Andrew Ortenberg
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Sunday Night Football will feature a matchup with heavy playoff implications as the New York Giants host the Cleveland Browns. The Giants are looking to stay afloat in the NFC East race, while Cleveland can more or less wrap up a playoff spot here with a victory. The Giants are coming off an ugly loss to the Cardinals, and the Browns lost a heartbreaker to Baltimore on Monday Night Football.
Oddsmakers have the Browns as a favorite of just under a touchdown for this one, but right now we’re not talking about the spread. We’ve got plenty of thoughts on the game, including picks for the side and total, but right now we’ll be talking about some daily fantasy. Here’s what we’re rolling with in this single-game DraftKings showdown format:
Captain: Baker Mayfield, QB, Chiefs ($15,900)
Mayfield is cheaper than Chubb as a captain, and I think you’ve got to go with him after what he did on Monday. Mayfield had a huge game against the Ravens going off for 34 fantasy points. It clearly wasn’t a fluke, as he had 33 the week before against the Titans. The Giants have a very strong run defense, so I think Cleveland will end up passing more than they usually do here. The Giants will also be without top shutdown corner James Bradberry for this one, which will make life a lot easier for Mayfield.
Flex: Kareem Hunt, RB, Browns ($7,000)
Like I said the Giants have a rock solid run defense, so I’m fading Chubb in this game and rolling with Hunt. This correlates with a game where Cleveland is passing more, and Hunt had 77 receiving yards and a touchdown last week. Even with Chubb back in the lineup Hunt always gets double digit touches, so his usage is consistent. I don’t think New York’s linebackers will be able to cover Hunt out of the backfield.
Flex: Wayne Gallman, RB, Giants ($8,800)
If the Giants have any success on offense at all, it’s going to be on the ground not through the air. The last time Colt McCoy started a game a couple of weeks ago, he barely cracked 100 yards. Cleveland’s defensive weakness is run-stopping, so I expect the Giants’ game-plan to feature Gallman heavily and take things off McCoy’s plate as much as possible. Gallman has been a revelation since Saquon Barkley’s injury, and he has at least 13 PPR points in six of his last seven games.
Flex: Jarvis Landry, WR, Browns ($9,800)
Playing Hunt instead of Chubb allows us to fit Landry into our lineup. If Mayfield is having a big game, then Landry almost certainly is as well. He’s been playing an increasingly large role in the offense, and has at least nine targets in three straight games. Across those three games he’s racked up 22 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns. His stock is trending up, and Mayfield is trusting him more and more.
Flex: Browns D/ST ($5,600)
I think there’s a chance things get ugly for the Giants’ offense. It was anemic the last time McCoy started, and that was against a Seahawks defense that has been getting torched on a weekly basis. Seattle gets no pressure, and that won’t be the case here. I think McCoy will get swallowed up by Myles Garrett here, and he’ll make several poor decisions in the face of pressure. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Browns get a non-offensive touchdown in this game.
Flex: Golden Tate, WR, Giants ($2,400)
In order to get the aforementioned pricier options we’ve got to get one guy from the bargain bin, and Tate makes the most sense. He’s put up at least 30 yards in three straight games, so he has a pretty high floor for someone this cheap. Those were also all games where the Giants’ offense played poorly as a whole, and he had nine targets in one of them. He should over-perform relative to his price.
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