Last night turned out to be quite the season-opener — spitting, lightning storms, first-half scoring bonanza, and three-point second half. What!? Tonight should be a fun encore, as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the reigning AFC-champion Chiefs take on the division-rival Chargers in Saõ Paolo, Brazil.
Most of you already know the deal with this column: we highlight the players we feel help comprise the most optimal lineup for DFS single-game contests. That means one fantasy football lineup for DraftKings Showdown contests, and one lineup for FanDuel single-game tournaments. Quick and easy, just like that second half last night (jokes!).
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We won't see Rashee Rice tonight, but plenty of other offensive studs will grace us with their presence. Along with superstars Mahomes and Kelce, Kansas City also has a rising star in Xavier Worthy, who balled out in a major way in Super Bowl 59. The Chiefs also have a healthy Isiah Pacheco, who can be quite dangerous on the field and in DFS. And let's not forget about Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, and Omarion Hampton for LA.
The points should be plentiful in this primetime neutral-field affair, so it should be no surprise to anyone that the Friday night DFS tournaments have been generating plenty of interest. If you're getting in on the action, check out our optimal lineups for DraftKings Showdown and FanDuel single-game contests below.
Chiefs vs. Chargers NFL DFS picks: Optimal DraftKings lineup
Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're full-point PPR, and they feature 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.
POS. | PLAYER | TEAM/OPP. | SALARY |
| Captain | Xavier Worthy, WR | Chiefs vs. LA | $13,500 |
| FLEX | Ladd McConkey, WR | Chargers vs. KC | $10,600 |
| FLEX | Patrick Mahomes, QB | Chiefs vs. LA | $10,000 |
| FLEX | Omarion Hampton, RB | Chargers vs. KC | $6,400 |
| FLEX | Keenan Allen, WR | Chargers vs. KC | $6,400 |
| FLEX | Tyquan Thornton, WR | Chiefs vs. LA | $1,200 |
Captain: Xavier Worthy, WR, Chiefs ($13,500)
The last two times the nation saw Worthy, he put up 22.1 DK points in the AFC Championship Game vs. Buffalo and 38.7 in the Super Bowl vs. Philadelphia. His entire second-half of the season was bananas, though, and now he's in a big divisional game with Rashee Rice suspended and Travis Kelce still slow. Fire up the X-Man in your Captain spot.
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FLEX 1: Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers ($10,600)
The foundation to our DFS house has been built by young wide receivers. McConkey was an absolute animal last season, averaging a hair under 17 DK points per game on the season. His playoff performance against the Texans, however, showed us what his ceiling can be: nine catches for 197 yards and a touchdown. That's 37.7 points! More of that, please, young Ladd.
FLEX 2: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs ($10,000)
Mahomes is not nearly as lethal as he was five years ago, but he's still friggin' Patrick Mahomes. And who better to lead his squad in a neutral-field divisional contest than the greatest QB post-Brady? This feels like a nice little stack with Worthy, and we're happy with the floor and ceiling that we get from our QB (he averaged 19.6 DK PPG last season and had a single-game high of 31.1 in the AFC title game vs. Buffalo).
FLEX 3: Omarion Hampton, RB, Chargers ($8,000)
Ferguson checks in as our top sleeper of this contest, coming in at a modest $5,200 despite the fact that he's arguably the third-best offensive weapon in Dak's war chest. With Lamb and George Pickens on either side for Dallas, Ferg should have plenty of open opportunities across the middle in a game that involve plenty of Cowboys passes.
FLEX 4: Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers ($6,400)
Allen has gone home to presumably finish out his career, and it couldn't be a better fit for him. Justin Herbert needed a trusty second receiver opposite McConkey, and Allen still has enough in the tank to fill that role. The Chiefs were below average in terms of limiting opposing wideouts last season, and LA will likely need to score a bunch to beat the reigning AFC champs, so Allen at $6,400 feels like a bargain.
FLEX 5: Tyquan Thornton, WR, Chiefs ($1,200)
We went a little stars-and-scrub here, but Thornton yields plenty of upside as a speedy wide receiver in a Chiefs offense missing the suspended Rashee Rice. At worst, he's a 0.0 in an otherwise stellar lineup. At best, he booms and we end up winning some jackpots on Friday night.
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Chiefs vs. Chargers NFL DFS picks: Optimal FanDuel lineup
Here are the key scoring settings for FanDuel single-game tournaments: They're half-point PPR with three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, or 100 receiving yards. The MVP pick multiplies that player's total by 1.5 and, for the first time, the MVP pick also costs 1.5 times that player's salary.
POS. | PLAYER | TEAM/OPP. | SALARY |
| MVP | Xavier Worthy, WR | Chiefs vs. LA | $17,400 |
| FLEX | Patrick Mahomes, QB | Chiefs vs. LA | $13,200 |
| FLEX | Ladd McConkey, WR | Chargers vs. KC | $12,200 |
| FLEX | Keenan Allen, WR | Chargers vs. KC | $8,400 |
| FLEX | Omarion Hampton, RB | Chargers vs. KC | $6,400 |
| FLEX | Tyler Conklin, TE | Chargers vs. KC | $2,400 |
We took a similar approach with our FanDuel lineup, only we had to cut Thornton and go with veteran Chargers tight end Conklin as our sleeper at the end of our roster. The upside is still there, and it's worth noting that Kansas City gave up the second-most half-PPR points to tight ends last season.
Let's just hope for a big passing game from both QBs, as we have geared both DFS lineups toward a pass-heavy narrative. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the second game of the 2025 NFL season!