Colts vs. Chiefs DraftKings Showdown: Captain Picks, Ownership & Lineup Strategy
Colts-Chiefs DraftKings Showdown picks with a complete Captain board, CPT ownership, FLEX evaluation and lineup construction.
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Colts-Chiefs DraftKings Showdown starts at 8:20 PM ET. Jonathan Taylor owns the clearest touch ceiling, Patrick Mahomes gives us the cleanest route to Kansas City’s passing production, and Kenneth Walker III gives us a rushing-driven Chiefs path.
CTS Showdown Board
Best Captain: Jonathan Taylor $16,500
Best Chiefs Captain: Patrick Mahomes $15,000
GPP Captain: Tyler Warren $10,800
Lower-owned Captain: Alec Pierce $11,400
Salary-saving Captain: Keenan Allen $8,400
Preferred build: 4-2, with 3-3 close behind
Captain ownership
| Captain | CPT Salary | Projected CPT Own. |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Taylor | $16,500 | 24% |
| Patrick Mahomes | $15,000 | 18% |
| Kenneth Walker III | $15,900 | 15% |
| Rashee Rice | $14,100 | 10% |
| Daniel Jones | $13,800 | 8% |
| Tyler Warren | $10,800 | 6% |
| Alec Pierce | $11,400 | 5% |
| Travis Kelce | $9,300 | 3.5% |
| Josh Downs | $9,900 | 2.5% |
| Keenan Allen | $8,400 | 2% |
| Xavier Worthy | $8,100 | 1.5% |
| Harrison Butker | $7,500 | 1% |
| Chiefs DST | $6,300 | 0.8% |
| Spencer Shrader | $6,900 | 0.7% |
| Tyquan Thornton | $5,700 | 0.5% |
| Emmett Johnson | $5,400 | 0.5% |
| Noah Gray | $4,500 | 0.5% |
| Other | Varies | 0.5% |
Captain breakdown
Jonathan Taylor $16,500
Our best Captain. A touchdown-heavy Colts game can separate Taylor from Daniel Jones while still allowing Mahomes or Walker in FLEX.
Patrick Mahomes $15,000
The cleanest Chiefs Captain because he can capture multiple touchdowns without correctly identifying the receiver. The challenge is building around him without landing on the most obvious combination.
Kenneth Walker III $15,900
Our strongest non-QB Chiefs Captain. A rushing-driven Chiefs win can make Walker the slate’s highest scorer without requiring Kansas City to fail offensively.
Tyler Warren $10,800
Our favorite GPP Captain. He is Indianapolis’ top tight end and his Captain salary leaves room for multiple premium FLEX plays.
Alec Pierce $11,400
The volatile deep-ball Captain. He can win the slot on one or two explosive plays plus a touchdown.
Keenan Allen $8,400
Our favorite salary-saving Captain when we want stars everywhere else. He is listed as a starting Colts receiver and carries no final injury designation.
FLEX evaluation
Mahomes $10,000: elite FLEX even when he is not Captain.
Taylor $11,000: premier Colts FLEX and viable in Chiefs 4-2 builds.
Walker $10,600: expensive but capable of leading the slate.
Rice $9,400: top Chiefs receiver on the current depth chart.
Daniel Jones $9,200: strongest in 3-3 and Colts-positive scripts.
Pierce $7,600 / Warren $7,200 / Downs $6,600: the key Indianapolis receiving tier.
Kelce $6,200: strong price for Mahomes touchdown access.
Allen $5,600 / Worthy $5,400: our favorite mid-range FLEX values.
Butker $5,000 / Shrader $4,600: useful in lower-scoring and stars-and-scrubs builds.
Chiefs DST $4,200: best in Chiefs-control scripts.
Thornton $3,800 / Emmett Johnson $3,600 / Noah Gray $3,000: GPP salary releases when they fit the game story.
How many from each side?
4 Chiefs, 2 Colts
Our favorite Kansas City-win construction. Taylor is the Colts player most capable of surviving even if Indianapolis trails.
4 Colts, 2 Chiefs
Best for Taylor-Captain or Warren-Captain lineups. Mahomes is the easiest Chiefs bring-back.
3-3
Our second-favorite structure and the cleanest fit for a competitive game.
5-1
Reserve it for aggressive scripts. Chiefs 5-1 works best with Walker or Mahomes Captain. Colts 5-1 should usually begin with Taylor.
Lineup scripts
Chiefs control: Walker CPT + Mahomes + Rice/Kelce + Chiefs DST or Butker + Taylor + one Colts receiver.
Back-and-forth: Mahomes CPT + Rice/Kelce + Jones + Taylor + Warren/Pierce.
Colts upset: Taylor CPT + Jones + Warren/Pierce + Mahomes + one Chiefs receiver.
GPP receiving spike: Warren or Pierce CPT + Jones + Taylor + Mahomes + two Chiefs pass catchers.
Final strategy
Captain should dictate the story. Taylor Captain wants Indianapolis touchdowns concentrated on the ground. Mahomes Captain wants multiple Kansas City passing scores. Warren and Pierce Captains need the Colts to score through the air. The best Showdown lineups are six players describing the same game.