Patriots vs. Seahawks Showdown Picks: 5 DraftKings Lineups, Projections & Props for Tonight

And so it begins where it all ended in last year's Super Bowl. The Seahawks kicked their way to a 12-0 lead through three quarters while Drake Maye lost his passing mojo. Kenneth Walker carried Seattle on the ground (27/135), while AJ Barner (4/54/1) was their best receiving option.

Maye We All

With the Seahawks up 19-0 with about 13 and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter, New England started to show an offensive pulse (Mack Hollins 35-yard touchdown), but a Seattle scoring interception by Uchenna Nwosu sealed the win with under 4:30 remaining. The Patriots had three turnovers, with Drake Maye passing for 295 yards, with 233 yards coming in the fourth quarter, along with two interceptions.

I expect Maye and the New England passing game to be much better than last year despite the Seahawks’ defense dominating quarterbacks across five (MIN – 0.94, ATL – 4.48, IND – 7.30, CAR – 9.86, and SF – 6.18 fantasy points) of their final six games.

Two historical-stat screenshots from the source document are not reproduced here.

Running Backs

Since last year, Seattle shipped out Kenneth Walker and replaced him with the first-round pick of Jadarian Price (32nd overall). The Patriots beefed up their passing game by acquiring A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs while parting ways with Kayshon Boutte.

The Seahawks shut down New England’s top two running backs last year (13/42), and TreVeyon Henderson won’t play in this game. Seattle’s defense allowed the fourth-lowest PPR fantasy points (328.50) to running backs, with most of their struggles coming over the first five games. Rhamondre Stevenson has the touch volume card as his friend in this matchup, and he will catch some balls and get goal-line chances.

New England finished 13th in fantasy running back defense (350.20 PPR points), but they showed more failure from Game 12 to Game 16 (30.10, 23.50, 38.20, 34.30, and 27.50). In this year’s draft and in free agency, the Patriots added minimal help on the interior of their offensive line and at linebacker. Price may not get a 20-touch workload, but he brings big-play and scoring upside, making him an attractive play on this slate.

Painted as a Fade, but That Was Then; This Is Now

Sam Darnold scored between 5.0 and 14.95 fantasy points in eight of his 17 starts last year in the regular season, with seven of those outcomes coming over their final 11 matchups. New England ranked 12th against quarterbacks (259.34 fantasy points), with four of their better games (6.72, 7.26, 5.30, and 9.38) coming over the final six weeks in the regular season.

Wide Receivers

New England held Jaxon Smith-Njigba to only four catches for 27 yards on 10 targets, helped greatly by the Patriots having a talented and now-paid elite cornerback in Christian Gonzalez. He allowed a 41.9% completion rate last year (per RotoWire), leading to 26 catches for 313 yards and two scores.

Rashid Shaheed should be better in his second year in Seattle’s offense. He brings a deep-ball skill set that can lead to a touchdown. New England held him in check last year (2/27 on five targets).

Cooper Kupp caught half of his team-high 12 targets last year, for 61 yards. The luster is gone in his fantasy profile, but he runs good routes while bringing size and experience to the table.

CB Devon Witherspoon was also paid in the offseason, and he has played well over the past three years (75 catches allowed for 814 yards and eight touchdowns on 154 targets). He has never defended A.J. Brown. The Patriots’ top wide receiver should be a great fit for their offense, and Maye will look for him in the deep passing game and in the end zone.

Romeo Doubs falls into a neutral category in the Patriots’ offense. He should benefit some in coverage with Brown on the field. Last year, Green Bay gave Doubs more one-on-one chances at the goal line, which should enhance his fantasy value in New England.

For Kyle Williams, he brings a cheat salary, and he could fit the Kayshon Boutte role in New England’s offense. His fantasy success will be driven by limited chances while needing a touchdown.

DeMario Douglas brings sneaky value if New England gives him their WR3 role out of the gate. He has a possession skill set with the wheels to beat a defense downfield if overlooked in coverage.

