DraftKings SNF Showdown Picks Week 4: Jahmyr Gibbs Is the Captain Now

We’re ending off our weekend with a Sunday Night Football contest between the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions. The Panthers are 3.5-point dogs at home here. The game has a relatively high total of 51 and has the potential for an exciting shootout.

I'm going to be breaking down the DraftKings DFS showdown for this game. First, I'll highlight some players that I want to target in the captain spot, who get a 1.5x fantasy-point boost. High-upside players are who I want to target here, and the lower the ownership, the better. I will then break down some flex position plays that I like to round out your lineups. Let's dive into it.

DraftKings Week 4 SNF DFS Showdown Captain Picks | Panthers vs. Lions

Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | DET ($18000)

Jahmyr Gibbs is far and away the most optimal captain option. He’s the highest-priced player on the showdown, which is no surprise. He also comes in as the best projected points-per-dollar play on the showdown. This makes him look great in the captain spot, and getting to him is worth sacrificing your flex positions a bit.

Gibbs is a clear lock at captain in cash games. GPPs is a different story, as getting a lower-owned player who hits his ceiling can win you a tournament. He is still totally fine at captain in GPPs, though, even with what will be pretty high ownership. He has been superhuman to start the year, with 37.3, 23.3 and 41.4 fantasy points in his first three games of the year. A true matchup-proof bell cow.

Jared Goff | QB | DET ($15,000)

The next player I like in the captain spot is Jared Goff. Even with Gibbs being the best fantasy running back in the league, the Lions' passing attack still presents immense upside in every game they play. Goff captain lineups are going to set up for a build that really favors the Lions here. If you think the Lions win by a good amount, this is a good route to go. You can play Gibbs in the flex, as well as get to one of Amon Ra or LaPorta. Goff has been steady to start the year, with his best performance coming in Week 2 with 4 passing TDs on 327 passing yards.

Darren Waller | TE | CAR ($6600)

The last captain I’m going to mention, who also provides some nice salary relief, is Darren Waller. Waller is projecting well on a points-per-dollar basis here, and allows some nice flexibility to get up to both QBs, and Gibbs, in the flex. Waller has been very productive to start the year, and has been specifically mentioned as a key target in the red zone. Last week against the Browns, he totaled five receptions on eight targets for 51 yards.

DraftKings SNF DFS Showdown Flex Picks | Panthers vs. Lions

Bryce Young | QB | CAR ($9800)

Bryce Young and the Panthers have shocked a ton of people to start the season. They are starting to earn respect and seem to have found something on the offensive end. Bryce has been great to start the season, having 285+ passing yards in each of the team's first three games. We know Bryce has the ability to use his legs, too, which provides a little boost to his fantasy floor. He’s got enticing pieces to stack with in Tet McMillan, Jalen Coker and Darren Waller.

Sam Laporta | TE | DET ($6600)

I like Sam LaPporta here as a nice mid-range piece. He’s a good play to stack with Goff, without having to go all the way up to Amon-Ra and spend a ton of salary. LaPorta gets a better position matchup here, too, as the Panthers have been good against wide receivers. If they keep that up, we could see the Lions need to depend on LaPorta a bit more here. LaPorta has had 4+ receptions and 40+ yards in each of the season’s first three games. He has been very involved, and if he finds the end zone, he could be in for a big game against the Panthers

DFS Value Picks for Panthers vs. Lions SNF Week 4

The bottom of your lineups is going to depend on how you allocate salary up top. There are going to be many lineups that get to three or four spend-ups and grab a minimum-priced player. I think this is an OK route to go in cash because of just how good the spend-ups are. We just saw Jaleel McLaughlin get a touchdown at the near minimum on our last prime time slate, so anything can happen. I like to always play players with floors, however, so the lowest that I will go is Carolina TE Tommy Tremble ($2400). The Panthers' backup TE will be on the field a good amount and has been super involved thus far to start the season.

And, as always, the kickers are always good, safe options. Jake Bates ($5000) and Ryan Fitzgerald ($4800) have good floors, and all it takes is a couple FGs for them to fall in a winning lineup. Waller, as mentioned in my caption picks, is also a great option in the flex. He will carry some ownership, which is OK.