Jared Contestabile 
Sunday Night Football was really good to the WDS team. We had a takedown and plenty of green across the board! For Monday, we shift to an non-conference battle between the Patriots and Cardinals. The Patriots are fighting for their playoff lives, and each game is inching closer to a must-win for this 6-6 squad. The Cardinals are in the midst of yet another disappointing season. Let’s find ourselves an edge to make some cash here! New England is favored by 2.5 with a total of 43.5 points.
DraftKings and FanDuel each have a slightly different setup for Showdown slates, with DraftKings using a “Captain” spot. Captain earns you 1.5X points, BUT also costs you 1.5X in salary. FanDuel uses an “MVP”, which is ALSO 1.5X points, but salaries are the same, regardless of position. DraftKings uses 5 FLEX spots, and FanDuel uses 4 “AnyFLEX” spots to fill out your roster.
Captain/MVP Plays
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots ($13,200 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
Rhamondre is always my go-to guy in this lackluster Patriots offense. Arizona allows over 24 fantasy points per game to opposing backs, and Stevenson has been elite. The Cardinals have served up over 1500 total yards and 12 scores (8 rushing, 4 receiving) to opposing backs this season.
Stevenson had a poor outing last week against the Bills, but the entire offense was underwater all night. He still totaled 10 carries and hauled in six of eight targets. The volume and opportunity are there, especially against a vulnerable Arizona defense. I mentioned above how badly the Patriots need wins, and relying on their workhorse is their best chance at success here. Fire him up as an elite option once again, especially as Mac Jones continues to struggle. Did I mention that Damien Harris is DOUBTFUL for this one?
DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals ($17,400 DraftKings, $14,500 FanDuel)
My sons have recently taken on an obsession with football, and are constantly making lists of their “top” or favorite players at each position. I had to introduce them to D-Hop since they are new to the game. The man just continues to defy odds with some of the plays he makes, and tonight should be more of the same.
New England has been one of the better defenses in the NFL this season, but have shown a vulnerability to opposing WR of late. Over the last four games, they have given up over 37 fantasy points per game to opposing WR. They continue to be stout against the run, so I will be focusing my attention to the passing game here.
Despite seeing only six targets last week, Hopkins still managed a 4-87-1 line. That was his third straight game posting at least 18 DraftKings points. He is still the focal point of this offense, and even a Bill Belichick defense is unlikely to stop him. I’m all over D-Hop here.
Hunter Henry, Patriots ($8,400 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel)
I’m going off the wall with my third suggestion for your bonus spot. Henry still doesn’t see a ton of volume, but this is such a prime matchup, he simply cannot be ignored. Arizona is allowing 25% more fantasy points than ANY other team this season to opposing TE.
We have seen what Henry can do, and two weeks ago he posted 15.3 DraftKings points. Mac Jones continues to struggle to make plays down the field, and Henry will be a benefactor on MNF. Jakobi Meyers is also OUT for this one, so there will be a few more looks to go around. Henry is one of my favorite plays in this one.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Marquise Brown, Cardinals ($7,600 DraftKings, $13,000 FanDuel)
Rondale Moore is OUT for this one, and with D-Hop likely to take the attention down the field, Brown could benefit. Volume could play a big factor here in Brown’s second game back from injury. He caught six of eight targets for 46 yards in his return. A range of 10-15 points is just fine for him here in the midrange of salaries.
Devante Parker, Patriots ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel)
With Meyers OUT and Damien Harris unlikely to play, we need someone to step up in this Pats offense. Parker has shown some flashes of late, hauling in six of 10 targets over the last two weeks for 96 yards. We will just go ahead and pretend like last week’s disaster against the Bills doesn’t count though, right?
Greg Dortch, Cardinals ($2,200 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)
A Dortch fade may be one of the craziest on this slate, especially on DK. He is coming off of a monster performance in his last game against the 49ers in Week 11 (9-103 on 10 targets). Yes, his floor is low, but he will see a lot of quick looks from Kyler Murray in the absence of Rondale Moore. He’s a lock for me at this price tag.
Other Options
Nick Folk struggled last week, and was replaced by Tristan Vizcaino. He is back to being the only active kicker on the roster this week, and is a fine play indoors in Arizona. Matt Prater has got to be about 75 years old by now, but keeps making kicks. He is 10-11 on the season. Kickers should be solid value in this one.
Mac Jones is dead to me. I just have such little faith in him posting a big line, so I have a hard time forcing him into my showdown lineups at his price tag. I don’t love the matchup for Kyler Murray, but I’m all over the wideouts, and his rushing floor makes him a viable play.
James Conner has a solid floor due to his ability to catch the ball. I don’t see him producing much on the ground here, but the upside is still there. He is averaging four targets per game over the last month.
Kyler Murray has fumbled six times (2 lost) and thrown four picks over his last five games. The Patriots defense is more than capable of taking advantage of mistakes. I like them as a FLEX play here in this one.
Make sure to join our Discord to jump into our conversations with the team and share your successes (I am “Myrtle Beach Mermen”, if you understand the reference, we will get along right away! We have a TON of great tools for you to check out, make sure you’re taking advantage! You can find projections here and try out the optimizer here.
Good luck on Monday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
