This is a slate-specific article. If you haven’t already read my short NFL Showdown Primer, please start there for more general NFL Showdown advice.
Studs
These are the top-projected players on the slate. I'd recommend having at least three of these players in most of your lineups, either as captain or in a flex spot.
Jalen Hurts ($11,000) scored over 20 fantasy points in eight of fifteen regular season starts in 2024. Over their final three games of the 2024 season, the Cowboys gave up the eighth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The defense also traded away Micah Parsons shortly before the season.
Saquon Barkley ($11,200) averaged 22.3 fantasy points per game over 16 regular season games in 2024, the most of any running back. The Cowboys defense gave up the 14th-fewest schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game over their last three games in 2024, but could struggle to adjust to their change in personnel.
