Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs take on Travis Hunter and the Jaguars on Monday Night Football this evening, in what should be yet another exciting primetime clash. Both teams have won their past two games, and both find themselves just one win from tying for the No. 1 spot in their respective divisions.
Of course, when there's fan and betting interest, there is also often fantasy football interest. That's no exception with this primetime AFC clash, as the DFS single-game contests for this one have been seeing a flurry of activity. We're here to help you optimize your lineups and close out Week 5 with some DraftKings and FanDuel prizes.
Will we see Xavier Worthy (Q, ankle), and if so, will he continue to light it up like he did in his 120-yard season debut last week? What kind of production can we expect from Travis Kelce? Is Jags running back Travis Etienne going to continue racking up points, or will Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. start stepping their game up for Jacksonville?
You have questions, and The Sporting News has answers. Check out our favorite DFS picks and optimal lineups for GPP tournaments below. Let's make some money!
Click for our full group of fantasy football weekly rankings to help with your DFS decisions.
Jaguars vs. Chiefs NFL DFS picks: Optimal DraftKings Showdown lineup
➕ Sign up for DraftKings to play Showdown cash and GPP contests.
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 | Tyquan Thornton, WR | Chiefs at JAX | $7,800 |
| FLEX | Patrick Mahomes, QB | Chiefs at JAX | $11,800 |
| FLEX | Brian Thomas Jr., WR | Jaguars vs. KC | $10,200 |
| FLEX | Travis Etienne Jr., RB | Jaguars vs. KC | $9,800 |
| FLEX | Hollywood Brown, WR | Chiefs at JAX | $7,000 |
| FLEX | Brenton Strange, TE | Jaguars vs. KC | $4,600 |
Captain: Tyquan Thornton, WR, Chiefs ($7,800)
We're inviting a bit of volatility here, and admittedly, this is a boom-or-bust strategy.
However, look at the balance, depth and collective high ceiling of our squad with Thornton at Captain. If Xavier Worthy (ankle) can't suit up tonight, making Thornton our Captain could be a tournament-winning lineup decision.
Thornton had 31 combined PPR points in the past two games in which Worthy was inactive. The Jaguars also rank among the 10 most generous defenses to opposing wide receivers. A stat-line of five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown — like the speedster had in Week 3 — and we'll be off to the proverbial races to go cash in a winning ticket.
FLEX 1: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs ($11,800)
Mahomes seems like a no-brainer addition in this one. The two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP has been very busy through four games, attempting 37 or more passes three times and running for 57-plus yards twice. He put up over 35 fantasy points in KC's Week 4 dusting of the Ravens, and he combined for 52 in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Chargers and Eagles. Oh, and he's 5-0 lifetime against Jacksonville.
Mahomes is 30 now, but he's still a beast, and he's doing whatever's needed to help Andy Reid's squad win until Rashee Rice gets back from his suspension. With how uninspiring the Jags' defense has played — they let both Jake Browning and Brock Purdy score 21.7 fantasy points — you can't leave Mahomes off your roster this evening.
FLEX 2: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars ($10,200)
It's only a matter of time before BTJ enjoys his sophomore-season breakout. Nobody with as dominant a rookie campaign as Thomas all of a sudden turns into a dud the entire follow-up season. The talent is there, and so are the targets, so we simply have to believe the production will follow in a game that should feature plenty of passing.
FANTASY TOOLS: Player Stats | Transactions | Depth Charts | Injury Reports
FLEX 3: Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jaguars ($9,800)
Etienne has been nothing short of incredible this season, with 426 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. If not for James Cook's smoldering September, the Jags back might have been the AFC Player of the Month. Yet, somehow we're able to scoop the talented 26-year-old for under $10K!? Sign us up!
The Chiefs have surrendered nearly 5.7 yards per touch to running backs this season, and they've also allowed four running back scores. If this game features as much offense as we think, ETN will be working early and often to move the chains for Liam Coen's team.
FLEX 4: Hollywood Brown, WR, Chiefs ($7,000)
Hollywood has taken over as the old reliable receiver for Kansas City, putting up similar game-by-game numbers as fellow veteran DeAndre Hopkins in his 2024 Chiefs campaign. Hopkins is in Baltimore now, Rashee Rice remains suspended, Xavier Worthy is banged up, and Travis Kelce is slow. That gives Brown a solid floor and ceiling.
Brown caught 19 of his 27 targets over the first three weeks of the season. Even with the X-man back last week, Hollywood caught three passes and scored a touchdown. Patrick Mahomes trusts this guy, and that's about all you need to know to realize he's a value at $7K in a game with an over/under of over 45 points.
FLEX 5: Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars ($4,600)
Is DraftKings even paying attention!? This price tag seems, well, Strange. The young tight end has scored 22.6 PPR points over the past two weeks, and now he's facing a Kansas City D that let washed-up Mark Andrews catch 7-of-8 targets in Week 4. Lock Brenton into your final flex spot and let's get Strange.
MORE: How to play DFS
Jaguars vs. Chiefs NFL DFS picks: Optimal FanDuel single-game lineup
➕ Sign up for FanDuel to play cash and GPP single-game contests.
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 | Travis Etienne Jr., RB | Jaguars vs. KC | $17,700 |
| FLEX | Patrick Mahomes, QB | Chiefs at JAX | $13,800 |
| FLEX | Brian Thomas Jr., WR | Jaguars vs. KC | $12,600 |
| FLEX | Hollywood Brown, WR | Chiefs at JAX | $7,800 |
| FLEX | JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR | Chiefs at JAX | $6,000 |
| FLEX | Hunter Long, TE | Jaguars vs. KC | $2,000 |
Like our DraftKings lineup, this FanDuel squad feels balanced, deep and high-ceiling. Etienne in a half-PPR yields more value in the MVP spot, and Mahomes' 22.4 PPG pairs with him well as a solid foundation.
We'll still likely need BTJ to deliver to give us a shot at jackpot money, and we'll probably need 2-3 touchdowns and some decent total yardage from our last three flex players. Brown and Smith-Schuster each scored last week, and Long has two TDs over his three games this season. It's a bit boom-or-bust, but fortune favors the bold in DFS!
TOP FANTASY PICKUPS: Week 6 waiver wire