Week 7 of the NFL season will mark the third Monday Night Football double-header this season. This will make the third of four on the year with Week 15 marking the final time we will see a pair of games to conclude the week.
The Baltimore Ravens will be traveling down to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers in the first matchup of the night. Baltimore enters as 3.5-point favorites and -192 on the Moneyline. Tampa Bay is +160 underdogs and the over/under for the game sits at 50 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
45 minutes later, the West Coast matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals is set to kick off. The Chargers are one-point favorites on the spread and -118 on the Moneyline for this game. Arizona is considered a -102 underdog while the over/under is set at 44 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
There are far more ways to get involved in the action than just traditional betting. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Football!
Ravens vs Buccaneers & Chargers vs Cardinals Pick6 Plays
The Ravens enter this matchup with a 4-2 record and are firmly on the list of Super Bowl contenders. They continue to ride the momentum of their four-game winning streak into this matchup. So far this season, Baltimore leads the league in yards and is the fourth-best scoring team.
They will face off against a 4-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, which most recently scored 51 points against the New Orleans Saints. Baker Mayfield is tied for the most passing touchdowns in the NFL before even playing his Week 7 matchup and Tampa Bay ranks third in scoring overall.
In the later game, the Chargers enter with a 3-2 record and play an old-school style of football. They have allowed the fewest points across the NFL with Justin Herbert ranking 29th in the NFL in passing attempts. Los Angeles ranks 32nd as a team in pass attempts and is 25th in scoring, but have not had an opponent score more than 20 points against them so far this year.
They will travel to face off with a 2-4 Arizona Cardinals team that is coming off a 34-13 loss to the Packers. While Kyler Murray has shown some flashes of his old self, the Cardinals rank 29th in points allowed and 28th in yardage given up on the season. If they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, this is a game that Arizona will need to find a way to win.
With the stage set, here are my top Pick6 choices for the Week 7 Monday night matchup.
Baker Mayfield More Than 1.5 Passing Touchdowns
Through the opening six games of the season, Baker Mayfield has thrown for 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Without having played his Week 7 matchup, Mayfield has attempted the 14th most passing attempts in the NFL, and with a regular workload will climb to at least the top seven in the league after tonight’s game.
The Buccaneers have found their identity as a pass-first team and allow Mayfield to air it out plenty. Baltimore has a tough defense overall but they have struggled greatly against the pass this year. They rank dead last in passing yards allowed and 29th in passing touchdowns given up on the season.
If the Buccaneers are to have any chance in this game, it will be dependent on Baker Mayfield producing at a high level. Expect him to get the opportunity to do just this and for this to result in at least a pair of passing touchdowns. The former first-overall pick has thrown for two or more touchdown passes in the past three games and four of the six on the season overall. Baltimore’s defense struggles against the pass and this is already Tampa Bay’s primary method of attack. Expect him to continue this trend and to throw for at least two touchdowns through the air tonight.
Derrick Henry More Than 85.5 Rushing Yards
The Ravens’ biggest offseason addition was signing former Titans superstar Derrick Henry. This has been a seamless fit and Henry is on track for the rushing title for the third time in his career. Without playing his Week 7 matchup, Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards with 704 on the season. Henry is averaging 117.3 rushing yards per game and also is tied for the lead with eight rushing touchdowns this year. In the past four weeks alone, he has rushed for 574 yards and five touchdowns.
While there are outrageous rushing totals, this is who Derrick Henry is. This is the most talented offense he has been a part of by a significant margin and Lamar Jackson’s rushing ability is incredibly complimentary of the physical style of the star running back. Henry has recorded more than 85.5 rushing yards each of the past four weeks and will look to continue this in this matchup.
Tampa Bay has struggled defensively this season. They rank 20th in points allowed and 27th in yards given up while ranking 24th in yards per rush attempt. Henry will be at the epicenter of the Ravens’ offensive game plan and receive the necessary carries to reach this number. The Alabama product is a big play threat with any touch and can break a long run at any opportunity. Expect the Ravens to wear down the Buccaneers defense and for Henry to record more than this total in the Monday Night matchup.
Justin Herbert More Than 196.5 Passing Yards
It has been a strange career trajectory for Justin Herbert to this point. The Oregon product was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft. Herbert has all the tools of an excellent NFL quarterback but has yet to put it together in a way that translates to team success. Jim Harbaugh was hired as head coach before the season and has changed the style of the offense drastically. This has reduced Herbert’s impact on the offense to an extent as they have become a much more run-oriented team.
