Monday Night Football Preview
Week six of the NFL season brings us two games this week on Monday as there was no Thursday game. First up, we have the Chiefs visiting the Bills, who just got a wake-up call from the Titans, and in the late window, we have the Cardinals heading to Dallas to take on a Cowboys team who just lost their starting quarterback. Both games will feature high powered offenses and should provide a lot of scoring. All salary and spread information are taken from DraftKings.
Monday Night Football Game One
Chiefs -4 at Bills I Over/Under 57.5
HOW THE CHIEFS WIN
The Chiefs are averaging 29.8 points per game and have enough offensive firepower to trade touchdowns with any team in the league. They’re going to have to put pressure on third-year quarterback Josh Allen. If they can make things difficult for him and create different looks on defense, he will turn the ball over. Allen is great when he gets flushed from the pocket and is one of the best at extending plays with his scrambling ability so spying him all game is not out of the question.
HOW THE BILLS WIN
The way to beat the Chiefs is on the ground. Keep Patrick Mahomes and the offense off the field for as long as possible. The Chiefs have given up 632 yards to opposing running backs, which is the third-most league. The other key is to limit the turnovers. Josh Allen had been doing a fine job up until last week when he threw two interceptions. The Bills are averaging 27.8 points per game, which is not far off from the Chiefs. If they can establish a running game and limit the turnovers, they could hang around in this one.
QUARTERBACK
Patrick Mahomes ($13,000)
Patrick Mahomes is matchup proof; he’s an all-world talent who can do it all. He’s thrown for at least two touchdowns in each game and has three 300-yard efforts through five games so far. The Bills are allowing 274 yards a game to quarterbacks and have surrendered 10 touchdowns. Mahomes should be able to carve up this secondary.
Josh Allen ($11,200)
Josh Allen has taken a step forward this year and was rolling along until he had a slight stumble last week. He has thrown for two or more touchdowns in every game this season and has three rushing touchdowns. The key for Allen this week will be can he shake off his poor performance from Tuesday night. He’s still a young quarterback, and the Chiefs are no slouch on defense. This is a nice bounce-back test for him.
RUNNING BACKS
Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($8,400)
CEH has taken over this backfield in terms of playing time but hasn’t done much since his big performance in week one. He hasn’t sniffed 100 rushing yards since and hasn’t been back in the end zone either. Things won’t be any easier this week for the rookie as the Bills are pretty stout against the run. They allow only 115 yards per game on the ground and allow just four receptions per game to running backs. He’s a dynamic playmaker who will eventually find his footing; unfortunately, if you invested the draft capital in him, you’re stuck rolling him out there and hoping he goes off.
Devin Singletary ($7,200)
Zack Moss is being left off the list because he hasn’t played since week two and was scratched last week. Singletary is the play here if you want a piece of this running game. This year, the Chiefs are bad against the run; they give up 126.4 rushing yards per game and have allowed three touchdowns on the year. The Bills haven’t run the ball well this year, but this is a great matchup to get that running game going.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Tyreek Hill ($10,000), Mecole Hardman ($6,800)
Sammy Watkins will be out for this one, so we will focus on Hill and Hardman. Although Hill has yet to go over 100 yards receiving this year and has just one game where he saw more than six targets, he’s managed to find the endzone in each game this year. With Watkins and his six targets per game sidelined, there’s even more opportunity for these two receivers. Hardman has found the end zone twice this year and offers more upside now that Watkins is out.
Stefon Diggs ($9,600), Cole Beasley ($6,200), John Brown ($5,800)
Stefon Diggs is the primary receiver of this group and will see the most targets. John Brown may be out with his calf injury again, and Cole Beasley doesn’t produce enough to be an every week player for fantasy managers. None of these guys stack up well against a Chiefs defense that has allowed only 48 receptions and 695 yards to the wide receiver position on the year. Diggs makes for a solid option if you want a piece of this passing game because he will see the volume, and if anyone is going to produce, it’s a safe bet that it’ll be him.
TIGHT END
Travis Kelce ($10,400)
This is a smash spot for Kelce as he finds himself in a perfect storm. Watkins is out (again the potential for increased workload), and he gets a matchup against the Bills, who are terrible at defending the tight end. They have allowed a league-high 39 receptions and a league-high 418 yards to tight ends this year. This is a dream matchup for Kelce, who should have a busy night.
Tyler Kroft ($2,800)
Buffalo hasn’t involved any tight end much this year, and with Dawson Knox being ruled out, Tyler Kroft will get the start. Kroft hasn’t been used much at all this year. He’s got five grabs on the year and has three games where he didn’t get a target at all. The Chiefs are also good against the tight end and have allowed only 222 yards and three scores on the year. There isn’t much here to warrant starting Kroft in any lineup.
