Bills vs. Texans DraftKings Showdown Perfect Lineup Featuring Josh Allen At Captain

Build the perfect DraftKings Showdown lineup for Bills vs. Texans with Josh Allen in the captain’s chair, plus strategic plays, salary breakdowns, and leverage options for Thursday night’s matchup.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) after the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Over the past couple of weeks, DraftKings Showdown contests have been low-scoring, making them challenging to handicap. On Sunday night, Philadelphia beat the Lions 16-9, creating many disappointing results for many players in the fantasy market. Five daily gamers landed on the same roster, each winning $81,000.

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Jahmyr Gibbs (22.60 fantasy points) was the best player on the night, but no skill player (RB, WR, or TE) scored enough at the backend of the player pool to beat the Eagles defense (8.00 fantasy points). There were only two touchdowns in the game. The sixth-place team ($10,000) had a solo lineup with Jahan Dotson (6.30 fantasy points) falling three yards from him scooping first prize ($250,000).

On Monday night, 20 teams developed the winning lineup, leading to $29,325 in winnings. I had a challenging time putting the pieces together, so I entered only five teams.

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The backend difference-maker was fullback Hunter Luepke, who gained a season-high 41 combined yards with three catches. All other players were identifiable and highly rostered.

The Bills are six-point favorites on the road over the Texans with a game total of 43.5.  In my Bills/Texans game preview article, I included some DraftKings prop lines with player write-ups to highlight their potential value in this matchup. Here’s a look at this week’s top skill players:

Week 12 Thursday Night Football Quarterback Projections

Shawn Childs

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (DK: $12,400)

Allen rides into Houston as the top fantasy quarterback in 2025, thanks to a dominating game vs the Buccaneers in Week 11. He passed for over 300 yards for the second consecutive start, with three passing and three rushing touchdowns. His best two games (45.70 and 50.85 fantasy points) have come at home. Allen had a floor of 21.0 fantasy points in six other games.

Shawn Childs

The Texans have the best quarterback defense in the NFL (154.00 fantasy points). They allow 190 passing yards and one touchdown per game. Quarterbacks gain only 6.1 yards per pass attempt. Only one player has passed for 225 yards or more against Houston.

• Matthew Stafford (245/1)

On a showdown slate with limited star players, Allen should have the inside track to being the captain. His salary is exceptionally high, but the lower quality at the receiving position invites more out at a fair price. The Texans allow 7.0 yards per rush to quarterbacks, suggesting some running room for Allen in this game. 

Davis Mills, Houston Texans (DK: $9,600)

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) rolls out against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at NRG Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Mills has kept the Texans’ playoff hopes alive over the past two weeks with wins over the Jaguars at home and the Titans on the road. He passed the ball 86 times in these matchups, leading to 53 completions, 564 passing yards, and three touchdowns (one rushing as well). Houston has turned more to the passing game over its last five games (49, 39, 40, 45, and 41), giving its receivers more chances to catch the ball (23, 30, 23, 27, and 26).

Shawn Childs

Buffalo sits third in quarterback defense (171.10 fantasy points). Their success has been helped by facing only 27.2 passes per game. The Bills will give up some yards to quarterbacks on the ground (38/262/2 – 6.9 yards per carry), but Mills isn’t much of a threat in that area.

• Lamar Jackson (279 combined yards with three touchdowns)
• Jets quarterbacks (153 combined yards with one touchdown)
• Tua Tagovailoa (146/2)
• Spencer Rattler (175 combined yards with one touchdown)
• Drake Maye (285 combined yards)
• Michael Penix (250/1)
• Andy Dalton (175/0)
• Patrick Mahomes (250/0)
• Tua Tagovailoa (173/2)
• Baker Mayfield (212 combined yards with two touchdowns)

Volume of pass attempts could help Mills' value in this matchup, but finishing drives with passing touchdowns could be an issue. He may only need 15.00 fantasy points to be a top-six scorer in this matchup, requiring him to deliver more than one touchdown.

