Monkey Knife Fight: Monday Night Football Picks

Monkey Knife Fight: Monday Night Football Picks

This article is part of our DFS NFL series.

After another packed slate of games Sunday, Monday Night Football brings our last opportunity of Week 11 to play on Monkey Knife Fight. Three Game Types are offered, including "More Or Less," "Rapid Fire" and "Stat Shootout." For a full breakdown of the rules for each game, see the House Rules page. Let's dive into some of the contests within each Game Type and discuss how things might play out.

More Or Less Contest

Starting things will be a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize. We will pick sides on Brandon Aiyuk 59.5 receiving yards and Rondale Moore 55.5 receiving yards. Take the over on Aiyuk. Not only has he totaled at least 60 receiving yards in four consecutive games, but he had at least 81 receiving yards in each. After recording a modest 826 receiving yards in 17 games last season, he already has 567 yards in nine games.

Let's also take the over on Moore. He's a key member of the Cardinals' passing game, receiving at least eight targets in five of the last six games. That helped him finish with at least 68 receiving yards four times. With Zach Ertz (knee) out for the remainder of the regular season and DeAndre Hopkins battling a hamstring injury, Moore should remain in a prominent role.

Rapid Fire Contest

For this contest, let's look at a 2/2 goal for 2.5X the prize. The battles are Christian McCaffrey vs. Hopkins fantasy points (with Hopkins receiving a +3.5 fantasy points bonus) and Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Moore fantasy points (with Moore receiving a +2.5 fantasy points bonus). Take McCaffrey over Hopkins. While Hopkins is expected to play, hamstring injuries can be tricky. He could be limited, or there is the potential for him to aggravate it. Even if he is healthy enough to assume his regular role, McCaffrey has been excellent since joining the 49ers. In his two games, he has four touchdowns.

For the second battle, I'll lean slightly toward Garoppolo. Although he snapped his streak of four consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes in Week 10, he recorded a score on the ground, his second rushing touchdown of the season. The Cardinals' defense has been awful, allowing the third-most points per game (25.8) in the league. The 49ers are only give up 18.1 points per game, which includes just nine receiving touchdowns allowed.

Stat Shootout Contest

An intriguing option is for three players to combine for 20.5-plus receptions for 2X the prize. Let's start with Moore, who has three consecutive games with at least seven receptions. With the Cardinals struggling on defense, they might need to throw a lot to keep up with the 49ers' offense.

For the last two selections, let's shift to the 49ers and go with both McCaffrey and Aiyuk. McCaffrey is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league and the 49ers have targeted him 15 times in their last two games. That left him with eight and four receptions, respectively. With the 49ers having the dynamic duo of McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk can be left with some favorable matchups in the secondary. With his hefty target share, he has caught at least six passes in each of the last four games. During that stretch, he was targeted at least 11 times in a game twice.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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