rd in both EPA/Play Allowed and Dropback EPA Allowed. Mahomes is a must-play in every single Showdown lineup. Don't get cute.
Running Back/Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rashee Rice - Captain/Flex
Rashee Rice was eased back in a bit last week as he only ran 19 routes compared to Xavier Worthy's 30 routes. But it didn't matter. Rice saw ten targets, whereas no other Chief saw more than five targets and a 28.6% target share. He caught seven balls for 42 yards and 2 touchdowns. He projects to play more in his second game back from suspension, which means an even higher ceiling is within his range of outcomes. Rice is a bully at 204 pounds and an amazing athlete who posted a 41" vertical and a 10'08" broad jump. His 2024 breakout into superstar status was going to be glorious. Here were his game logs before the season-ending injury: Week 1: 9 targets, 7 catches, 103 yards; Week 2: 6 targets, 5 catches, 75 yards, 1 touchdown; Week 3: 14 targets, 12 catches, 110 yards, 1 touchdown. The Chiefs love to utilize him in motion, on screens, and with targets near the line of scrimmage to let him use his elite yards after catch ability. But he also has the athleticism and talent to win down the field.
Xavier Worthy - Captain/Flex
Xavier Worthy's big game hasn't come yet, and now Rashee Rice is back as Kansas City's WR1. Thus, Worthy's ownership levels, especially at captain, will be lower. Rostering him now in tournaments before he pops off is a good process. Worthy led all Chiefs pass catchers, including Travis Kelce, in routes run (30) last week. He's an elite athlete. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL history (4.21) and posted incredible jumps of 41" vertical and 10'11" broad. He plays way tougher than his 165-pound weight. Andy Reid utilized him as a chess piece as a rookie, moving him in motion and on shifts, and also lining him up in the backfield. He progressed and improved as his rookie season went on, culminating in an 8-reception, 157-yard, 2-touchdown Super Bowl performance. He adds rushing upside as he ran 20 times for 104 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2024.
Isiah Pacheco - Flex
There was a belief earlier in the week that Kareem Hunt would miss this game after suffering a bone bruise in his knee last week. However, all for naught, as Hunt will play. While this reduces the projection for Isiah Pacheco a bit, he's still a solid play. The Chiefs are 10.5-point favorites, and he's at home against a Commanders defense that ranks just 23rd in EPA/Play Allowed and 22nd in Rush EPA Allowed. Pacheco is coming off of season highs in opportunities (17) and rushing yards (57) last week.
Brashard Smith - Flex
Brashard Smith's targets over the past four games: 4, 3, 4, and a season high 5 last week. He even carried the ball 14 times last week in mop-up duty after the Chiefs had already blown out the Raiders. Smith is an exciting player to continue to lean into in DFS. He's a former wide receiver at Miami who caught 108 passes for 1,097 yards and 8 touchdowns in his four-year collegiate career. But he wasn't just a scat back. He handled 274 touches last season at SMU and turned them into 1,659 total yards and 18 touchdowns. He's also an exciting athlete who ran a 4.39 40-yard dash.
Travis Kelce - Flex
At 36 years old now and with Rashee Rice back, Travis Kelce is more of a secondary pass-catching option for Patrick Mahomes II rather than the primary receiver he's been over his career. Still, this is a one-game Showdown slate, and the matchup is favorable. And despite the age, Kelce has gone over 50 receiving yards in three straight contests, including last week, while playing alongside Rice.
Kicker
Harrison Butker - Flex
The Chiefs have the second-highest Implied Team Total (29) of the entire week. Harrison Butker is capable of making 50+ yarders as he's converted three already this season.