For the second straight week, the NFL has a Monday Night Doubleheader on tap to finish out the week. Week 3 has already had some thrills and surprises in addition to some truly historic performances. What do Monday night’s two games have in store to put a bow on the week?
The first game features a matchup of two undefeated teams from the NFC as the 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles head south to take on the surprising 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The later game features the desperate 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals, who need a win as they face the 1-1 Los Angeles Rams, who have proven to be much more exciting and dynamic than expected coming into the season. The huge storyline in the late contest is the status of Joe Burrow ($6,600; calf), who is questionable and expected to be a game-time decision. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Eagles are five-point road favorites, and the Bengals are two-point home favorites. Both games have much healthier totals than last week’s Monday night matchups, so we should get more points put up in this doubleheader than last week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.5M Monday Night Special [$500K to 1st] (MON)
Quarterback
Stud
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $8,000 — Whether Burrow plays or not, Hurts is the best QB option if salary is no issue. He had 13.5 DKFP in Week 1 in a win against the New England Patriots and was even better last Thursday in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. He ran for a pair of touchdowns in that contest and totaled 26.22 DKFP. He hasn’t even thrown for 200 yards yet but has averaged 19.9 DKFP due to his rushing production.
The Bucs gave up 344 passing yards to the Vikings in Week 1 and even gave up over 200 passing yards to the struggling Justin Fields. Hurts should be able to post his best game of the season since the Bucs struggle especially against the deep ball, where Hurts excels. Tampa Bay has allowed the highest passer rating in the NFL and the highest adjusted completion rate on deep passes this season, so Hurts should be able to get back on track through the air in this matchup. His rushing potential gives him both the highest ceiling and the highest floor of the QBs on Monday night’s slate.
Value
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, $5,600 — If you’re spending on stars in other spots, Stafford can save you some serious salary. He has thrown for over 300 yards in each of the first two weeks, producing 17.46 and 18.98 DKFP.
Those numbers have plenty of room for growth, though, with only one passing touchdown. He has also faced fairly tough defenses in each of his two divisional matchups in those weeks. Last week against the elite San Francisco 49ers D, he still had over 300 yards passing, although he did have to throw the ball 55 times. Coach Sean McVay obviously trusts the veteran to air it out, though, and he should have the opportunity to excel again in this matchup. He doesn’t typically run around as much as Hurts, especially near the goal line, but his salary is so much lower that he may end up being a key to unlocking stars in other spots on your roster.
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Running Back
Stud
D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $5,800 — If you watched last week’s matchup against the Vikings or had the misfortune of facing Swift in Week 2, you know just how high his ceiling can be in this Eagles’ offense. The offseason acquisition from Detroit exploded for over 30 DKFP with 175 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries after getting just a single carry in Week 1.
Part of the huge jump in workload was due to the absence of Kenneth Gainwell ($4,900), who missed last week’s game but does not have an injury designation. With Gainwell back, Swift will likely have to share the backfield to some degree. Boston Scott (concussion) has been ruled out, so it will just be Gainwell and Swift splitting most of the work. How the workload is divided is one of the keys to the slate, but after his massive performance, it’s hard to see the Eagles going totally away from Swift.
If you are looking for a safer play, Rachaad White ($5,900) is the clear go-to option for the Bucs and has a higher floor, but I’m not convinced he has nearly the ceiling of Swift. He also has a much tougher matchup against the Eagles’ defense.
Other Options – Joe Mixon ($6,300), Rachaad White ($5,900),
Value
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, $5,700 – Williams has been a huge part of the Rams’ early-season success, emerging as the go-to option in the backfield and displacing Cam Akers so thoroughly that the Rams shipped Akers to Minnesota. Williams will be backed up by Ronnie Rivers ($4,000) after the trade, but Williams has been a true three-down back for Los Angeles so far this season.
In Week 1, Williams ran for 52 yards and two scores against the Seattle Seahawks for 17.4 DKFP and followed that up with 28.0 DKFP against the tough 49ers’ defense. In his Week 2 matchup, he again scored two more touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and hauled in six catches for 48 yards while rushing for exactly 52 yards for the second straight week. His roles in the passing game and near the goal line make him one of the top options on the board, and getting him at this salary seems like a bit of a bargain. His average of 22.7 DKFP per game is the highest of all RBs available on Monday night, but he’s only the fourth-most expensive play. Of the teams in action, the Bengals have also been the most generous to opposing RBs this season.
