Week 7 offers up a rare Monday Night Football double-header. To kick things off, the Buccaneers will take on the Lions in a potential postseason preview. For the nightcap, it’s an intriguing inter-conference matchup is on tap between the Texans and Seahawks.
Neither of these games are lacking in star power. With that being said, primetime games often come down to little-known names stepping up. Here are two Monday night bargain plays fantasy football managers should consider in all DFS contests.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $1.5M Monday Special [$500K to 1st] (Mon)
WR Tez Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($4,200)
Tampa Bay’s wide receiver room has been plagued by injuries recently. Heading into this weekend, the Buccaneers will be without Chris Godwin (ankle). Fellow wide receivers Mike Evans (hamstring) and Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) are both questionable. Even if one of those two is active, there should be plenty of targets up for grabs in this offense. It helps that Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield ($6,600) is capable of feeding multiple players on this loaded offense.
That was the case last week for the Bucs, when unheralded wideout Tez Johnson scored a 45-yard touchdown. Granted, it was the rookie’s only catch of the day. Still, his big-play ability suggests a larger role could be in store. After all, the 23-year-old commanded 72% of Tampa Bay’s snaps last week, most among the team’s wide receivers. This week, Johnson will get to face a Lions defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts. In this potential primetime shootout, Tez makes plenty of sense at $4,200.
TE Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans ($3,600)
For most of the season, Houston has struggled on offense. However, a switch was flipped during their last outing, a 44-10 drubbing of the Ravens. Granted, Baltimore’s defense has been an absolute sieve. Monday’s showdown will tell us more about what CJ Stroud ($5,200) and company are capable of going forward. Superstar wideout Nico Collins ($7,100) is the headliner for this group. However, the Seahawks wield a talented group of cornerbacks. Attacking this defense over the middle of the field might be a more optimal strategy.
If that’s the case, Dalton Schultz could get plenty of work in this matchup. Over his last three weeks, the tight end has snagged five receptions. Granted, that’s only resulted in a combined total of 129 receiving yards. Still, at such a thin fantasy position, that’s not too shabby. In addition, the Seahawks have surrendered the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing TEs. If Stroud is on his game, he should recognize a potential mismatch. Could the 6’5″ Schultz snag his first touchdown of the year? Regardless, he should see enough work between the 20s to deliver solid fantasy value.
