Thursday Night Football is back and with it brings the start of Week 2 NFL DFS and a fantastic match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. We spent the entire summer discussing how we wanted to be invested in the AFC West for both seasonal fantasy football and DFS, so now’s your chance. Both teams are loaded up with talent and with Vegas giving us a game total of 54, we expect some high-flying action throughout the night.

The Chargers will be without Keenan Allen, but that doesn’t mean they’re sunk as you’re going to have a few wide receivers we’ve used in DFS in the past who should provide you with some solid points at a bargain cost. As for the Chiefs, we saw Patrick Mahomes hit nine different receivers during Sunday’s game, so picking the right one for Thursday’s Showdown Slate will be paramount to your cashing.

Are you amped up? Are you ready? We are!

Now before we begin, for those who are new to the process, please take a moment to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into by playing single-game Showdown Slates. We love to have some skin in the game, for sure, but these slates are, for all intents and purposes, a lottery ticket. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but, more often than not, you need to hit on that random dart-throw that differentiates your lineup from that of the herd in order to claim the top prize. As a result, we encourage you to play responsibly and not over-invest. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll, and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK. Lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

 

 

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Spread: Chiefs -4

O/U: 54

Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the high-70s w/ winds blowing SSE at 10mph

Notable Injuries:

Los Angeles Chargers

Keenan Allen, WR – hamstring (out)

Donald Parham, TE – hamstring (out)

J.C. Jackson, CB – ankle (questionable) 

Kansas City Chiefs

Trey Smith, RG – ankle (questionable)

Harrison Butker, K – ankle (out)

2022 DVOA Defensive Rankings

Los Angeles Chargers

  • vs Pass: 3rd 
  • vs Run: 18th  

Kansas City Chiefs

  • vs Pass: 21st 
  • vs Run: 13th 

**Please note that players not listed below are not necessarily a complete fade and any player listed can certainly be used as the MVP/Captain. These are merely suggestions for players to use when setting Showdown lineups.

MVP/Captain

Patrick Mahomes, QB KC – All those people who said Mahomes was going to stink because he didn’t have Tyreek Hill anymore are all doing what right now? Exactly. Feeling like complete jerks. Mahomes is Mahomes. He’s incredibly talented and has the ability to extend plays with his legs, giving him ample opportunities to find his receivers downfield. Doesn’t matter if it’s Tyreek or some mid-level ham-n-egger, Mahomes is going to deliver the football and put up fantasy points. It’s a tougher-than-normal match-up, but when people start doubting him, that’s when he is most dangerous.

Justin Herbert, QB LAC – How do you not love Herbert and want to get him into your captain’s seat? He was everything you needed him to be last week, throwing for 279 yards with three touchdowns against the Raider and now tangles with the Chiefs. The pass-rush might be a little better here in Kansas City, but the coverage in the secondary is about the same as it was with Las Vegas. In four games against Kansas City, Herbert has averaged 282.5 passing yards per game and has a 10:2 TD:INT. He should enjoy yet another shootout with Mahomes this week.

Travis Kelce, TE KC – He remains the top target for Mahomes and if you were even remotely concerned, just look to last week where it took Mahomes a whole five minutes to find his favorite target in the end zone. Eight catches and 121 yards later, the No. 1 tight end was showing you why he is still the No. 1 guy. Kelce has faced the Chargers 15 times in his career and has 77 catches for 878 yards and four touchdowns. While that touchdown count might be a little low, keep in mind that they have all come in the last five meetings and Mahomes was his quarterback for each one of those scores. 

Mike Williams, WR LAC – The Chiefs don’t have anyone to shadow Big Mike, so while they may float some extra safety coverage his way, you can still expect Williams to deliver the goods this Friday. Forget about Week 1. It doesn’t even matter. New game, new opponent. Williams has two 100-yard efforts and three touchdowns over his last three match-ups against the Chiefs and with no Keena Allen, his target share is likely to skyrocket this week.

Mid-Tier

Austin Ekeler, RB LAC – While he may be listed down here, you can certainly consider Ekeler for your captain seat in this match-up. The Chiefs allowed 62 receiving yards to running backs last week and have proven to be vulnerable to the outside rushing and receiving work of running backs when their edge rushers over-commit. While his yardage numbers have been mediocre over the last three meetings, he does have touchdowns in each of them.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR KC – While Kelce saw the most targets among all Chiefs pass-catchers last week, JuJu led all receivers with eight and turned them into six catches for 79 yards. We suspected he would be the No. 1 receiver for Mahomes this season and that was proven there as Andy Reid had him lined up all over and Mahomes eyes routinely followed where he was going. The Chargers have a strong secondary, but if J.C. Jackson misses another game here, JuJu could have himself quite a day.

Mecole Hardman, WR KC – While everyone was flipping out about Skyy Moore, it was me telling you to focus on Hardman. There’s a familiarity between him and Mahomes that cannot be ignored. Sure, he only caught three passes for 16 yards last week, but he was targeted six times and did find his way into the end zone. If you’re stacking any Chiefs into your lineup, Hardman saves you salary and still gets attention from his quarterback.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB KC – Let’s not get crazy and think that CEH is going to catch another two touchdown passes this week. We’re much more sensible than that. What we do know is that he is the lead back in this offense and gets the early-down work between the tackles. He’s like a little pinball, bouncing off linemen every which way and cutting through the holes his offensive line creates for him. The Chargers allowed just 64 yards on the ground last week, but they also weren’t really tested as the Raiders fell behind and turned to the pass more. The Chiefs will give it a go this week and see if they can’t find some success on the ground as well.

Joshua Palmer, WR LAC – With Keenan Allen sidelined, it will be Palmer who lines up in the slot and takes over for the usually-reliable veteran. Palmer stood out last year as he showed he could line up both in the slot and on the outside. That kind of versatility is much-needed and while Herbert won’t pepper him with the same targets Allen usually sees, he should still see a ton of passes come his way both downfield and underneath.

Gerald Everett, TE LAC – I had been championing Everett as a sleeper tight end throughout the summer and when he found his way into the end zone last week, I was quite the proud papa reading all the thank-you’s from everyone. After all, we love Coop, but who’s the OG Tight End Whisperer? His target share is likely o increase with the absence of Allen, so if you’re looking for a cheap alternative in your lineup who has touchdown upside, look no further.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR KC – If we’re looking for target distribution, MVS came in as the fourth-most targeted pass-catcher during Week 1’s throttling of the Cardinals. He responded well catching all four passes for 44 yards, but more is definitely on the horizon. MVS slots in as the deep threat for Mahomes, the guy who can stretch the field and gain separation when he finds himself in one-on-one coverage. When the two start connecting regularly, it’s going to be lights-out, so if you’re looking for that home run threat, this is it.

DeAndre Carter, WR LAC – The diminutive speedster will now slot in as the Chargers No. 3 receiver and he’ll be looking to repeat his Week 1 performance when he grabbed three balls for 64 yards and a touchdown. He’s probably close to being a dart-throw, but if he’s getting more snaps in three-receiver sets, he could find his way into another productive game at a very cheapo price.

Dart Throws

Jaylen Guyton, WR LAC –He’s a deep threat who can stretch the field and a guy we’ve seen Herbert air it out to in the past. He probably won’t see more than a small handful of targets, but when he makes a catch, it’s usually for big yards and a touchdown.

Isiah Pacheco, RB KC – He was used heavily during last week’s blowout, but could still find his way into some of the pass-catching work out of the backfield this week. Yes Jerick McKinnon still lingers, but if I’m throwing a dart, trying to catch lightning in a bottle for a Showdown lineup, Pacheco is the guy I want to lean on.