NFL DFS Week 8: Monday Night Showdown Slate
Published: Nov 01, 2021
Kansas City Chiefs (-10) vs. New York Giants
Over/Under: 52.0 Points
Weather: 40 degrees, low winds and cloudy
Kansas City Chiefs Injuries
Khalen Saunders (DT) – OUT
Anthony Hitchens (LB) – OUT
Mike Remmers (OL) – QUESTIONABLE
Charvarius Ward (DB) – QUESTIONABLE
New York Giants Injuries
Saquon Barkley (RB) – OUT
Kenny Golladay (WR) – OUT
Lorenzo Carter (LB) – OUT
Carter Coughlin (LB) – OUT
Nate Ebner (DB) – OUT
Kaden Smith (TE) – QUESTIONABLE
Kadarius Toney (WR) – QUESTIONABLE
Sterling Shepard (WR) – QUESTIONABLE
MVP/Captain
Patrick Mahomes (QB; $12,000) – Rarely do I like putting a quarterback as my Captain. However, whenever I build multiple lineups for Showdown contests I will always throw each quarterback back in 10% of my builds at the Captain spot. If they’re a running quarterback or the type of player that can break the slate and be the highest scorer then I’ll throw them in a couple more lineups as my captain. Mahomes fits the profile of a player that can break the slate. He’s a former league MVP, has amazing weapons at his disposal and if he’s spreading the ball around and not targeting one particular player, then he’ll be the highest scoring player on the slate. If you’re only making one lineup, I wouldn’t use him as the captain tonight because he’ll be very popular in that position. But he should be in at least 80-90% of your lineups even as a Flex play if you aren’t using him at captain. But if making 20+ lineups, he should be the captain in about 15-20% of them. He’ll cost 36% of your budget on DraftKings in the Captain spot.
Tyreek Hill (WR: $11,000) – I love targeting pass catchers as my MVP/Captain. I tend to believe these are the players that can break the slate and be the highest scoring players in the whole game. Tyreek Hill has big play ability, we know that. Twice this season he’s recorded 11 catches for at least 180 receiving yards. He’s scored five touchdowns this season including three in one game against Philadelphia earlier this year. He has speed and quickness and can shred this joke of a defense that has allowed 14 passing touchdowns this year. If utilizing Hill as your MVP/Captain make sure you are correlating that play by having Mahomes as a Flex play to capitalize if they connect on a touchdown.
Travis Kelce (TE: $10,600) – Kelce’s having a good year. He’s seen double-digit targets in four of his last five games, but only four touchdowns on the year including just one touchdown in his last five games. We haven’t really seen Kelce have a monster game since Week 1 against the Browns. I’m hoping that changes tonight. The Giants allowed touchdowns to opposing tight ends in each of their first four games, but have held the position in check the last few weeks. I don’t really care about that considering Kelce’s the best in the league at his position. I think ownership could be higher on Kelce than Hill because of the discount and I imagine everyone else is waiting for a massive game from Kelce. We should easily expect eight-to-ten targets tonight and I believe he finds the end zone at least once, but if he gets in there multiple times then he’s likely the highest scoring player on the slate. Similar to Hill, if you play him as your MVP/Captain, correlate him with Mahomes in the Flex.
Kadarius Toney (WR: $6,800) and Sterling Shepard (WR: $7,000) – Both players are in the running for the Captain spot, but I will likely be much heavier on Toney as my MVP/Captain. We saw the monstrous upside in Week 5 when he had ten catches for 189 yards against Dallas before getting hurt the next week against the Rams. The Giants are still beat up and if we’re assuming they’re playing from behind most of this game then they’ll be throwing it plenty. Both Toney and Shepard are currently Questionable, but it sounds like they’ll suit up and play. Whoever you choose to play as your MVP/Captain, correlate them with Daniel Jones in the Flex.
Utility/Flex
Daniel Jones (QB: $10,200) – If playing Jones in the MVP/Captain spot, take my advice and limit that to just 10% of your builds. Jones has been a little ugly the past few games and the injuries to the offensive line haven’t helped. But there should be passing volume in this matchup. He has just three touchdowns and five turnovers in his last five games in addition to fumbling three other times that didn’t result in turnovers. But for the purpose of this game, I’m trying to ignore the bad since he’ll have Toney and Shepard at his disposal. 40+ pass attempts are possible and it wouldn’t surprise me if he found the end zone with his legs.
