DraftKings SNF Showdown Picks Week 1: Look to the Stars

We're ending our first Sunday of the NFL season with a primetime showing between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. This longtime rivalry matchup is projected to be a close one, and looks to be a great game to end the weekend.

I'm going to be breaking down the DraftKings DFS Showdown for this game. That includes one captain who gets a 1.5x fantasy score boost, as well as five flex players to round out your lineup. Lineup-building strategy includes correlation, game script and analyzing players' projections and ownership. Let's get into it.

DraftKings SNF DFS Showdown Captain Picks | Giants vs. Cowboys

Javonte Williams | RB | DAL ($13500)

Let's start off with the Cowboys' lead back. Javonte has the entire backfield to himself now, with his only real competition for snaps, Jaydon Blue, getting waived. This makes Javonte look way better not only in tonight's game, but for the entire season. 

The Cowboys are also a favorable matchup, one that they should hopefully be playing from ahead in. Dexter Lawrence's departure from the Giants also bodes well for Williams. There are going to be a lot more gaps down the middle and more opportunities to make big plays. Javonte Projects really well point-per-dollar and matches a high floor with a high ceiling. He looks like a great option at CPT here.

Jaxson Dart | QB | NYG ($14400)

Let's look at Giants QB Jaxson Dart. The return of Malik Nabers bodes well for Dart, as his passing outlook is immediately higher with his presence on the field. It is unclear how much he will play, but according to his own words, he seems pretty healthy, which is a good sign. Dart also proved an immense rushing floor last year, providing over 7 fantasy points per game in that area last year. There are some questions about his passing due to the receiver room and the matchup. But he still has a great outlook for this game and looks like one of the better captain options.

Dak Prescott | QB | DAL ($15600)

I'm going to round off the captain picks for the game with Dak Prescott. This slate doesn't provide much in the midrange or value, so the best projected captain plays all fall at the top of the board. Dak is coming off of a top-five passing season in 2025 and has shown massive ceilings with 350+ yards and 4+ touchdowns. 

He doesn't provide much of a rushing floor, so getting there passing is what he's got, and he does a great job at it. He's got two reliable top receivers in George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, who provide him a good floor in the passing game. Dak looks like a good captain pick here, with good options to stack him with at the flex.

DraftKings SNF DFS Showdown Flex Picks | Giants vs. Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb | WR | DAL ($10800)

For flex picks, I'm first going to mention the Cowboys' top receiving option. He is the top-priced player on the whole showdown, and it's for good reason. CeeDee has been the Cowboys' top option for years now and has been a very reliable fantasy option in those years. 

George Pickens has given him a run for his money, especially in favorable matchups, but CeeDee no doubt remains the more reliable option for this Cowboys offense. Lamb is always one of my favorite options to target on Cowboys SDs, due to his safe target floor, and big-play upside. I like getting to him here when possible.

Brandon Aubrey | K | DAL ($5400)

With all of these spend-ups looking good, we are going to need to get value somewhere. Skill position value is thin, so let's look at the kickers. Brandon Aubrey has been arguably the best kicker in the entire NFL the last five years, and the Cowboys are confident in giving him opportunities to score points. 

Aubrey projects well here, with his implied two field goals and three extra points. His ceiling is also there. Aubrey getting to 15+ fantasy points would be a shock to no one. He provides an outlook that is very good at kicker and looks like a great option here. He is going to be highly owned, however. So weigh that how you'd like in GPPs.

Najee Harris | RB | NYG ($2000)

Let's round off the flex plays by mentioning the Giants' backup RB. Harris joins the Giants off a very steady start to his career with the Steelers. He has been a reliable option for them for many years, and comes to New York trying to provide some depth at the RB position. 

Reliable value pieces are immensely thin here, and Harris is popping into a lot of optimal lineups as the preferred option down there. That does mean he is going to carry some ownership, but I think I'm OK with that. He provides a floor and has a ceiling if he gets hot. I am also not a Cam Skattebo fan here, so that makes this Harris click feel even better for me.

Wet a great rivalry matchup here for this Week 1 Sunday Night Football game. A lot of the production is going to come from the top on both sides. But as we have seen in the past with both of these teams, they like to rotate a lot of players in and out and give many guys looks. There are many players to take shots on here, and the right one making the right play can be the winning factor for you. Good luck, and let's end off our first NFL Sunday of the season strong!