The Bengals look to capture their first win of the season when they take on the upstart Commanders.
DraftKings is offering a Monday night DFS contest with the chance to win $200,000. I evaluated the game and uncovered three under-the-radar options that can help give you a crucial edge.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $600K Monday Night Showdown [$200K to 1st] (WAS @ CIN)
DraftKings Showdown Value Picks
Zach Ertz ($5,400)
The Zach Ertz redemption arc is in full swing in the nation’s capital. The 33-year-old has catapulted himself back into fantasy relevance after emerging as Jayden Daniels’ ($10,200) safety valve. For his age, he’s still got juice on his routes and is an asset on obvious passing downs.
With Terry McLaurin ($9,600) receiving the bulk of the opponent’s attention, someone has to catch the ball for Washington. Defenses will likely start to stack the box if the Commanders continue to compile yards on the ground, which means Ertz could continue to feast on targets underneath.
The Bengals‘ secondary has been shaky to start the season, and the 12-year veteran is savvy enough to continue that trend. For more DFS analysis on Ertz, check out my full piece, “Zach Ertz Start or Sit: Week 3 Fantasy Football Advice.”
Evan McPherson ($5,000)
Kickers, kickers, kickers! At this point, I’m the poster boy for the NFL’s most thankless position, but someone has to be. The two high-safety revolution has deflated offensive stats around the league and coaches have been slow to adjust their schemes. Red zone plays have never been more disastrous, which means kickers are getting an uptick in volume.
Evan McPherson buried all four of his field goals last weekend against Kansas City but split his extra-point attempts, which proved costly in the one-loss defeat. The workload opportunity far exceeds that of a traditional WR3 or RB2. It will never warrant praise from friends, but the safe option is often the ideal option.
The fourth-year pro has a cannon for a leg and can bury kicks from around 60 yards out. Against a putrid Washington defense that will give up points in droves, McPherson is the best bang for your buck.
Noah Brown ($3,200)
It’s not often there’s value in a player who swaps teams before the season, but Noah Brown is a rare exception. The 28-year-old was a casualty of too many cooks in the kitchen in Houston, but it’s not a detriment to be abandoned by the most stacked receiving core in the league.
Brown wracked up a career-high 567 yards last season across ten contests, which is nearly a 1,000-yard pace across 17 games. At 6’2′, he can be a talented jump ball threat but is refined in and out of his breaks for someone his stature. Despite changing jerseys, Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo still probably has nightmares about Brown. A year ago, the latter torched Cincinnati with seven catches for 172 yards and a touchdown in an utterly dominant performance.
Even with a massive stepdown at quarterback this time around, Brown will have a chance to make an impact.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $600K Monday Night Showdown [$200K to 1st] (WAS @ CIN)
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is xaiver-aguiar 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.
