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The Buffalo Bills will be hosting the New York Giants on this week’s edition of Sunday Night Football, and on paper, this is looking like a blowout win for the home side with the reigning three-time AFC East champions currently 15-point favorites.
If that’s the case, this one might be over well before the final whistle, but daily fantasy football players can still stay in tune with the action through DraftKings’ showdown contests for the game.
Obviously, anyone trying to take down a big DraftKings Showdown GPP needs to differentiate themselves from the field, whether it be leaving thousands in salary on the table, heavily stacking an underdog or rostering a low-rostered captain (among other options).
Failing to do so can lead to players entering duplicate lineups shared with hundreds of other users, which is unideal for anyone wanting to score big and earn a solo first-place win.
The question for this game is how that will even be possible, though.
For starters, the Bills look primed to crush the Giants, and many people should be flocking to Buffalo players (and the defense in particular).
Despite a pedestrian 3-2 start, Buffalo is still third in scoring and fifth in points allowed per game. They own a three-game win streak where they outscored their opponents by 30 points an outing.
After a brutal three-interception outing to start the year versus the New York Jets, quarterback Josh Allen has been sensational with 14 total touchdowns and a 73.1 percent completion rate. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis have combined for nine touchdowns, and James Cook looks like the best running back Buffalo has had since LeSean McCoy.
Meanwhile, the defense leads the NFL with 13 turnovers, and it largely shut down the best offense in football in the Miami Dolphins en route to a 48-20 win.
And then there’s the Giants, who scored 31 points in the second half of a Week 2 contest against the Arizona Cardinals and just 31 points during their remaining four-and-a-half games of play.
Seven of those points were thanks to a Jason Pinnock pick-six (and ensuing extra point) versus the Dolphins last Sunday. Another six points occurred after a Matt Breida touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers on a 37-yard drive in which 22 yards were courtesy of a defensive pass interference.
So the Giants have scored just one offensive touchdown in those four-and-a-half games, and that one was courtesy of New York beginning a drive in field goal range.
To make matters worse, starting quarterback Daniel Jones has been ruled out with a neck injury. Backup Tyrod Taylor, who started for the Bills from 2015-2017 and led the team to its first playoff appearance in 18 years, will get the nod.
The good news for the Giants is that star running back Saquon Barkley (sprained ankle) could be back in the mix after missing three games, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
Giants are “optimistic” and “hopeful” that RB Saquon Barkley will play Sunday night after missing the past three games due to a sprained ankle, but also want to make sure there are no setbacks, per sources. But they “feel good about it”, so signs point up. https://t.co/QXALMzJ0WN
Tight end (and leading receiver) Darren Waller is also expected to go after being listed as questionable with a groin injury.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
Giants’ TE Darren Waller, listed as questionable for Sunday night due to a groin injury, is expected to play vs. the Bills, per source.
Bills’ TE Dawson Knox, listed as questionable for Sunday night due to a wrist injury, is expected to play vs. the Giants, per source
Ultimately, it may not matter what skill position players are back if a banged-up offensive line, which will be without star left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) for the fifth straight game and promising rookie center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) for the second consecutive contest, continues to struggle. The offensive line notably ranks dead-last in pass protection.
Computer Cowboy @benbbaldwin
Composite of pass protection ratings through week 5
The Patriots have been “dethroned” from their spot at No. 32 pic.twitter.com/LSXxNSZ0Ur
So where does this all leave us from a daily fantasy perspective?
If you’re brave enough to predict a massive Giants upset (or for the Giants to even keep it close), then by all means go for it. There’s no real wrong answer when making a decent enough Showdown lineup as long as it’s unique and you’re not putting fifth-string wideouts or backup quarterbacks in the lineup and hoping for the best.
The guess and recommendation here, though, is to go heavy on the Bills and try to figure out how to be a little different from there.
Rostering the obvious, high-rostered plays (quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Stefon Diggs) might just be inevitable. If you want to bench one or the other, though, it’d be hard to blame you if you’re looking for a unique way to the top.
At any rate, try to be different by putting another player in the captain slot, such as Davis, a walking touchdown machine who could be a matchup nightmare for the Giants secondary. He has an $11,700 captain salary.
It’s also certainly possible the Bills are well ahead in the fourth quarter and turn to backup running backs Damien Harris ($1,800) or Latavius Murray ($3,600) to close out the game on the ground. One can roster either player alongside starting running back James Cook for a more unique look and hope for a massive blowout. Murray in particular is intriguing as a lower-rostered play, especially with a weighty salary given his backup role this year.
Other players to watch out for include Deonte Harty ($600), who is third among wideouts in targets and just had 62 yards against the Jags.
Another idea would be to take a little-used Giants player in lineups with five Bills as opposed to ones who should still be higher-rostered like Taylor, Waller and Barkley (presuming the latter two play).
The best one to go for might be rookie Jalin Hyatt. He only has five targets on the year, but he’s turned them into four catches for 99 yards (two for 89 versus the Cardinals). The explosive big-play threat from Tennessee only needs one massive play to be viable in Showdown, especially with a low $1,200 salary.
All in all, the recommendation is to go heavy on the Bills and figure out how to shake things up from there. Picking a lineup with Allen as captain, Diggs, Davis and Cook in the flex and figuring out your last two isn’t going to make you much different than others. Try to figure out how to be a little off the beaten path and go from there.
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