Week 12 Thursday Night Football Running Back Projections

Shawn Childs

James Cook, Buffalo Bills ($11,400)

After 10 weeks, Cook is the sixth-highest scoring running back in PPR formats (183.80 fantasy points). He’s gained over 100 combined yards in 70% of his starts while delivering a floor of 20.00 fantasy points six times (21.20, 29.50, 23.80, 25.50, 36.60, and 20.40). Over the past two weeks, Buffalo has made more of an effort to get him the ball in the passing game (5/24 and 3/66/1), coming after a stretch where Cook only had one catch for 11 yards on two targets over a four-game stretch.

Shawn Childs

The Texans hold running backs to low yards per carry (3.4). They have the second-best defense in the league in rushing yards allowed (681). No running back has gained over 71 rushing yards vs. Houston. They rank seventh in running back defense (190.20 fantasy points), with backs scoring nine touchdowns.

• Bucky Irving (121 combined yards with six catches)
• Travis Etienne (16/56/1)
• Derrick Henry (15/33/1)
• Seattle running backs (121 combined yards with two touchdowns and two catches)
• Christian McCaffrey (68 combined yards with three catches)
• Travis Etienne (77 combined yards with one touchdown and two catches)

Based on his salary, Cook needs close to 23.00 fantasy points to fill his salary bucket with a 2X outcome. Buffalo has limited his snap count in his last two matchups (50% and 66%), while giving Ty Johnson more plays (45). I view him as viable, but Cook could be voted off the showdown island quickly if the pieces don’t line up in this game. If the Bills continue to give him targets, his floor should be high enough to be on this ticket with one touchdown.

Woody Marks, Houston Texans (DK: $9,200)

After 10 games, Marks is the 32nd-ranked running back in PPR formats (93.80 fantasy points), with one impact showing vs. Tennessee at home (119 combined yards with two touchdowns and four catches) and three steady outcomes in fantasy points (12.50, 15.10, and 16.10). Over the past two games, Houston had him on the field for 80% and 66% of their snaps, leading to 35 touches.

Shawn Childs

The Bills' running back defense (287.70 fantasy points) ranks 30th in the NFL. They’ve allowed 15 rushing touchdowns, with backs gaining 5.2 yards per carry.

• Derrick Henry (18/169/2)
• Alvin Kamara (15/70)
• Bijan Robinson (19/170/1)
• De’Von Achane (22/174/2)
• Sean Tucker (19/106/2)

Based on his matchup, Marks should draw plenty of attention in the DFS market tonight. He brings a boom or bust feel based on his results this year, but Houston will feature him on all three downs. 

The Texans gave Nick Chubb only nine touches over their last two contests, leading to 69 combined yards with one catch. He could get in the way at the goal line.

Week 12 Thursday Night Football Wide Receiver Projections

Shawn Childs

The length of wide receiver options tonight should highlight how difficult it will be to narrow down the backend of the player pool for this showdown slate. 

Nico Collins, Houston Texans (DK: $11,200)

Collins had worked his way to WR12 in PPR formats (139.00 fantasy points) after being more active in his last three starts (7/75, 7/136, and 9/92/1 on 36 targets). The Texans’ quarterbacks have looked his way 46 times over his previous four matchups. His only other playable outcome came in Week 3 (8/104/1 on 11 targets). Collins is still looking for his first impact game of the season.

Shawn Childs

The Bills have the eighth-best defense against wide receivers (284.90) in PPR formats. They allow 12.8 yards per catch, with wideouts scoring eight touchdowns.

• Zay Flowers (7/143/1)
• Stefon Diggs (10/146)
• Drake London (10/158/1)
• Tetairoa McMillan (7/99)
• Rashee Rice (4/80)
• Jaylen Waddle (5/84/1)

Based on the name value of the successful wide receiver vs. Buffalo, Collins should be active in this game. The Bills' defense has 26 sacks over 10 games, with 15 of those coming against the Jets (4), Patriots (4), and Panthers (7). 

More Houston Texans Wide Receivers

Here’s the snap count for Houston’s other wide receivers in Week 11: 

• Jayden Higgins (61% - 4/55 on seven targets)
• Xavier Hutchinson (53% - 3/42 on five targets)
• Christian Kirk (51% - 1/6 on four targets)
• Jaylin Noel (26% - 1/12 on one target)

Higgins is getting better, and he has scored double-digit fantasy points in two of his last four starts. Hutchinson and Noel are both capable of delivering high enough stats to work for this showdown slate.

