Monday Night Football has the potential to make or break your fantasy matchup, and this week we have a MNF doubleheader to look forward to. First, the Buccaneers and Texans face off in Houston at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Chargers and Raiders in Vegas at 10 p.m. ET. Let’s highlight my start/sit fantasy football picks for both MNF matchups.
MNF Must-Starts
- Nico Collins
- Ashton Jeanty
- Ladd McConkey
- Omarion Hampton
- Baker Mayfield
- Bucky Irving
- Mike Evans
- Brock Bowers (if available)
Sit ‘Em: C.J. Stroud
We are approaching “C.J. Stroud may just not be that good at football” territory rapidly in Houston. Yes, the third-year QB’s offensive line did him no favors against the Rams, but his numbers were quite underwhelming, to say the least.
Stroud entered the season opener hopeful to bounce back from a disappointing sophomore campaign, but his struggles carried over. The Texans’ signal caller completed 19 passes for 188 yards and no touchdowns, tallying an interception. Stroud’s supporting cast outside of Nico Collins is lackluster thanks to a myriad of injuries, and it doesn’t seem like we’re headed for drastic improvement until his playmakers return.
The Bucs don’t necessarily boast one of the most formidable pass defenses in the league, but they’re capable, which is all the reason you need to avoid starting Stroud in Week 2.
Start ‘Em: Emeka Egbuka
The *only* reason Egbuka didn’t make my must-start list was because he’s a rookie and technically needs to prove himself a consistently elite fantasy option.
That said, if you have him, you’re starting him. The first-rounder only caught four balls in his regular-season debut, but he made the most of them, scoring two touchdowns. That included the game-winner in a thrilling Bucs-Falcons matchup that went down to the wire. It was quite the first impression for Egbuka, who appears locked into the role of Baker Mayfield’s No. 2 target.
Chris Godwin is not expected to play on Monday, but even when he does return, Egbuka should retain strong fantasy value. For now, he’s a WR2 with low-end WR1 upside.
Sit ‘Em: Dalton Schultz
The good news: Schultz led the Texans in targets in their Week 1 matchup with the Rams.
The bad news: Leading the team in targets wasn’t necessarily an impressive feat, as he only saw five.
The unfortunate reality that is playing out in front of our very eyes is that C.J. Stroud just might not be that great at football. After an offseason to study tape on the young QB, defenses came back and dominated Houston’s offense in Year 2, and that appears to have carried over to 2025 thus far.
Tampa Bay boasts a steady secondary, giving reason to doubt the fantasy outlook for any Texan outside of Nico Collins. Schultz could find the end zone every few games, but without a touchdown his upside is pretty limited.
Start ‘Em: Justin Herbert
Heading into this season with a relatively lackluster fantasy reputation thanks to the Chargers’ run-first offense, Herbert made quite the statement against Kansas City, outduelling Patrick Mahomes with 318 passing yards, three touchdowns and 32 additional rushing yards.
For what it’s worth, I do still expect Jim Harbaugh to pound the rock. That’s what he does best, and the Chargers have a rookie first-round running back I’m certain he’d like to unleash against old friend Pete Carroll. However, the Raiders were extremely stingy against New England on the ground in Week 1, holding Rhamondre Stevenson and Tre’Veyon Henderson completely in check. I expect L.A.’s offensive line to put up a better showing, but Herbert should still be quite active through the air on Monday.
Fringe start/sit players
- Jakobi Meyers: Lean START
- Nick Chubb: Lean SIT
- Tyler Conklin: Lean SIT
- Quentin Johnston: Lean START
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em MNF fantasy picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