Through the first four games of the season, Herbert had not completed more than 17 passes in a game or thrown for more than 179 yards through the air. Things changed last week when the Chargers faced off with the Broncos. Herbert completed 21 of his 34 pass attempts for 237 yards and a touchdown. While this run-first tactic likely will not fully change, letting Herbert free a bit more was beneficial to the offense and something the team needed.
Heading into this week against the Cardinals, this will be the key once again. Arizona ranks 29th in scoring defense, 28th in yards allowed, 23rd in passing yards given up, and 25th in passing touchdowns allowed. For the Chargers to get the victory, expect Herbert to need to make some plays through the air in this matchup. Herbert threw for more than 196.5 passing yards in 10 of the 13 games he played last year and in 16 of the 17 games the year before. Look for Herbert to be let off the leash a little more in this matchup and for him to have enough opportunities to throw for at least 200 yards.
Kyler Murray More Than 33.5 Rushing Yards
One of the early takeaways from the NFL season was that Kyler Murray looked healthy again. The former number-one overall pick and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback has battled injuries and played just 17 total combined games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. While Murray is a more talented passer than he sometimes gets credit for, it is his dual-threat nature that makes him so dynamic.
He has flashed these skills through the first few weeks and has rushed for 261 yards already this season. Murray has logged at least five rush attempts in all but one game this year. He also has recorded more than 33.5 rushing yards in four of the six games. Expect this to be a necessary tool that the Cardinals’ quarterback is forced to lean on in the Monday Night matchup.
Los Angeles has allowed the fewest points this year and has the second-best score percentage across the league. They have held opponents to the fifth-fewest yards and fewest first downs overall. Expect the Chargers to have some success in slowing down Murray and the Cardinals. His legs will be his great equalizer and he is a dynamic enough rusher that it could take him just one attempt to tally more than 33.5 yards on the ground. Trust him to continue relying on his rushing ability and for Murray to make an impact with his legs.
Trey McBride More Than 51.5 Receiving Yards
There was plenty of buzz surrounding Trey McBride entering the season as the Mount Rushmore of best tight ends is more unclear than it has been in several years. The production at the tight end position has been down across the board this season, but McBride has been on the more positive side. Through the five games that he has played, McBride has tallied 28 receptions for 271 yards. He has been targeted at least six times in every game and is coming off a season-best 96-yard performance. He trails only Marvin Harriosn Jr for the most receiving yards on the season for the Cardinals.
Los Angeles will make their impact felt overall, but they have shown some weaknesses in defending against tight ends. They allowed 89 receiving yards to Travis Kelce and 58 receiving yards to Brock Bowers already this season. While McBride might be a slight tier below these two in terms of talent, the margin is not large.
Expect McBride to continue to grow in his importance of the offense as the season progresses. He is dynamic with the ball in his hands and will receive his usual workload of targets. He has recorded more than 51.5 receiving yards in three of the five games so far this season. Expect this trend to continue and for McBride to be in the mix for the leading Arizona pass-catcher in Week 7.
Mark Andrews More Than 28.5 Receiving Yards
Speaking of tight ends, Mark Andrews finds himself on the list of names who have underperformed at the position to start the year. The 29-year-old was held without a reception in Weeks 3 and 4 which did not occur in any game he was active in 2023. The emergence of Isaiah Likely has cut into his available targets slightly and Andrews did not look fully like himself to start the year.
While it was a frustrating start to the year, Andrews is beginning to return to form. Over the past two weeks, Andrews has tallied seven receptions for 121 yards. The slow start has led the numbers to overcorrect by too much in this situation. Despite being held without a catch in two games this season, Andrews has exceeded 28.5 receiving yards three times.
Brush off the slow start to the season as nothing more than a slight blip for the three-time Pro Bowl tight end. The porous Tampa Bay defense is a great opportunity for Andrews to continue to get back on the right track. Tampa Bay allowed 62 receiving yards to Dallas Goedert, 88 receiving yards to Kyle Pitts, and 54 receiving yards to Foster Moreau over the past three weeks. Expect Andrews to be the next tight end to have success and for him to record more than 28.5 receiving yards in this matchup.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) 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.
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