Dak Prescott and the 8-3 Cowboys look to continue their strong recent run this weekend as they host the 4-7-1 Colts behind interim coach Jeff Saturday. Dallas enters the weekend as whopping double-digit home favorites, and we admittedly won’t be touching the 10.5-point spread with a 10.5-foot pole. But we will, however, be building a DraftKings Showdown lineup for this game, looking to bring in some much-needed cash ahead of the holiday season.
Life is good for Cowboys fans right now. Dallas has won two of its past three games and four of its past five, and now its No. 1 pass-rush gets to set its sights on veteran Matt Ryan and the most-heavily sacked offense in the NFL. It could be a long day for the former Falcon and future Hall-of-Famer, even if he gets a little help from reigning rushing champ Jonathan Taylor and 2021 breakout receiver Michael Pittman.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
As for the Cowboys offense, life is good on that front as well. Prescott has been ‘two thumbs up’ since returning from his broken thumb, spreading the ball all over the field and making pass-catchers CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Dalton Schultz consistently fantasy-relevant again. Running backs Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott, meanwhile, remain the best 1-2 backfield punch in the NFL — Indy’s stout defense will be put to the test with this powerful offensive nucleus.
WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Regardless of the projected score, there will be plenty of star power in this game for DFS enthusiasts to utilize when assembling lineups. Lets’ dive into our DraftKings Showdown squad, and explain our reasoning behind each pick.
Before we get into our picks, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They’re 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
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$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): RB Tony Pollard, Cowboys ($12,300)
Since we spend 1.5 times our Captain’s cost in order to get their 1.5-times boost, we’re playing it safe and going with who we feel will be the top PPR RB this weekend in Pollard. The fourth-year back has enjoyed a breakout season, averaging a robust 16.7 DK points and regularly touching the ball 20-25 times per game. The Colts have an above-average pass defense, but they have surrendered the 14th-most DK points per game to RBs this season. This feels like a tremendous upside pick to make in a format that gives you three-point bonuses for 100-yard rushing performances — Pollard has exceeded 100 ground yards three times, and Indy has surrendered 313 combined yards over its past two games. We will shoot right to the top of most DFS tournaments if Pollard even flirts with 40 fantasy points like he has in two of the Cowboys’ past four games. And the best thing is, we still have $37,700 to fill out our remaining five spots.
FLEX QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($10,200)
Now we have the two best fantasy commodities in Dallas, in my opinion, with Prescott averaging 17.1 DK points per game and exceeding 20 points in three of the past four weeks. With Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, and his offensive line all healthy, and the Cowboys running game excelling, Prescott has been relieved of the pressures we have seen him experience in tough times. He looks confident and composed in the pocket, and could take Dallas back to the promised land if Odell Beckham Jr. indeed ends up in Arlington. Indy has a strong passing defense in the red zone, but has allowed QBs to rush for four TDs. You can’t go wrong with this pick — it’s as safe as chicken soup on game day.
FLEX RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts ($10,000)
Look at this stacked squad we are building — oooweee, you good lookin’! JT has looked much better as of late than he did early in the season, and Jeff Saturday has clearly made it a personal mission to get the reigning rushing king the rock as much as possible. In each of the Colts’ past three games, Taylor has logged at least 23 touches, 84 ground yards, and a TD. The Cowboys are tough to score on via the rush, but you can certainly move the ball on them through the ground. They have allowed the 10th-most rushing yards and eight-highest opposing yards per carry average in the NFL. Matty Ice will be handing off early and often to take the heat off his unprotected butt. Don’t leave many lineups JT-less this Sunday night.
FLEX RB Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys ($7,800)
We got ourselves an old-fashioned Cowboys ball-handling monopoly, here! By securing Pollard, Prescott, and Elliott, we have given ourselves a very good chance to benefit from most — if not all — of the Cowboys’ touchdowns this Sunday evening. The Colts are a tough team to score on via the pass — they have allowed just 13 TD passes in 12 games — but they have allowed the sixth-most rushing TDs in the NFL. Running backs have scored nine total TDs against Indy, and again, Indy has allowed 313 combined ground yards over its past two games. Grab Zeke and hope both he and Pollard eat!
FLEX TE Dalton Schultz, Cowboys ($5,800)
Here’s a guy I expect to be one of the playoff MVPs if he can stay healthy. Prescott has a genuine rapport with Schultz, as evidenced by their two TD connections on Turkey Day. Even the strongest and toughest front-sevens have trouble containing the big, burly tight end. He runs crisp routes, rarely ever drops balls, and always serves as one of the most potent red-zone threats for one of the league’s best offenses. Indy has surrendered the eighth-most TDs to the tight end position this NFL, and that ranking might get worse after this weekend.
FLEX WR Alec Pierce, Colts ($3,800)
We finish our lineup with rookie Alec Pierce for $3,800, and leave with $100 to spare for the Salvation Army kettle. Pierce has been one of Matt Ryan’s favorite targets this season, so naturally the rook fell into obscurity when Sam Ehlinger briefly took over the signal-calling duties in Indy. But with Saturday ruling the roost on Sundays now, Matty Ice will be the man for at least the remainder of the season so we can expect more Pierce looks. He has 10 targets over the past two games, and oddsmakers project Dallas to run away with this one so expect a healthy amount of passes. It’s a dart throw, but that’s what happens in your final roster spot when your first five players are studs. We won’t need much production here, so don’t worry about the optics of the ‘punt.’ I’d rather have one strong play and one weak one at the back-end of my roster than two mediocre plays.
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