By Will Helms
After a thrilling Week 8, we get a seemingly decent NFL Monday Night Football matchup between the Bengals and the Browns.
Well, seemingly. I’m heavy on the Bengals Monday because the Browns just aren’t very good. Cincinnati is only a 3-point favorite, but without a couple of lucky breaks in Week 1, the Browns would be 1-6.
There’s one very obvious Browns player to start, but as you’ll see here, my lineups are laden with Bengals.
FanDuel
MVP Options
Joe Burrow ($17,000) is obviously the most expensive player, but he’s also our best MVP option. Burrow has found his stride after a slow start, averaging 35 points a game in his last two. Burrow lost his top weapon, but that should only strengthen his case as he’s more likely to spread the ball around to various targets.
Nick Chubb ($15,000) is also an attractive option as he’s scored eight times in seven games this season. With Kareem Hunt trade rumors swirling, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chubb get a higher share of snaps and touches this week than does under normal circumstances.
Value Plays
There are two storylines to watch in this one and both require a bit of guesswork in terms of how they will affect the game.
First, Ja’Marr Chase is hurt. Obviously, Chase’s 11 targets a game will need to go somewhere. Whether they go to one player or six remains to be seen. My best guess, though, is that we may see a few players further down the depth chart see increased volume Monday.
Second, the Kareem Hunt trade rumors are in full force. Whether or not he is dealt Tuesday remains to be seen, but if that’s the plan, one of two things will be true Monday. Either Hunt will have a decreased role as the team starts to move on without him or he will see increased volume in an attempt to both boost his value and give some extra rest to the players that will actually help the Browns moving forward. While I personally would do the latter, it’s likely that the Browns do the former.
Because of these two things, I have a few players I’m rostering that I wouldn’t in other circumstances.
The first guy I really like is Hayden Hurst ($8000) who has seven or more targets in four games this season. He gets a decent amount or red zone targets and he’s really cheap compared to some of the other players with his level of production.
I’m also looking at Harrison Bryant ($7000) for the Browns. David Njoku has five straight games with six or more targets but will be out Monday. Bryant should be a near 1-for-1 replacement in an offense that loves to use the tight end.
If you’re feeling really risky, feel free to throw D’Ernest Johnson ($5000) in a lineup or two in case the Browns decide to use him ahead of Hunt before Hunt is actually dealt.
DraftKings
Captain Options
Because of some slight scoring differences on the green side, I originally made Burrow ($17,100) captain. But after I was $100 short of a great lineup, I changed things up a bit and captained Chubb ($15,600) instead. By switching these two (Captaining Chubb and playing Burrow) I saved $500.
Either guy is a good choice, but with DraftKings giving a full point per reception, it may be beneficial to lean toward captaining the position player. Chubb won’t likely get more than three or four catches, but even the extra half-point for each catch could go a long way.
Value Plays
My strategy on the green site was different this week. I tried to stack as many studs as possible and played a couple of very cheap players to compensate. Accordingly, I started with Michael Thomas ($1200). He doesn’t have a target in three weeks, but he’s still a good route runner and will be third on the depth chart tonight. Even if he catches just three or four passes, he’ll easily pull his weight.
I also started Cade York ($4400), who is playing the worst defense against kickers. Take that with a grain of salt, but starting him allows me to play Burrow, Chubb, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon. As I’m leaning heavily toward Cincinnati, this seems like a great way to find value.
You could also play Bryant ($4000) or another cheaper option, but if you play Thomas or another really cheap option, you won’t need to pay much at all.
Notes
I’m trying to make sure I start Tee Higgins where I can and Jacoby Brisset is another decent pay-up option. That being said, I’m not benching Chubb or Burrow for either of them. Joe Mixon is another attractive option, but obviously, you won’t be able to play everybody, especially on FanDuel.
