Chiefs vs. Falcons DFS Picks: Best DraftKings, FanDuel lineups and props for SNF primetime showdown

Another loaded weekend of NFL action wraps up with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the reigning-champion Chiefs visiting Kirk Cousins and the Falcons on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). 

Kansas City has started its quest for the league's first-ever three-peat the right way, going 2-0 out of the gates with close wins over the Ravens and Bengals. The Chiefs have lost Hollywood Brown (shoulder) and Isiah Pacheco (fibula) to injury, though, so rookies Xavier Worthy and Carson Steele will need to play prominent roles this evening. 

The Falcons, meanwhile, got punched in the mouth by Pittsburgh in Week 1 but rebounded nicely with a comeback win over the Eagles on Monday Night Football. Bijan Robinson remains the focal point of Atlanta's offense, but the chemistry between Kirk Cousins and receivers Darnell Mooney and Drake London turned some heads in the primetime stunner.

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Everyone knows the big household names in this one. But you need some sleepers and strategy if you want to win a single-game DFS contest, especially if you're eyeing a jackpot prize in a large tournament. To succeed in the daily fantasy showdown market, you'll need to target value picks and develop some lineup variance.

We also love constructing lineups that mirror the game narrative that we expect to see. Tonight, we like the defending champions to win in primetime (big surprise!), but we don't think it's a runaway by any means. There could also be some lesser-known names popping on the box score, thanks to recent injuries, new coaches, and fresh rapports. 

Keep reading to check out our optimal lineups for the Chiefs vs. Falcons in DFS showdown and single-game contests on DraftKings, FanDuel, and SuperDraft.

Chiefs vs. Falcons NFL DFS picks: Optimal DraftKings lineup

Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're full-point PPR, and they feature three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player's original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.

Captain: Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs ($12,300)

You might have heard of this fella. He dates a pretty big pop star and has a pretty cool brother. He also happens to be the best pass-catching tight end in the history of the NFL. And, oh yeah, he likes the limelight of nationally-televised games. In 47 career primetime games, he has scored 27 touchdowns. 

Kansas City also just lost its bruising young workhorse of a running back in Isiah Pacheco, and fresh-faced starter Carson Steele has a grand total of nine carries in his young NFL career. One thing Patrick Mahomes knows and trusts in the red zone is Killa Trav.

Whether it's a screen pass, a cross-route, or a fade, Kelce should be targeted early and often when KC reaches the Dirty Birds' goal line. Atlanta has surrendered the 11th-most DK points to tight ends through two games, so the big guy's first big game of the season could finally be upon us. Enjoy the 1.5-times boost at a pretty affordable rate.

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FLEX: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs ($10,000)

We love lineup variance, but not enough to keep Mahomes off our roster. He's the best in the biz, the most unfazed by the primetime lights, and a no-brainer stack with Kelce at Captain. The Falcons have given up the eighth-most DK points to the QB position this season, so we're not overthinking this one. 

FLEX 2: Kirk Cousins, QB, Falcons ($9,000)

Cousins looked rusty in his Falcons' debut two weeks ago — and during the majority of his performance against Philly on MNF — but the final drive in that comeback win over the Eagles reminded us that Cousins can still cook. Gone are the days that this dude chokes in primetime — he has now won four of his past five night games!

And, no offense to Chris Jones and company, but Kansas City has been pretty generous to opposing QBs since losing stud cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to free agency. Only one team has allowed more DK points to QBs than the Chiefs (it's the Commanders, in case you want some useless DFS bar trivia). 

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FLEX 3: Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons ($7,000)

Sorry to reference "Brokeback Mountain," but Kyle Pitts, I can't quit you. The Falcons tight end, still just 23 years old, has yet to recreate the magic he made in his rookie campaign three years ago. But two weeks with Kirk Cousins has given his true fans a bit of hope.

Pitts has hauled in 6-of-7 targets for 46 yards in a touchdown so far this season. That's good for TE7 in fantasy (somehow), and he should see more volume and opportunity as Cousins kicks more and more of his post-injury rust off his 36-year-old frame. Remember that tight ends T.J. Hockenson, Kyle Rudolph, Jordan Reed, and Vernon Davis have all enjoyed career seasons with Kirk. You like that!? Let's do this!

FLEX 4: Darnell Mooney, WR, Falcons ($6,200)

Mooney showed off his ability to separate and break away after the catch on Monday, erupting for 88 yards and a touchdown on just three catches. Whoa, Nelly — that sure wasn't happening as much as he would have liked in his dog days as a Chicago Bears receiver.

Cousins clearly trusts the veteran in big-play situations — he played a crucial role in the A's game-winning fourth-quarter drive. Mooney might not come this cheap in single-game formats again this season. 

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FLEX 5: Samaje Perine, RB, Chiefs ($5,400) 

Everyone in season-long fantasy formats clamored to the waiver wire to gobble up Carson Steele after Isiah Pacheco's injury. But what if it's not Steele but rather Perine who enjoys the biggest boost in usage and production?

Perine has the experience, he's a better pass-catcher, and he has a career average of 4.0 yards per carry (Steele's YPC through two games: 3.0). We don't know for sure that Perine will explode, but we feel like Perine's floor at $5,400 yields better value than Steele's ceiling at $6,400. 

Chiefs vs. Falcons NFL DFS picks: Optimal FanDuel lineup

Here are the key scoring settings for FanDuel single-game tournaments: They're half-point PPR with three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, or 100 receiving yards. The MVP pick multiplies that player's total by 1.5 but does not cost 1.5 times their listed salary.

Our FD single-game lineup construction basically mirrored our strategy on DK, only we put Mahomes as our MVP since FD's scoring system makes QBs a bit more valuable and we get the 1.5-times boost without paying 1.5 times the set salary like on DK. 

We checked all three boxes in terms of our core weekly guidelines:

• Put the player we project to score the most points in the MVP spot, since it doesn't cost us extra to get that 1.5-times boost. 
• Stack the top QB with his top playmaking receiver (Kelce). 
• Target multiple high-volume plays and a couple high-ceiling sleepers.

Mooney and McCloud should run plenty of routes and see plenty of targets in a game Atlanta is projected to lose by a score of about 25-22. Cousins won't go out without swinging, so watch for his speedy wideouts to have some opportunities for home runs.

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Chiefs vs. Falcons NFL DFS picks: Optimal SuperDraft lineup

For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.

Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, and two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards. SuperDraft lineups feature no D/ST position. The "Champ" position adds a 50-percent boost to the selected player, while the SuperFlex positions are limited to the boost listed for each player. 

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We wanted to mix it up a little bit on SuperDraft so we didn't have all our DFS eggs in one basket. We still like Mahomes in the Champ spot and can't pass up stacking him with Kelce, but we added rookie speedster Xavier Worthy to the mix since he has an attractive 1.9x boost. 

Pitts and Perine — two upside plays with decent red-zone appeal — seem like very strong values with these boosts. Plus, with no salary cap, we want to have as much variance as we can get without taking on too much volatility.