NFL DFS Week 9 Sunday Night Football Showdown Playbook: Tennessee Titans vs Kansas City Chiefs
TENNESSEE TITANS vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
- Spread: Chiefs -13.5
- Open- 47.0
- Live- 45.5
- Titans- 16.0 implied total
- Chiefs- 29.5 implied total
Good afternoon, Family! Are you ready for some Sunday Night Football? What better way to end your week than an NFL DFS Showdown on DraftKings and FanDuel? We have a good one tonight with an AFC Intraconference matchup between the AFC West leading Kansas City Cheifs (5-2) and the AFC South leading Tennessee Titans (5-2). This is one of the marquee games of Week 9 as Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs come in as big 13.5 favorites, but King Henry (Derrick Henry) and his army of Titans invade Arrowhead with something else mind. This showdown game has playmakers on both sides who can set your DraftKings and FanDuel Showdown lineups up for success. The Chiefs are led by the top QB/TE combo in the NFL – Mahomes and Travis Kelce while the Titans lay claim to Henry, one of the best runners in the game. There is a full rundown of players and suggestions below and you can always take a look at our Weekly Match-Up Report and use NFL DFS Tools like our DFS Lineup Generator (a.k.a. the DFS lineup optimizer).
First, from the words of our fearless leader at Fantasy Alarm, Howard Bender:
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, often, 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, now let’s get to tonight’s action.
Weather
- Temp: 56 degrees
- Humidity: 70%
- Precipitation: 0%
Notable DFS Injuries
Tennessee Titans
- Ryan Tannehill, QB- ankle (Q)
- Tory Carter, RB- neck (OUT)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Jerick McKinnon, RB- shoulder (P)
- Mercole Hardman, WR- heel (P)
- Jody Fortson, TE- quad (OUT)
2022 DVOA Defensive Rankings:
Tennessee Titans
- Vs Pass: 15th
Vs Run: 1st
Kansas City Chiefs
- Vs. Pass: 26th
Vs. Run: 17th
KEY STATS
Points Per Game
- TEN- 18.9
- KC- 31.1
Points Against Per Game
- TEN- 19.7
- KC- 24.6
Yards Per Game
- TEN- 285.8
- KC- 403.3
Yards Against Per Game
- TEN- 343.9
- KC- 369
**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.
DFS CAPTAIN/MVP
Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
Mahomes is the FanDuel MVP play and will be a popular Captain for DraftKings cash games. He is averaging 25-26 fantasy points on both sites, and we all know that this is a pass-first offense. The Titans are ranked 27th in points allowed to WRs and have allowed four of their seven opponents to post 300-plus passing yards. Oh, and this is prime time where Mahomes shines (3-0 this season with a 9:1 TD:INT ratio).
Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans)
Remember when they were saying that Henry was in a career regression after Week 2? Enough of that talk as King Henry has single-handedly taken the Titans on a five-game winning streak with an average of 25+ touches and 130+ yards from scrimmage in that span. Just keep in mind that if you roster the King at Captain you need to believe that the game will remain competitive all night.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (Kansas City Chiefs)
Smith-Schuster is one of my favorite GPP Captain plays tonight. After a slow start, he has become the big-play receiver that the Chiefs envisioned in the off-season. He has now posted back-to-back 20+ fantasy point games and while the Titans may be solid against the run, they have a leaky secondary. At only $12.6K on DraftKings in the top spot, Smith-Schuster makes a nice contrarian value play tonight and will allow more firepower in the Utility spots.
Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)
Kelce continues to be Mahomes security blanket with one of the highest floor/ceiling combos in all of football. If Mahomes is in your lineup, you will need the Kelce handcuff as he has caught 12-of-15 red zone targets with 7 TDs- the most in the NFL. He also has double-digit fantasy points in every game played with 15+ in his last four. Pretty safe to say that Kelce will be in the optimal winning lineup tonight.
DFS UTILITY/FLEX
Malik Willis (Tennessee Titans)
It is just reported that Ryan Tannehill is still out and Malik Willis will get his second start. The Titans do come in as heavy underdogs which will force Willis to throw the ball and the good news here is that the Chiefs are allowing the most points to the QB position in all of football. Willis was a big runner in college and it would not be surprising to see him take off for 100+ yards rushing and a score or two.
Harrison Butker (Kansas City Chiefs)
With the issues in the Titans secondary we should see Mahomes and the Chiefs moving the ball downfield at ease and that means plenty of opportunities for the veteran Butker. He is 12-12 in XP but doesn’t get a lot of field goal opportunities (3-5; 62 LFGM) but that may change tonight. Great low-priced cash play.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Kansas City Chiefs)
MVS is another Chiefs receiver that is getting more comfortable with Mahomes as the season progresses. This is the team's home run hitter that has double-digit fantasy point games in two of his last three with a big 111-yard receiving game against San Francisco in Week 7. GPP play only as he is boom or bust but if MVS turns the burners on it could be a big night against this weak secondary.
DFS VALUE Plays
Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs)
I love Pacheco and his price tonight. He drew the start in the last game and during the Week 8 bye he continued taking first-team reps in practice. If the Chiefs register a blowout tonight Pacheco could produce a big fantasy game as it seems that he gets more work in Chiefs onslaught games. Yes, this is a three-man RB rotation with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerrick McKinnon but when your potential lead back is the most explosive of the group and only $2.4K on DraftKings it makes you pay attention.
Dontrell Hilliard (Tennessee Titans)
Hilliard is the sneaky value play tonight with the Titans probably playing in a negative game script. If the Titans fall back early Hilliard could get quite a bit of work catching passes out of the backfield since they will be forced to pass. Hilliard already has three receiving touchdowns on the season and has run a route on 38% of dropbacks.
DFS DARTS
Cody Hollister (Tennessee Titans)
This is a low passing volume offense, but Hollister sits at the minimum $200 on DraftKings yet ran a route on 57% of dropbacks last game. You could do a lot worse than Hollister (especially with Kyle Phillips on the IR) at that price and he helps the rest of your lineup fall right into place.
Austin Hooper (Tennessee Titans)
Hooper is dirt cheap on both DraftKings and FanDuel and he faces a Chiefs defense that is ranked 25th in points allowed to opposing tight ends. Whether it is Willis or Tannehill they will be passing, and Hooper can serve as the red zone threat (if they get that far) and security blanket. At his dirt-cheap salary, Hooper is worth a shot in some tournaments since all it takes is one catch in the end zone and he has busted his value to pieces
DRAFTKINGS CASH CORE
Patrick Mahomes
Harrison Butker
Marquez Valdez-Scantling
FANDUEL CASH CORE
Patrick Mahomes
Malik Willis
Harrison Butker
Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!