Tonight, we have a Monday Night Football Doubleheader, and Stokastic is bringing plenty of NFL DFS tools and information for all of the different slates, game formats and sites.
In a twist, we will look at the two-game contests tonight, as they have the largest prize pools and cover all the important NFL DFS picks. There is loads of information and NFL DFS analysis to get into for both DraftKings and FanDuel for this Monday Night Football Extravaganza!
NFL DFS Picks: Week 2 Monday Night Football
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen and the Bills last played 11 days ago in the Week 1 Thursday Night Football game. It was a bit of a laugher, as they closed out the Rams in Los Angeles 31-10 with very little trouble. Allen was a tick shy of 300 yards while also leading the team in rushing with 56 yards. Along the way, he had a trio of aerials scores and another on the ground. Tennessee has a marginal run defense, but they are above average against the pass. The other wrinkle here is that Gabriel Davis suffered an ankle injury in practice and he is trending towards missing this game. Even with all of these variables, Allen is still worthy of top honors at the quarterback position.
Jalen Hurts also had a phenomenal opening week, with 243 passing yards and a whopping 90 rushing yards and a score on 17 carries. While he has a similar ceiling to Allen, even with the salary discount on both DraftKings and FanDuel, the Buffalo signal-caller still gets the edge. Minnesota took advantage of a decimated Green Bay offensive line last week, but they will find things tougher against Philadelphia, which should allow Hurts opportunities to be the top scorer of the slate.
The main drawback with Hurts is that the jury is still out on his ability as a passer. Yes, he is tremendously talented and can pull off a “Did you see that?!” moment on any play; however, consistency is still evading him. Ideally, he will continue to improve, especially with the addition of A.J. Brown, but this looks like a run-first game script that likely will mitigate the need for Hurts to open things up in the air.
Kirk Cousins is entirely reliant on his arm, as he rarely runs the ball. It also helps that the Vikings have a strong rushing game that Cousins can lean on. In his last 33 games, the former Michigan State stalwart has 24 multi-touchdown games. The 34-year-old veteran is very good at limiting turnovers, with just 22 interceptions in this timeframe. The best strategy for tonight when turning to Cousins is to pair him with at least one of his pass catchers.
Ryan Tannehill is easily the final option at quarterback for fantasy purposes. Tennessee has a run-first, -second and -third strategy, so as long as Derrick Henry is healthy, Tannehill is mostly a game manager that is tasked with keeping the offense moving and converting third downs as necessary.
Running Backs
Dalvin Cook and Derrick Henry are getting the edge over all the other running backs in the Stokastic projections. This should not be a surprise since both Philadelphia and Buffalo are rolling with running back committees, which, of course, is the bane of all fantasy football gamers.
Between this duo, Cook has the better median projection since he will be active in the passing game, though Henry has unparalleled game-breaking ability at this position when it comes to fantasy production. The Eagles’ rushing defense is a disaster, and the Bills’ is one of the best in the league. That gives a distinct advantage to Cook, though that is where the popularity is landing as well. Dontrell Hilliard (hamstring) is out, so rookie Hassan Haskins will be spelling Henry when needed.
Rookie James Cook fumbled on his first carry and was on the field for just three snaps in the season opener. Devin Singletary and Zack Moss will see most of the work for Buffalo, but they also have to deal with their quarterback sniping red zone opportunities. Neither of the lead backs is a budget buster tonight, and as we saw for most of the regular season last year, they can coexist for fantasy purposes, though each curtails the upside of the other.
Technically, Miles Sanders is the lead back for Philadelphia, but we have seen this movie too many times over the last few years to buy into it once again. Kenneth Gainwell is interesting as a change-of-pace back, and he could see an increased role with a hot-hand approach. Then veteran Boston Scott is in the mix and will pop up at the worst time for fantasy gamers. It is also important to remember that the best runner on the team is Hurts. Each member of this backfield scored a rushing touchdown in Week 1, just to further confound the analysis. Vaya con Dios, mis amigos!
Wide Receiver
Justin Jefferson had a wild sophomore campaign, as he was second in the league with 1,616 receiving yards and 27 plays of 20 or more yards. Of course, Cooper Kupp bested him in both categories on his way to one of the most dominating seasons in the history of the NFL. Jefferson can score from anywhere on the field, and there are enough other playmakers on his team that defenses can be punished if they are too preoccupied with his whereabouts. Teammates Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn are both viable options, particularly if this game turns into a track meet.
Stefon Diggs is two seasons removed from leading the league in targets, receptions and receiving yards. It is unlikely that Gabriel Davis plays tonight, so someone between Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder will need to step up. On DraftKings, Jake Kumerow is an interesting punt at just $300 in Showdown and $3,000 in the standard format.
A.J. Brown announced his presence with authority in the opener, bringing in 10 of 13 targets for 155 yards. It would seem that he has a clear edge over DeVonta Smith, but the other Philadelphia receivers are afterthoughts at best. Smith is heavily discounted compared to his teammate, and that has him rating out with a very similar point-per-dollar ratio.
Adam Thielen gets his own bucket since he does not quite have the upside of the previously listed wideouts, but he does have very palatable salary on both DraftKings ($5,300) and FanDuel ($5,900). While he is clearly behind Jefferson, he is firmly entrenched above the tight ends as the key possession receiver. K.J. Osborn also rates out better than any of the Tennessee newcomers and he has flashed big-play upside, albeit inconsistently.
Robert Woods is back after suffering a torn ACL last November, but he is also with a new team, one that wants to run, run, run. Rookie Kyle Philips injured his shoulder in practice this week, but he is expected to play. Fellow rookie Treylon Burks was the 18th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, and while he is the most talented of this group, none of them has spent much time with Tannehill. Philips is the most interesting on DraftKings, where he is just $3,600 and a potential punt, though only a couple hundred below his teammates.
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Tight End
Dallas Goedert and Dawson Knox are the two above-average options at this relatively lackluster position. Goedert had some solid performances last season after veteran Zach Ertz was traded to Arizona. He is typically one of the first two reads for Hurts, and he should be good for a handful of targets tonight while rarely leaving the field.
Knox seemingly came out of nowhere in 2021, catching nine touchdowns in the regular season and adding two more in the playoffs. Though when remembering that Allen looks for tight ends in the red zone, the surprise is that one player was able to consolidate all of them.
Geoff Swaim and Austin Hooper played on 69% and 62% of the snaps last week, which is no surprise considering that Tennessee frequently operates out of 12 personnel packages. While Swaim has the familiarity with Tannehill, Hooper has been a solid option at every stop throughout his career. This situation is a true coin flip, and both players are ahead of the next group.
Irv Smith Jr. and Johnny Mundt are far from inspiring options, as the Minnesota offense tends to flow through the receivers and running backs. This duo does not even have the luxury of red zone targets because of the uncanny connection between Cousins and Thielen in the shadow of the goalposts.
Defense/Special Teams
Buffalo easily has the highest projection, but that also comes with a premium salary compared to the other units. After that, things level out, with no real advantage that can be assigned to the other options. Minnesota is probably the next “best” selection against a young quarterback, though they are on the road.
Philadelphia is at home, but this squad pales in comparison to some of their better iterations over the last five years. Finally, we have Tennessee, who has the double whammy of being on the road and against a high-powered offense.
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