Darrel Williams (RB: $9,000) – It’s so hard to gauge his workload. All I ask is for 12-15 touches as long as Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out. Last week he had eight touches for 50 total yards and didn’t find the end zone. Two weeks ago it was 24 touches and he scored twice. It’s annoying trying to project his workload. I feel like Billy Madison trying to remember the year of the Spanish Armada. But I still feel good about his involvement whether it’s early in the game or late with Kansas City up two possessions. It would take a multi-touchdown performance for him to be viable as a MVP/Captain. He certainly can do that as we’ve seen, but we’ve also seen him return less than ten points as well. He’s better to make use of as a flex/utility player.
Devontae Booker (RB: $8,200) – Here’s a player who we know will get plenty of touches this week. Booker will likely get 15+ touches with Saquon Barkley still sidelined. My own personal bias of Booker not being very good is keeping me from playing him as my MVP/Captain. He’s found the end zone three times in the last three weeks and the workload is there. However, he’s averaging 3.19 yards per carry over his last three games. If he’s more involved in the passing game he could pay off at MVP/Captain. However, he needs a drastically larger role in the passing game tonight for that to become a reality.
Darius Slayton (WR: $6,400) – Slayton is a great way to get exposure to the Giants if you’re focusing on a Kansas City stack. He’s only $6,400 on DraftKings and he should see at least six targets tonight and he’s a deep threat as well. If either Shepard or Toney were to miss the game then Slayton would be in more of a smash spot. The good news is that with both of them being active that might drive ownership on Slayton down.
Evan Engram (TE: $5,400) – We can probably assume Engram sees about six targets tonight against the Chiefs. What he does with them is out of my hands. He has 29 targets in five games, but hasn’t found the end zone. I understand the frustration when utilizing him because he’s such a letdown at times. Here’s some good news. The Chiefs have been pretty bad against opposing tight ends. They’ve allowed a tight end to score in four straight games coming into tonight’s matchup and in three of seven games so far this year, they’ve allowed at least 115 receiving yards to opposing tight ends. I don’t think Engram hits that number for receiving yards, but there’s at least reason for believing he scores tonight.
Dante Pettis (WR: $5,000) – Pettis has been a pretty impressive piece to this offense since being called up from the practice squad. In his last two games he has ten catches on 16 targets and he found the end zone last week. The fact that Toney and Shepard could both be active may drive down ownership, but he’s been developing some chemistry with Daniel Jones that shouldn’t be forgotten and he could be involved more if New York is forced to abandon the run.
Punt Options
Mecole Hardman (WR: $4,800) – Hardman’s price may not make him a punt necessarily, but I’ve played him plenty of times in Showdown contests and he rarely pops off. He’s had some admirable performances lately but he only has two games this year with six or more targets. Not to mention, he’s fumbled in back-to-back games leading up to this contest so he could very well be in the doghouse and only get a couple targets tonight.
Byron Pringle (WR: $2,200) – You’ll be surprised how much ownership goes to Pringle tonight. Everyone will see that he doesn’t need to do much at his price tag to hit value and he’s a decent paydown option if he somehow gets a few targets. Plus, he does have two touchdowns on the season and he caught five of six targets last week.
Kyle Rudolph (TE; $1,800) – I don’t love Rudolph tonight, but as noted above in Evan Engram’s section, the Chiefs suck against opposing tight ends. Rudolph only has eight targets over his last four games, but in order to take down a large-field GPP you have to get creative. Ownership will be low and you’re basically looking for Rudolph to vulture a touchdown.
Demarcus Robinson ($800) – I’m intrigued by Robinson. He’s seen ten targets in his last two games and played 79% of the offensive snaps last week. However, it’s worth mentioning that he’s a decent run blocker so that probably played a role in it. But we just touched on Mecole Hardman’s recent ball security issues. Fumbling in one game basically means you could be benched for the rest of that particular contest. Fumbling in back-to-back games isn’t a death sentence but the coaching staff needs to send a message to you that you need to figure some things out. So I do like Robinson to possibly go out and get a few targets tonight and possibly be more involved than Hardman. And if he somehow finds the end zone he’ll be in the optimal lineup.
Defense/Special Teams
I don’t particularly love either D/ST tonight. Both are pretty bad and probably don’t return value especially with the over/under settling in at 52 points. You’ll see 150-max players play both, including one in the Flex just so they can see their names at the top of the leaderboard after kickoff. But that’s just a creative way to light money on fire. The Chiefs have an implied total of 31 points so that takes the Giants off the board for me. If the Giants are chasing points, the Chiefs defense is so bad that they might still surrender 21 points to them. Not to mention the Chiefs have allowed 28 points per game and over 400 yards of offense per game. If making multiple lineups I understand the necessity of maybe playing one of these teams especially if it fits the game narrative that’s inspiring your lineup construction, but I will have zero exposure to both.
