The Chicago Bears are set to host the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football to begin Week 7 in a battle between first-round QBs from the 2024 NFL Draft. Will Caleb Williams or Drake Maye emerge as the better NFL DFS showdown play on DraftKings?
Showdown is a single-game DFS contest on DraftKings, where you’ll have a $50,000 salary to select a captain and five flex players to complete your roster. The captain’s salary and points are multiplied by 1.5x, while the flex players’ salaries and points are normal.
With that in mind, which players build a perfect showdown lineup between the Patriots and Bears?
All stats used in this article are from PFF or Sumer Sports unless stated otherwise. DraftKings uses full-PPR scoring in its DFS contests, so keep that in mind when making lineups.
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots ($1,100 Salary)
After scoring fewer than 13.0 DraftKings points in each of his first three starts in 2026, Maye has tallied at least 23.8 DraftKings points in three straight. During that span, Maye is back to playing at an MVP level, posting the most adjusted EPA/play (0.49) and the highest success rate (55.9%) among the 21 QBs with 100-plus plays since Week 4.
The Bears surrender the eighth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to QBs (+2.0) entering Week 7.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears ($9,800 Salary)
Kyle Monangai has been ruled out for Thursday’s game, paving the way for D’Andre Swift to lead the charge for the Bears again. Even with Roschon Johnson getting more work in Week 6, Swift found the end zone twice en route to 23.0 DraftKings points in the win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots are weaker against the run, ranking 24th in rushing EPA (-0.07) and 13th in dropback EPA allowed (0.01) this season.
A.J. Brown, WR, New England Patriots ($9,000 Salary)
Drops and an injury have plagued A.J. Brown to begin his time with the Patriots, but I’m not sold that he’s completely forgotten how to play football. Despite multiple drops against the New York Jets, Brown still led New England’s offense with 10 targets in Week 6.
The Patriots would be wise to get Brown lined up across Jaylon Johnson often, as Johnson is permitting the 10th-most fantasy points per route run (0.35).
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots ($6,600 Salary)
DeMario Douglas has emerged as a reliable slot target for Maye this year, and he could see even more usage with Romeo Doubs on injured reserve. Douglas has notched at least 20.6 DraftKings points in back-to-back weeks.
With the Patriots constantly altering the backfield roles for Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Corey Kiner, I’d much rather target their aerial attack.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears ($6,400 Salary)
Colston Loveland fantasy managers rejoiced in Week 6, watching the second-year TE produce a season-high 18.5 DraftKings points. Loveland now has 11.7 or more DraftKings points in two of his last three starts.
Although the Patriots have slowed down TEs this season, Loveland is moved around often in Ben Johnson’s offense to get him advantageous matchups.
Eli Raridon, TE, New England Patriots ($2,200 Salary)
Hunter Henry remains a solid option at TE, but rookie Eli Raridon continues to show flashes in his first year in the NFL. Raridon has earned three-plus targets in back-to-back weeks, and he logged 10.7 DraftKings points in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
With Doubs sidelined, the Patriots could elect to operate out of 12 personnel (two TE sets) more.
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