PICK
Chiefs -4 I Under 57.5
LINEUP
- Mecole Hardman- Captain
- Travis Kelce
- Chiefs DST
- Tyreek Hill
- Cole Beasley
- Devin Singletary
Monday Night Football Game Two
Cardinals -1.5 at Cowboys I Over/Under 55
HOW THE CARDINALS WIN
The Cardinals are a well-rounded offense that can beat teams in a variety of ways. Kyler Murray is one of the game’s best young quarterbacks and can take over a game with his arm or legs. Murray will carve up this subpar secondary if they can establish a running game and mix in some play-action. Murray also needs to do a better job of protecting the football and making smart decisions. They are averaging 25.6 points per game and come into this one as the favorite.
HOW THE COWBOYS WIN
They have the offensive weapons to put points on the board. Now that Dak Prescott is out, Andy Dalton takes over and is more than capable of leading this team. The Cowboys may limit him at first to ease him into things. The Cardinals are tough in the secondary, and quick short strikes or dump-offs will be his friend in this one. On defense, they need to get to Murray early and often to try and force him into mistakes. The Cowboys are averaging 32.6 points a game, but I expect that number to come down now with Dalton at the helm.
QUARTERBACKS
Kyler Murray ($12,400)
Kyler Murray is a true, dual-threat quarterback. He comes into this one with at least one touchdown throw in each game thus far, but the more worrying thing is that he’s also thrown at least one interception in all but one game. He’s also rushed for five scores while amassing 296 rushing yards. The Cowboys have allowed 11 touchdowns through the air and are giving up 250 passing yards a game. If Murray has time to throw, he could have another big game.
Andy Dalton ($9,600)
He’s not your run of the mill back up quarterback, and despite not being able to ink a starting gig this past off-season, he could still start for some teams. He didn’t look bad in relief last week, throwing for 111 yards, and should pick up more of the offense with a full week of practice. The Cards just lost their best pass rushed in Chandler Jones, which is a huge blow to their pass rush. Dalton has plenty of weapons at his disposal. This is for sure the best receiving group he’s had to work with in his career, making it curious to see if the Bengals were holding him back all those years.
RUNNING BACKS
Kenyan Drake ($6,600), Chase Edmunds ($7,000)
My patience is wearing thin with Kenyan Drake at this point. The volume is there as he’s averaging 17 carries a game, but he’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and virtually non-existent in the passing game with only six catches. On the other hand, Edmunds has looked to be the more efficient play, at least on paper. He’s scored now in back-to-back games and is clearly the pass-catching back with 18 grabs on 23 targets, but the Cowboys are only giving up 3.6 receptions per game to running backs. They’re giving up 126.2 rushing yards per game and have surrendered five touchdowns on the year. If Drake can’t get going against this group, I give up.
Ezekiel Elliot ($10,600)
The offensive line is not what it once was in Dallas, but game scripts are also to blame for Zeke’s low rushing totals. They’ve had to go to the air far too often in recent weeks trying to play catch up. He’s yet to record a 100-yard game; it’s his touchdown totals that are keeping him afloat with scores in each game except one. That has been the first five games; this is a different offense without Dak Prescott and could once again go through Zeke. He could be in for a heavy workload as Dalton works out the kinks in a new offense.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DeAndre Hopkins ($11,200), Christian Kirk ($6,000) Larry Fitzgerald ($4,800)
Amari Cooper ($8,000), Michael Gallup ($5,600), CeeDee Lamb ($8,400)
Dak Prescott going down hurts the value of all three of these guys; however, Gallup could be the beneficiary of an Andy Dalton led offense. Gallup was his go-to receiver on the last drive last week, catching both his targets. With that said, none of these guys are jumping off the page to be played this week. Rookie CeeDee Lamb has been steady this year with 50 or more yards in each game and two scores on the year. The Cardinals are allowing only 146.6 yards to opposing receivers and have given up just three touchdowns. Whenever there’s a quarterback change, it takes time to get rhythm and timing down as well; factor in this tough matchup, and it could be a long night for this group.
TIGHT END
Dan Arnold ($1,200)
The Cardinals don’t use a tight end in the scheme. He’s caught nine balls on the year but was not targeted at all last week. The Cowboys have been generous to the tight end this year, allowing three touchdowns and 280 yards through five games. It’s too hard to trust a tight end in this offense.
Dalton Schultz ($6,000)
Schultz has been a pretty reliable option, although last week, he was a significant letdown. He’s seen six or more targets in three of his previous four games and has two touchdowns in that same span. The Cardinals used to be the team to play ANY tight end against, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. They’ve allowed just 24 receptions for 216 yards and two scores on the year. Schutz didn’t seem to be in the plans last week, but with a new quarterback under center, his best friends are a tight end and an excellent running game.
PICK
Cardinals -1.5 I Under 55
LINEUP
- Kenyan Drake- Captain
- Kyler Murray
- Christian Kirk
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Michael Gallup
- Ezekiel Elliott
