Jared Contestabile 
I propose that whoever is responsible for choosing the Primetime games in the NFL in 2022 should be fired immediately. While we have had a few great ones, the vast majority have made me wish I went to bed early. Call me crazy, but I think tonight will be a fun one. I found out a fun fact too…the Patriots have never lost to the Bears at home in the regular season. That said, the only time these teams met in the playoffs was a 46-10 massacre in the Super Bowl. Advantage: Bears. The Patriots are currently -9 in this one with a total just around 40 points. Let’s find some angles to make ourselves some bankroll in this one!
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.
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Captain/MVP Plays
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots ($16,200 DraftKings, $14,000 FanDuel)
The Patriots backfield was advertised as a “committee”, but we have all learned to know better. Stevenson has been leaps and bounds better than his backfield mate Damien Harris. The Bears rank 24th in the NFL, allowing nearly 25 fantasy points per game to opposing RB. Stevenson has 16,18, 27, and 23 touches the last four weeks, averaging over 20 DK points per game. Even better, he has five targets each in three of those four contests.
Damien Harris went down with an injury early in Week 5, but Stevenson had been outplaying him prior to that anyway. We all know there is inherent risk with any Bill Belichick RB, as he loves to ride the hot hand. Fortunately for us, he no longer has Tom Brady to bail him out. Stevenson should approach 17-20 touches again in this one in a great matchup. Stevenson also has twice as many carries inside the 5 this season. Fire him up!
Justin Fields, Bears ($15,600 DraftKings, $15,000 FanDuel)
Listen, it is very hard to truly trust any member of this Bears offense to put up fantasy points. Fields is the only one I believe in at all. Lamar Jackson ran for 107 yards against the Pats a few weeks back, and Fields has the athleticism to pull off a big rushing game as well. The Bears’ line has been doing them no favors, but I would argue that their struggles raise Fields’ rushing floor even higher. With no time to throw and protection breaking down, Fields will be on the move.
Fields still hasn’t broken the 20-point fantasy mark on DraftKings this season, but I see this as being the one where he does it. The matchup isn’t great, but nothing for the Bears has been great this season. I’ll be banking on Fields to take me to the promised land on Monday Night.
Jakobi Meyers, Patriots ($12,300 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel)
Listen, I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of Mac Jones. I’d choose a guy like Fields over him 101 times out of 100 (yes, that was intentional). There is very little that he does that impresses me. Regardless, Jakobi is the clear top passing target in this offense.
The Bears have actually been very solid against opposing WR, ranking 4th in the NFL in fantasy points allowed. That said, Meyers still has pulled elite usage in multiple games this season. He only had a 4-60 line last week (4 targets), but the Patriots ran the clock out late in a 23-point win.
If this game is competitive (I think it will be), then Mac and company will need to make some plays down the field. Meyers makes for a low-owned option in your bonus spot.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Damien Harris, Patriots ($8,400 DraftKings, $12,500 FanDuel)
For many of the same reasons I like Stevenson in this one, Harris is a great play as well. He isn’t the home-run threat that Stevenson is (his longest carry in 2022 is 16 yards), but he should still see plenty of volume in this one. There is also a good chance we see rain on Monday Night, and both he and Rhamondre are very sure-handed. Neither has fumbled yet this season. If the weather is less than ideal, expect the Patriots to be very run-heavy.
Darnell Mooney, Bears ($7,400 DraftKings, $11,000 FanDuel)
Listen, I was all over Mooney last week against the Commanders, and he almost paid off in a huge way. He finished with 7-68 on 12 targets, and was very close to multiple scores. All in all, he did his job in a low-scoring affair.
Well, love it or hate it, Mooney is still the #1 target for Justin Fields. The Bears are the most run-heavy team in the NFL. If the Patriots dominate on the ground the way I expect them to, then Mooney and company will need to step up. The Pats are 13th in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to opposing WR. Mooney could pay off here.
Hunter Henry, Patriots ($5,000 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
Henry made his presence felt last week against the Browns, posting a 5-61-1 line for his second consecutive 50+ yard game. Bailey Zappe was also under center for that one, and I do expect the Pats to be more run-heavy with Mac back (for the record, I think Zappe is better than Mac too). Weather doesn’t look too bad, but with the potential for showers, the short passing game could benefit. Maybe we will get lucky and Mac will be a late scratch. Zappe would make Henry an even better play.
Other Options
Call me crazy, but I think Cole Kmet has a game here. The Bears WRs are undersized in the Red Zone, and the Pats have served up five TD to opposing TE already in 2022.
When teams aren’t scoring touchdowns they are participating in the 2022 Showdown Specialty…FIELD GOALS! Both Nick Folk and Cairo Santos are in play here, but I side with Folk slightly due to the Patriots ability to move the ball.
Dante Pettis seemed to be the only other player to show up last week against the Commanders, going 4-84-1 on seven targets. He also had a COMBINED five targets on the season leading into that game. He may be more popular than he rightfully should be, but he is a fine option.
Sandwiched around a donut against the Lions, Davante Parker has scored 23.6, 10.4, and 10.4 points. I don’t mind him at all, but his price is creeping up a bit.
Khalil Herbert is leading all RB in the NFL with 6.4 YPC…he has been more productive than David Montgomery. I side with him over D-Mont here when you factor in price.
I already mentioned how I feel about Mac Jones, so I have the Bears D as a decent play here. I do think they get gouged on the ground, but a few Mac mistakes (he has a 2/5 TD/INT…Bailey Zappe is 4/1…just saying) could pay off big here while everyone is flocking to the Patriots side.
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!
