Perfect Vikings vs Chargers DraftKings Showdown Lineup Features Shocking Captain Pick

On Monday night, there was $500,000 well within reach in DraftKings' Monday Night Special. There were three free squares (Jahmyr Gibbs – 39.80, Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 29.30, Amon-Ra St. Brown - 20.60) in fantasy points. In addition, Cade Otton and Dalton Schultz were identifiable pieces based on their salary cap relief and my research. By featuring the best defense as a fair price point ($2,700), there was only a three-slot jockey between QB, RB2, and WR3.

Week 7 Monday Night Football DraftKings Showdown Winning Lineup — DraftKings

Asaffar took home the top prize, but other lineup options would have scored more points.

Tez Johnson ($4,200) and Cade Otton ($3,700) outscored Woody Marks ($5,200) and Sterling Shepard ($4,500). The best lineup would have been Johnson (15.80 fantasy points) over Marks (12.50) and Otton (13.50) starting at flex over Shepard (8.50).

Six teams entered the best quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end combination of players, but they chose to start Seattle’s defense (9.00), 9.00 fewer fantasy points than the Houston Texans’ defense (18.00). They picked up $7,583.34 for their efforts, but had a sleepless night.

On Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings travel to Los Angeles to play the Chargers. In my Vikings/Chargers game preview article, I included some DraftKings prop lines with player write-ups to highlight their potential value in this matchup.

The Chargers are five-and-a-half-point favorites in this home matchup with a game total of 44.5. Here’s a look at this week’s top skill players:

Week 8 TNF Quarterback Fantasy Football Projections

Week 8 TNF Fantasy Football Quarterback Projections — Shawn Childs

Heading into Week 8, Justin Herbert is the sixth-best quarterback in fantasy points (161.25) in four-point passing touchdown formats. He’s passed for over 300 yards in three matchups (318/3, 300/1, and 420/3) while attempting over 40 passes in three contests. He has yet to score on the ground, but Herbert (30/186) is on pace to set new tops in rushing attempts (73) and rushing yards (452), helping his floor in fantasy points.

From Week 4 to Week 6 (@NYG, WAS, and @MIA), the Chargers gained only 5.9 yards per pass attempt, leading to four passing touchdowns and three interceptions.

2025 Quarterback Fantasy Point Stats — Shawn Childs

The Vikings rank third in fewest fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks (104.35), with the top two teams playing one fewer game. Jalen Hurts only needed 23 passes last week to beat Minnesota’s defense for 326 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Vikings' defense ranking was helped by a favorable quarterback schedule over their first five games.

Caleb Williams (210/1)
Michael Penix (135/0)
Jake Browning (140/1)
Aaron Rodgers (200/1)
Dillon Gabriel (190/2)

Carson Wentz has taken a beating over the last four games (14 sacks and numerous hard hits). He is a much better quarterback when not under duress, which starts with a better run game and a favorable passing position after a first down gain. Wentz has been under pressure on 46.7% of his 167 drop-backs.

Week 8 Fantasy Football Sleeper: Carson Wentz, Minnesota Viking — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) makes a pass during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Despite his short passing window, Wentz averaged almost 300 yards passing over his last three starts (350/2, 236/1, and 313/0) while completing 66.4% of his 122 passes.

The Chargers sit 13th against quarterbacks (133.50 fantasy points), helped by facing only 139 passes over their last five games.

Las Vegas Raiders (180/0)
Denver Broncos (153/1)
New York Giants (119/1)
Washington Commanders (231/1)
Miami Dolphins (231/1)
Indianapolis Colts (288/2)

The Vikings’ receivers will test Los Angeles’s secondary in this matchup. Last week, the Colts moved the ball well on the ground (5.2 yards per carry) and via the pass (8.5 yards per pass attempt).

Week 8 TNF Running Back Fantasy Football Projections

The running back options on tonight’s slate only have a couple of live options. Nyheim Miller-Hines will be active for tonight’s game, with Hassan Haskins ruled out. He brings a pass-catching profile with a dirt-cheap price. The Chargers should have him on the field for at least 5% of their plays unless they activate another running back from their practice squad before the game. If Miller-Hines can score close to 10.00 fantasy points, he will be a live backend filler on tonight’s stakes, as his salary cap relief will allow game managers to squeeze in one more good player.

Zavier Scott has been battling a wrist issue this week, putting him in questionable mode for tonight’s game. The Vikings could also activate Aaron Jones, or even give Cam Akers RB2 snaps if Scott can’t play. Jones is fully priced, so he’s off my team builds. Based on his low salary ($1,500), Akers could be viable if Scott is ruled out.

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (DK: $8,600)

Mason didn’t have a rushing prop line at DraftKings when I was doing my game preview research. He has a touchdown in three of his past four games (four total) while offering one winning DFS outcome in Week 3 (16/116/2). Mason rates the best of any skill player tonight based on his projections matched up with his salary and the Chargers’ struggles against the run.

2025 Running Back Fantasy Point Stats — Shawn Childs

Los Angeles has allowed 5.1 yards per rush to running backs, with eight touchdowns. Over the past three games, these running backs have had the most success:

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (150 combined yards with two touchdowns and two catches)
De’Von Achane (16/128/2 with four catches for 22 yards)
Jonathan Taylor (132 combined yards with three touchdowns and three catches).

Mason has a low floor in catches, but his volume of touches could be high in tonight’s matchup, depending on who the Vikings have active at RB2.

Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $7,000)

Over the first seven games this season, a Chargers running back has scored over 20.00 fantasy points in three games.

Week 3 (Omarion Hampton – 139 combined yards with one touchdown and six catches)
Week 4 (Omarion Hampton – 12/128/1 with five catches for 37 yards)
Week 6 (Kimani Vidal – 18/124 with three catches for 14 yards and one score)

Los Angeles had Vidal on the field for 65.7% of their snaps over the past two games, leading to 34 touches with 173 combined yards, one touchdown, and seven catches. His opportunity should be higher in tonight’s game, even with the Chargers expected to rotate in a second running back.

The Vikings rank fifth in running back defense, while allowing 4.2 yards per rush and three touchdowns on the ground to backs. These running backs have had the most success:

Bijan Robinson (22/143 with three catches for 25 yards)
Kenneth Gainwell (19/99/2 with six catches for 35 yards)
Quinshon Judkins (23/110 with one catch for 18 yards)

Minnesota held Saquon Barkley to 44 yards rushing last week on 18 carries.

Vidal falls in a favorable salary range, but he will still need a touchdown to land on the winning DFS ticket in this matchup.

Week 8 TNF Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Projections

At first glance, rostering two Chargers’ wide receivers with Justin Herbert almost makes sense based on the salaries of their wideouts and ceiling potential. Justin Jefferson almost brings a due factor in scoring, making him the fourth piece to the start of my roster. I also want to mix in Jordan Mason due to his matchup. This combination of players has me punting the captain spot, with minimal options viable to produce a productive outcome.

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $7,600)

Week 8 Fantasy Football PPR Must-Start Wide Receiver: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Charger — Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) makes the touchdown catch against the New England Patriots in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Coming into 2025, McConkey was expected to bring a 100-catch floor, with winning value in receiving yards and touchdowns. His season started with four dull showings (6/74, 5/48, 4/41, and 1/11), but Justin Herbert upped his targets (31) over his last three matchups (5/39/1, 7/100/1, and 9/67). He is now on pace to catch 90 passes for 923 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, McConkey gained 14.0 yards per catch, so he is trailing in this area this season (10.3 YPC). I sense a correction game coming.

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $7,800)

After seven games, Allen is the eighth-best fantasy wide receiver (11/119/1). He brings a chain-mover skill set with improved value in scoring (four touchdowns) this year. Justin Herbert looked his way 14 times in Week 7, and Allen responded with a season high in receiving yards (119) and catches (11). Game flow led to Los Angeles attempting 55 passes vs. the Colts.

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $8,000)

Johnston was the Chargers' most dynamic wide receiver over the first four games (5/79/2, 3/71/1, 6/89, and 8/98/1). He gained 15.3 yards per catch. Other than a touchdown last week, the Chargers struggled to get him the ball downfield in Week 5 (4/40) and Week 7 (2/30/1) while missing Week 6 with a hamstring issue. His explosive profile, combined with his improved scoring, keeps him alive on a short-game slate.

2025 Wide Receiver Fantasy Point Catch Stats — Shawn Childs

Three wide receivers have gained over 100 yards against the Vikings.

DK Metcalf (5/126/1)
AJ Brown (4/121/2)
DeVonta Smith (9/183/1)

Minnesota had success defending Drake London (3/49) and Ja’Marr Chase (5/50), though Jake Browning's poor play hurt the latter. Rome Odunze had six catches for 37 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings (DK: $11,800)

Jefferson has had a floor of 75 receiving yards in five consecutive games while posting his best results under the guidance of Carson Wentz (10/126, 7/123, and 5/79). He hasn’t scored in five consecutive games while averaging 88 yards and 8.7 targets (10.7 over his last three starts).

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings (DK: $7,400)

Since returning to the Vikings, Addison gained over 100 receiving yards in two of his three matchups (4/114, 5/41/1, and 9/128). He’s averaging 8.7 targets, the same as Justin Jefferson.

Five receivers have gained over 90 yards against the Chargers.

Marquise Brown (10/99)
Courtland Sutton (6/118/1)
Deebo Samuel (8/96/1)
Jaylen Waddle (6/95)
Alec Pierce (5/98)

Week 8 TNF Tight End Fantasy Football Projections

Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $5,800)

Gadsden has only played in five NFL games (5/46, 2/16, 1/4, 7/68, and 7/164/1). The Chargers had him on the field for 77% of their plays over the past two weeks. He’s caught 78.6% of his 28 targets (5.6 per game), with an improved target opportunity in Week 6 (8) and Week 7 (9).

The Vikings rank sixth in tight end defense (34/262/2 on 45 targets), while facing the Bears (3/43), Falcons (4/37), Bengals (9/58/1), Steelers (5/26), Browns (10/80/2), and Eagles (3/18).

TJ Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (DK: $4,800)

Hockenson could be the most interesting player on tonight's showdown slate due to his lack of luster this year. He ranks 19th in tight end fantasy points (50.60), with only one playable outcome (Week 3 – 5/49/1). He has six catches in back-to-back starts, but gained only 6.75 yards per catch.

Los Angeles allowed four touchdowns to tight ends, with 27 catches for 271 yards on 39 targets. Only seven teams gave up more fantasy points (78.10) to tight ends in PPR leagues. Travis Kelce (2/47/1), Theo Johnson (3/17/1), Darren Waller (2/12/1), and Tyler Warren (4/69/1) posted the best fantasy days.

Week 8 Thursday Night Football Perfect DraftKings Showdown Lineup

Here's my perfect lineup for tonight's showdown: