Thursday Night Football DraftKings Picks: NFL DFS lineup advice for Week 15 Chiefs-Chargers Showdown tournaments

The showdown between the Chiefs and Chargers is possibly the most anticipated Thursday Night Football matchup of the season. First place in the division is on the line as the underdog Chargers try to knock the Chiefs off their perch atop the AFC West. The Chiefs are favored by 3three points at Vegas sportsbooks and the totals are north of 50. NFL DFS players should pay close attention to the injury reports before locking in their Week 15 DraftKings showdown lineups, as several key Chargers will be hampered, if not inactive altogether.

Here are the important settings for DraftKings single-game contests: It’s full-point PPR, and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player’s original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.

MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest

DraftKings Showdown Picks: Steelers vs. Vikings

$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.

Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): QB Justin Herbert, Chargers ($16,200)

While we respect the run the Chiefs defense has been on of late — 9.6 points allowed over their past five — we’re still going to roll with Herbert as our captain. We’re shooting for the moon with these lineups, and the ceiling Herbert has demonstrated is too high not to place our faith in him here.

MORE TNF: FD lineup | Start ’em, sit ’em | Ekeler update

FLEX: WR Keenan Allen, Chargers ($9,400)

There’s reason to have some concern over the effectiveness, and perhaps availability altogether, of Austin Ekeler (ankle) and Mike Williams (heel), and thus we’re drawn to Allen, whose 86 touches (all receptions) rank No. 2 behind Ekeler among Chargers’ weapons. It’s reasonable to expect Herbert to look Allen’s way early and often. 

WEEK 15 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo

FLEX: TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs ($8,600)

This isn’t scientific, but it’s common to see a star player featured after one (or two) down performances. Last week, he was held to four targets and, coincidentally, his second straight 3-27 line. The Chargers have been generous in the production they’ve surrendered to tight ends, and after two poor outings, it may be time for Kelce to reintroduce himself as the game’s premier TE.

WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

FLEX: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs ($7,000)

The Chargers have no qualms about allowing other teams to attempt to methodically move the ball down the field via the run. Edwards-Helaire has had three solid games since returning to action following a five-game layoff. He’s not quite the volume hog we’d like to see, but he’s proven capable of inflicting damage on the ground and through the air.

WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

FLEX: WR Jalen Guyton, Chargers ($4,800)

Guyton doesn’t receive a ton of targets, but he’s been efficient of late, catching his last seven passes and scoring two touchdowns over the past two weeks. If Guyton is forced to handle more snaps and/or targets with Williams ailing, he could be in store for another solid performance.

MORE WEEK 15 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup builder

FLEX: RB Joshua Kelley, Chargers ($800)

Kelley saw 11 touches in place of Ekeler, who went down with an ankle injury in Week 14. Ekeler logged a “DNP” in Monday’s projected practice and a “limited practice” during the Chargers’ Tuesday walk-through, so it remains to be seen if he’ll be at full strength for Thursday’s contest.