Best Chargers vs. Patriots DraftKings Showdown Lineup Featuring Drake Maye At Captain

Build a winning Chargers vs. Patriots DraftKings Showdown lineup for Wild Card Weekend by featuring Drake Maye at captain and targeting high-upside DFS plays.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) reacts against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Gillette Stadium. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs is here. While our season-long fantasy football seasons may be over, there are still plenty of options in the DraftKings DFS leagues. Those options include single-game showdowns. In these matchups, you pick a captain who has their fantasy points boosted to 1.5 points for every point scored, and five flex options all from the same game. Here, we will be picking a showdown lineup for the Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots.

Captain Drake Maye, New England Patriots 

DraftKings Price: $16,200

With our captain, we simply went with the player who we expect to score the most fantasy points. We are projecting this to be a pass-heavy game on both sides, with the Patriots winning. Of course, our captain is the player who we are projecting to be the 2025 NFL MVP.  

FLEX Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) looks downfield against the Houston Texans during the second half at SoFi Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

DraftKings Price: $10,000

We expect Herbert to perform as he usually does in playoff games and big moments, which is not very good. Still, quarterbacks have the most upside, and we don't expect the Chargers' running backs to get much going on the ground against a Patriots' defense that is getting their top defensive tackle, Milton Williams, back this week. His presence has a massive impact on their rush defense. 

FLEX TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

DraftKings Price: $9,000

The only running back we went with in this Showdown is Henderson. That's because he has a ton of big-play upside and creates the possibility for us to pile up points if he can break a long touchdown off a pass from our captain, Maye. 

FLEX Quinten Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers

DraftKings Price: $7,200

Johnston has the most upside of any of the Chargers' wide receivers. He makes for a much better option than Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen in a slate like this. His ability to make big plays and score touchdowns makes him far more valuable than any low-upside possession receiver.   

FLEX Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

DraftKings Price: $5,400

There was no way to fit Stefon Diggs into our budget, so we went with Boutte, who gets both volume and has upside. We opted for him over a boom-or-bust guy like Kyle Williams, who isn't likely to see more than two targets in this game. Boutte can catch five or six passes, find the end zone, and push towards 100 yards. 

FLEX Tre Harris, Los Angeles Chargers

DraftKings Price: $2,000

We went with Harris here as both a contrarian pick and a cheap option to stack with Herbert and not overload on Patriots. You have to hit on someone who isn't in most lineups to win one of these Showdowns.