Kickers
Harrison Butker is a decent option and probably the preferred kicker between himself and Graham Gano. Keep in mind, Butker has only attempted eight field goals in seven games. So while XPA’s may be available to him, FGA’s may not. As far as Gano goes, if the game gets out of hand, the Giants will be chasing touchdowns late rather than settling for field goals and they may even go for some two-point conversion attempts late in the game depending on game flow. Exposure to both is fine, but I have concerns as well.
Tips & Strategies
- As mentioned throughout the article, keep exposure to Quarterbacks as your MVP/Captain minimal. Mahomes is worthy of seeing about 15-20% exposure in that slot but nothing more. Jones is worth at most 7-10% exposure as your MVP/Captain.
- If you are using Mahomes or Jones as your MVP/Captain, try to get at least two of their pass catchers in your lineup as Flex/Utility plays.
- Mahomes and Jones are worth at least 70% exposure in the Flex/Utility position. I would try to roster Mahomes in 90% of lineups tonight though.
- D/ST’s and Kickers do not belong in your MVP/Captain spot.
- Do not play both D/ST’s in the same lineup.
- Try to avoid playing a Kicker and a D/ST in the same lineup especially if only making one build.
- If playing a WR or TE in your MVP/Captain slot, be sure to have their quarterback in there at the Flex.
Player News
Seahawks QB Jalen Milroe worked primarily with the third-string offense during OTAs.
As reported by The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Duggar, Milroe played behind both Sam Darnold and Drew Lock and “didn’t have many plays that stood out” during the week. The team’s decision to play him with the third-string shouldn’t come as a surprise, as there’s a good chance Milroe, who was considered an unpolished passer upon entering the draft, could redshirt in his rookie season as he looks to learn behind two vets. While he could usurp Drew Lock on the depth chart with a strong training camp, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect much out of Milroe as a rookie outside of the occasional gadget play.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Jalen Ramsey will not attend the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp as the two sides continue to work toward a trade.
This doesn’t come as a surprise, given that Ramsey posted just weeks ago that “a new chapter awaits” him and his career. The veteran corner has been working with the Dolphins to facilitate a potential trade, making his decision to stay away from mandatory minicamp a logical one for both sides. Where Ramsey could land is anybody’s guess, but the $25 million cap hit the Dolphins would have taken on had they traded Ramsey before June 1 now sits at $7 million post-June 1, which should help speed up a deal before the start of training camp next month.
Panthers TE Ja’Tavion Sanders dropped 10 pounds this offseason and is running “a tick faster” in OTAs.
In an article published by Joseph Person of The Athletic, Panthers head coach Dave Canales praised Sanders for taking the steps to improve his conditioning ahead of this season. Sanders reportedly checked into OTAs weighing 245 pounds, which was down from the 255 pounds he played at last season. A neck injury slowed Sanders’ 2024 rookie campaign, but the the former Longhorn still managed to catched 33 passes for 342 yards and one touchdown despite seeing a 55 percent snap share. With a chance to see more work this season, Sanders coming into camp in better shape could bode well for his 2025 fantasy outlook as a late-round flier in drafts.
ESPN’s Ben Solak believes DK Metcalf is an “uncertain fit” with Aaron Rodgers.
Solak raised questions about whether Rodgers is a feasible fit in Arthur Smith’s offensive system, which includes lots of under-center play-action passing — a play Rodgers has traditionally rejected because he doesn’t like turning his back to the defense. Solak said Metcalf’s imprecise route running could be a major bugaboo for the perfection-demanding Rodgers in 2025. “The ex-Seahawk is one of the less precise route runners in the NFL, and Rodgers famously demands perfection from his receivers as they run his hand-selected variety of highly specific routes,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine a 17-game season in which there is no sideline or postgame blowup between Rodgers and his top pass catcher.”
Steelers signed QB Aaron Rodgers, formerly of the Jets, to a one-year, $13.65 million contract.
The deal includes $10 million in guaranteed money and $5.85 million in playing time and team performance incentives, bringing the potential total value to $19.5 million. It was previously reported that Rodgers would play for around $10 million this season with his new deal in Pittsburgh bringing that much in guarantees. The veteran quarterback would have made $37.5 million playing with the Jets this season, but the team has since moved on in favor of a cheaper contract with Justin Fields. Rodgers should not be expected to throw more than 30-33 times per-game based on the strength of Pittsburgh’s outstanding defense, which limits his fantasy appeal to deeper leagues and two-quarterback formats.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports WR Chris Conley has retired.
Conley, who appeared in 23 games for the 49ers over the last two seasons, is hanging up his cleats after a 10-year career in the NFL. Drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Chiefs, Conley is perhaps best known for his time in Jacksonville. The 32-year-old receiver had 775 yards on 47 catches and five touchdowns in 2019 with the Jaguars. Conley is heading to film school at the University of Georgia, according to Rapoport.