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills (DK: $8,000)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) reacts after a touchdown on a 54-yard reception during the second half against the Carolina Panthersat Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Before last week (one catch for minus three yards), the Bills increased Shakir’s targets (24) over his previous three starts (6/88/1, 7/43, and 7/58). He’s scored between 11.00 and 21.00 fantasy points in seven of his 10 games, with five of those outcomes coming at home. Shakir has never had more than 10 targets in a game this year (nine in three matchups).

Shawn Childs

The Texans have one elite cornerback (Derek Stingley), which helps them rank first in wide receiver defense (255.40 fantasy points). They allow 12.6 yards per catch, with wideouts scoring six times. Only two wide receivers have had success against Houston.

• Puka Nacua (10/130)
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (8/123/1)

Shakir works close to the line of scrimmage, forcing him to make defenders miss to create big plays and potentially touchdowns.

More Buffalo Bills Wide Receivers

Here are other wide receiver snaps for the Bills last week:

• Tyrell Shavers (54%)
• Joshua Palmer (50%)
• Curtis Samuel (50%)
• Gabe Davis (41%)
• Mecole Hardman (7%)

Buffalo has ruled out Curtis Samuel and Mecole Hardman on Thursday night, while Keon Coleman returns to game action after getting suspended last week.

I’m a fan of two-game winning streaks for fantasy players, which puts shine on Tyrell Shavers as backend filler on this slate. I would expect Coleman to draw Stingley in coverage on many plays, giving the Bills' third wide receiver a chance at more targets in this matchup.

Week 12 TNF Tight End Fantasy Football Projections

Shawn Childs

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans (DK: $6,400)

Over the past eight games, Schultz has had at least five catches in seven matchups while averaging 7.4 targets per start. His improved opportunity lifted him to ninth in tight end scoring (105.90 fantasy points) after 10 games. He scored double-digit fantasy points in five (11.00, 18.80, 13.70, 18.30, and 11.10) of his last six contests despite scoring only once.

Shawn Childs

Buffalo has the best tight end defense (58.00 fantasy points). They’ve faced only 38 targets over 10 games, with tight ends scoring once.

• Mark Andrews (1/5)
• Juwan Johnson (3/28)
• Hunter Henry (2/46)
• Kyle Pitts (3/18)
• Travis Kelce (4/66)
• Cade Otton (2/28)

Based on his matchup and salary, Schultz should be a fade in this matchup. Cade Stover returned to game action after missing eight weeks in Week 11. He opened up 2025 with TE1 snaps (57%) for the Texans. Houston had him on the field for 20% of their plays against the Titans. His salary is dirt cheap, but Stover has scored once in his career (19 games) while never having more than four targets in a game,

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills (DK: $4,000)

Over the past two weeks, with Dalton Kincaid out, Knox had seven combined targets, leading to minimal stats (3/37 and 1/23). He has 13 catches for 178 yards and one touchdown on 21 targets this year. Buffalo had him on the field for 77% of their plays in Week 11, compared to 34% by Jackson Hawes.

Shawn Childs

Houston has the fifth-best defense against tight ends (98.70 fantasy points). They allow 9.7 yards per catch, with tight ends scoring three times.

• Cade Otton (3/25)
• Brenton Strange (6/61)
• Mark Andrews (2/22)
• George Kittle (4/43/1)

Knox isn’t the player he once was. He scored four touchdowns over his last 57 games, coming after success in this area (15 touchdowns over 30 starts) in his peak seasons in 2021 and 2022 with Josh Allen behind center.

Week 12 TNF DraftKings Showdown Captain & Lineup Strategy

Here is my game plan for tonight:

• Captain – Josh Allen
• Cook/Marks/Collins/Mills
• Cooks/Marks/Collins/Mills
• Hutchinson/Shavers/Noel/Chubb
• Hutchinson/Shavers/Noel/Chubb
• I would rotate Shakir/both kickers and defenses/Higgins

Ty Johnson and Dawson Knox could surprise with touchdowns.