Tight Ends

New England was league average against tight ends last season (221.50 PPR fantasy points) while showing risk in five games (LV – 23.10, CAR – 30.20, BUF – 20.30, CLE – 25.90, and BUF – 27.00). AJ Barner scored over 14.95 PPR fantasy points in three matchups (24.30, 17.10, and 15.00). On a showdown slate, any player with a chance at a 2X outcome is live, as a touchdown should put them on the winning ticket. Barner also scored 5.00 fantasy points in five games.

Hunter Henry comes off a top-10 tight end season (60/768/7), but 29.9% of his fantasy points (178.80) at DraftKings came in two games (29.00 and 24.50). He scored fewer than 10.00 fantasy points in nine matchups, which included a streak of eight consecutive failures. Seattle ranked 23rd in tight end defense (185.90), with four offenses scoring over 15.00 PPR fantasy points from their tight ends.

Five DraftKings Showdown Lineups

These five builds come from the Sportshack Showdown model using the projections below and DraftKings salaries as supplied on Sept. 9. Captain salary and points are 1.5x. Projection is the lineup's expected DraftKings points; ceiling index is the model's upside marker for tournament sorting, not a forecast.

Position-by-Position Projections

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 9, 2026

Every number below is read directly from the Sportshack DraftKings Showdown export for this game (QB, RB, WR and TE blocks). Value per $1,000 is projected DraftKings points divided by UTIL salary in thousands. Captain salary is 1.5x UTIL. Players with no projection in the export stay listed at the bottom of each table with a status note.

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Defense/special teams and kicker are excluded because the supplied model export did not include projection blocks for those positions.

Tonight's Model-vs.-Market Prop Leans

Each lean below is an independent read of one market against the Sportshack projection. It is not a parlay. Market lines and prices were not refreshed from the production odds provider before publication (the provider was unreachable from the publishing environment), so no line or price is printed here; compare the projection with the line your sportsbook shows right now.

Drake Maye, passing yards

Sportshack projects 259.2 passing yards on about 33 attempts. Shawn expects Maye and the New England passing game to be much better than in the Super Bowl, where 233 of his 295 yards came in the fourth quarter, and the added targets of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs widen the field. The model leans over any main line that sits meaningfully below that projection; if the posted line is at or above it, there is no lean.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, receiving yards

Sportshack projects 71.7 receiving yards on 5.0 catches. Shawn's read is the Christian Gonzalez matchup: New England held Smith-Njigba to four catches for 27 yards on 10 targets last time out, and Gonzalez allowed a 41.9% completion rate last season. The model leans under a main line set in the low-to-mid 80s or higher; a line near the projection is a pass.

George Holani, rushing yards

Sportshack projects 7.3 rushing yards on 2.0 carries. Shawn's running-back section has Jadarian Price carrying Seattle's early-down work while Holani's touches skew to the passing game (2.0 catches projected). The model leans under a main rushing line in the high teens or above; if the market has already priced him as a two-carry back, there is no lean.

Hunter Henry, receiving yards (optional)

Sportshack projects 31.4 receiving yards on 3.0 catches. Seattle ranked 23rd in tight end defense last season, but Henry's 2025 scoring was concentrated in two games. A low alternate threshold such as over 14.5 yards, if a book still offers it, is a high-probability number rather than a good price at heavy juice, and it is not the main line. Against a main line in the 33.5 to 34.5 range the Sportshack projection is slightly lower, so there is no over lean there. Never mix an alternate threshold with a main-line price.

Lines and prices change. Availability varies by sportsbook and jurisdiction. Recheck the market and official inactives before kickoff.

Keep going

Compare your fantasy lineup · Explore Sportshack NFL projections · See more NFL analysis

Projections are model estimates from the supplied export and are not guarantees of performance. DraftKings salaries, player availability and sportsbook lines change through lock and kickoff; confirm each on the official source before entering a contest or placing a wager. 21+. Please gamble responsibly.