Monkey Knife Fight: Monday Night Football Picks

Monkey Knife Fight: Monday Night Football Picks

This article is part of our DFS NFL series.

After another wild NFL Sunday, we have two more games to enjoy Monday. First will be a matchup between the Titans and Bills. The second game to kick off will feature the Eagles taking on the Vikings. This football doubleheader also brings another opportunity to play on Monkey Knife Fight.

Three Game Types are offered, including "More Or Less," "Rapid Fire" and "Stat Shootout." For a full breakdown of the rules for each game, see the House Rules page. Let's dive into some of the contests within each Game Type, and discuss how things might play out.

More Or Less Contest

Let's first look at the Eagles and Vikings game with a 2/2 goal for 3.5X the prize. The two we need to pick a side on are 22.5 fantasy points for Jalen Hurts and 19.5 fantasy points for Justin Jefferson.

Hurts didn't do a ton through the air in Week 1, completing 18 of 32 passes for 243 yards and no touchdowns against the Lions. However, he dominated on the ground, turning 17 carries into 90 yards and a touchdown. He had seven games with at least 60 rushing yards last season, and he totaled 10 touchdowns on the ground. With his rushing upside, I'm leaning toward the over on his fantasy points.

Jefferson picked up right where he left off last season, torching the Packers for nine catches, 184 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. Remember, the scoring for this format is one point per reception, so Jefferson's heavy target share provides a significant boost. This could end up being a high-scoring game between offenses with plenty of weapons, so expect Jefferson to be right in the thick of all of the points.

Rapid Fire Contest

For this contest, let's look at a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize. The two options are passing yards Josh Allen vs. Ryan Tannehill (with Tannehill receiving a +60.5 yards bonus) and receiving yards Stefon Diggs vs. Robert Woods (with Woods receiving a +34.5 yards bonus).

For the passing yards, give me Allen, despite the hefty bonus for Tannehill. When these two teams met last season, Tannehill only posted 216 passing yards. In fact, he finished the regular season throwing for 220 yards or fewer 11 times. Allen threw for 353 yards when he faced the Titans and he had seven games in which he threw for at least 270 yards.

The biggest question surrounding the Bills is the ankle injury to Gabe Davis. He could miss the game, which likely would mean even more targets for Diggs. Woods caught one of two targets for 13 yards in Week 1, and he has a much smaller role than Diggs, given the Titans' run-heavy offense. Look for Diggs to outproduce Woods, even with the bonus for Woods.

Stat Shootout Contest

Going back to the Eagles and Vikings game, an interesting option with this contest is for two players to combine for over 159.5 rushing yards for 2X the prize. The first player who stands out is Hurts, with his rushing prowess already discussed. The second to roll with is Dalvin Cook, who had 90 yards on 20 carries in Week 1.

Cook only played 13 games last season but finished with at least 110 rushing yards four times. He even had a game against the Steelers in Week 14 in which he had 205 rushing yards. When he's healthy, he's one of the most explosive running backs in the league. The Eagles could be in trouble after showing some holes in their run defense in Week 1, giving up 181 yards on 28 carries to the Lions.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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