Other Options – Kenneth Gainwell ($4,900), Sean Tucker ($4,100)
Wide Receiver
Stud
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, $6,400 — Nacua has been a PPR beast this season while filling in for the injured Cooper Kupp (hamstring), who will be eligible to return in Week 5. Until then, Nacua should continue to get plenty of targets. In Week 1, the fifth-round rookie had 15 targets and finished with 10 catches for 119 yards. In Week 2, he was even better with 15 catches on 20 targets for 147 yards. His 24.9 and 33.1 DKFP are incredibly impressive, especially when you consider that he hasn’t even scored a touchdown yet.
Nacua is dealing with an oblique injury and is listed as questionable for a second straight week, but coach Sean McVay said that he expects Nacua to be able to play. Double-check his availability before kickoff, but as long as he’s playing he should be a great option to build around. We know how sustainable Kupp’s production was in this same role, and Nacua is having a breakout campaign while stepping in.
Other Options – DeVonta Smith ($7,300), Mike Evans ($6,300)
Value
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $5,700 – Godwin tied for the team lead last week with eight targets and had five catches for the second straight contest to begin the season. His teammate Mike Evans ($6,300) went off for 171 yards and 32.1 DKFP but Godwin matched his target total and only had one fewer catch. Evans got loose for a 70-yard score, his second of the season while Godwin hasn’t found the end zone yet. The opportunities are there for him in this offense, and Baker Mayfield ($5,500) is looking his way often enough to make him a play worth considering.
Godwin has at least five catches in 17 straight games dating back to last season, and his consistent 10.8 and 10.1 DKFP show he has a high floor. There’s the potential for much better numbers if it’s his turn for a big play this week. The Eagles have actually been the best matchup for opposing WRs on this slate, so both Evans and Godwin are viable options to consider. The game script could also lead to plenty of throwing for the Bucs if the Eagles jump out to an early lead as they did in both of their games this season. The Patriots attempted 54 passes in Week 1 against Philly, and the Vikings had 44 pass attempts last week. If there’s that kind of volume in play for the Bucs’ receivers, both Evans and Godwin have high ceilings, and since Godwin is cheaper and expected to have lower ownership, he’s definitely worth a look under $6K.
Other Options – Tutu Atwell ($5,000), Tyler Boyd ($3,500)-better if Burrow is active, Olamide Zaccheaus ($3,000)
Tight End
Stud
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $4,800 – Goedert has the highest ceiling of the TE in play on Monday night, and he gets a pretty good matchup against the Bucs, who gave up 11 catches and 67 yards to tight ends in Week 1. They did hold the Chicago Bears’ tight ends in check last week, but that seems to be more the Bears’ ineptitude than the Bucs’ defense.
Goedert had a nice bounce-back in Week 2 after being held catchless in the season opener. He had a team-high six catches on seven targets against the Vikings, and even though he only had 22 yards it was a good step in the right direction. Goedert and Hurts are usually a nice combo, and his 17.9% target share indicates that if Hurts breaks out of his early-season yardage slump, Goedert should be one of the main beneficiaries.
Other Option – Tyler Higbee ($4,400)
Value
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles, $3,000 – On the other side of that early game, Otton is a great value TE to consider. He hauled in all six of his targets for 41 yards in Week 2 and is matched up against the Eagles, who have given up the most DKFP to TEs in the first two weeks of the season. Part of that is due to the volume of passes against them and facing the Vikings and Patriots who both heavily rely on TEs, but it also means there should be chances there for Otton. The second-year TE out of Washington has a solid 76% route-run-per-dropback rate with a 13.2% target share. If the Bucs throw a lot, Otton should have a good chance to return value.
Other Option – Drew Sample ($3,000)
Defense/Special Teams
Stud
Eagles D/ST at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $3,300 – The Eagles have already forced six turnovers in their two games this season with four sacks and a defensive touchdown as well. They’ve averaged 11.0 DKFP per contest despite giving up plenty of yards and points as teams have tried to rally from behind. This unit can still make the big plays that you want from your fantasy defense, and they should have a chance to continue that trend against Mayfield and the Bucs.
Value
Rams D/ST at Cincinnati Bengals, $2,800 – Whether it’s Burrow or Jake Browning ($5,000), the Rams are my favorite bargain defensive play of the night. They have yet to force a turnover but do have three sacks and actually did a pretty decent job holding the 49ers offense in check until late in their game last week. Facing the inexperienced Browing or the limited Burrow should be enough to make them a stronger play than the Bucs against the Eagles’ excellent offense.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.5M Monday Night Special [$500K to 1st] (MON)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Z.Thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
