NFL Monkey Knife Fight Picks: Week 17

NFL Monkey Knife Fight Picks: Week 17

This article is part of our DFS NFL series.

Week 17 brings another busy slate for us to enjoy 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 highlight one option to consider.

More Or Less Contest

Starting things is a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize in the Buccaneers and Panthers game. We will pick sides on Mike Evans 14.5 fantasy points and DJ Moore 10.5 fantasy points. For Evans, I'm leaning toward the under. He finished with three receptions for 29 yards last week, marking the sixth time in the last seven games that he has produced fewer than 60 receiving yards. He also hasn't found his way into the end zone since Week 4 and has totaled just four red-zone targets in the last seven games.

For Moore, take the over. The Panthers have finally settled on Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback, which has provided a boost for Moore. The last four games, he has 14 receptions for 259 yards and three touchdowns. When he took on the Buccaneers in Week 7, he caught seven passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Rapid Fire Contest

Let's look at the Jaguars-Texans game and highlight a 2/2 goal for 2.5X the prize. The battles are Trevor Lawrence vs. Davis Mills fantasy points (with Mills receiving a 8.5 fantasy points bonus) and Travis Etienne vs. Christian Kirk fantasy points (with Kirk receiving a 2.5 fantasy points bonus). For the quarterbacks, take Lawrence. The Jaguars are expected to deploy their starters as usual, unlike the Titans, who rested most of their starters Thursday in preparation for a key Week 18 battle with the Jaguars for the AFC South. Lawrence is part of a much more dangerous offense, which has helped him record 24 touchdown passes. Mills has just 14 touchdowns passes with 13 interceptions. He has also thrown for fewer than 200 yards in six of his last seven games.

For the second battle, take Etienne over Kirk. The Texans rank middle of the pack in terms of passing yards allowed per game, but they have allowed the most rushing yards per game in the league. Etienne is the clear top option out of the backfield for the Jaguars, recording at least 17 carries in three consecutive games.

Stat Shootout Contest

Closing things out is a contest in the Lions-Bears game in which three players need to combine for at least 225.5 receiving yards for 2X the prize. Starting things is Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is having another special season for the Lions. He has already surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, thanks to his heavy target share. Over the last seven games, he has caught at least seven passes six times. Staying with the Lions, I'll also take DJ Chark. He has received at least five targets in three of the last four games, helping him post at least 94 receiving yards in each.

For the Bears, let's take Cole Kmet. When these two teams met in Week 10, Kmet produced four receptions, 74 yards and two touchdowns. He is one of the top pass-catching options for Justin Fields and should get plenty of targets in this game as the Bears try to keep pace with the Lions' explosive offense.

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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