Monday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Las Vegas vs. Green Bay

Monday night's game features no contenders but rather two teams caught between the need to rebuild and the impulse to compete in the present, leaving both teams in aggressive pursuit of even small victories. The Packers head to Las Vegas to face former star Green Bay wideout Davante Adams, and though little is on the line no side ever likes to look like the loser of a trade. Not only would the Packers prefer to not have Adams make a point at their expense on national television, they'd also go to great extents to get a good game from quarterback Jordan Love, who the team at once pitches as their quarterback of the future yet must be losing faith as Love continues to struggle with basic quarterback tasks. With uneven rosters like this a number of outcomes are on the table, but the Packers are favored by 2.0 and the over/under is up to 45.5 from the opening 43.5.

QUARTERBACKS

The pressure is building on Jordan Love ($9800 DK, $16000 FD) as the fourth-year quarterback continues to struggle through inconsistencies, but luckily for him the Raiders defense is probably among the most accommodating to opposing quarterbacks. It's not a strong group to start with, and they'll be without top corner Nate Hobbs. Love's own offensive line is an ongoing concern with David Bakhtiari out, but at least standout guard Elgton Jenkins is back. The Raiders have allowed eight touchdowns passing versus just one interception, so a poor game from Love here would be disappointing.

Jimmy Garoppolo ($9400 DK, $13500 FD) is back from the concussion, which likely makes him the best real-life quarterback in this game. Whether he matches Love as a fantasy quarterback depends on at least a couple things, the most important being the status of Davante Adams (shoulder). Adams' only logged practice this week was a limited practice Saturday, meaning he very likely is not at 100 percent. A second variable is the status of top Green Bay corner Jaire Alexander (back), who when healthy might be capable of stalling Adams' production, especially with Adams playing injured. Alexander practiced in a limited capacity all week, though his back injury seems more likely to be functionally limiting than Adams, who at least has an injury unrelated to running. Although the Packers pass defense is certainly better than the Las Vegas one, it's also true that the Packers have not been tested much.

RUNNING BACKS

Aaron Jones ($10000 DK, $13000 FD) is questionable to play with a hamstring injury, the same that limited him to 18 snaps and five carries against the Lions last week. Just as he did last week, Jones was listed as a limited practice participant each day of practice, so it seems he still might not be fully recovered. That's discouraging, especially if it's the reason his usage was so sparse against the Lions. Whether that risk remains here is unclear, but what's safe to say is the Raiders defense is weaker than the Detroit one, so Jones should at least find better efficiency than the 18 yards he produced on five carries. AJ Dillon ($4600 DK, $10000 FD) would pick up the slack left by Jones otherwise, though Dillon has been unable to capitalize on the opportunity to this point in 2023.

Josh Jacobs ($10600 DK, $14500 FD) has the most stable projection among running backs in this game, making him a potentially chalky pick but with good reason. Though his rushing returns have lagged this year, Jacobs has offset that with an increase in pass-catching production, leaving him on a pace for nearly 80 receptions this year. Ameer Abdullah ($1000 DK, $7500 FD) poaches a handful of passing-down snaps per game, while Zamir White ($3200 DK, $6500 FD) has played 18 snaps over four games.

WIDE RECEIVERS + TIGHT ENDS

Davante Adams ($11200 DK, $14000 FD) can break the slate when healthy, so his ability to play through his shoulder injury could be a hinge on which the game's outcome swings, both in real life and for showdown slates. Any slack left from Adams would primarily trend toward Jakobi Meyers ($7000 DK, $12500 FD), though Meyers is plenty capable of a strong game even if Adams also produces. Hunter Renfrow ($2200 DK, $8000 FD) is capable of more than the Raiders offense gives him, but it's not clear why anything would turn for the better for him if Adams is active. Tre Tucker ($200 DK, $5500 FD) and DeAndre Carter ($200 DK, $6000 FD) form an incoherent rotation behind the other three Raiders wideouts. Austin Hooper ($600 DK, $7500 FD) and Michael Mayer ($200 DK, $7000 FD) tend to split the tight end snaps, though Mayer has mostly blocked to this point.

Christian Watson ($7800 DK, $12000 FD), Romeo Doubs ($8200 DK, $11000 FD) and Jayden Reed ($6200 DK, $9500 FD) are all in very good spots here, assuming Love can do his part at quarterback. The Raiders corners are weak and now dealing with injury, so the receivers should be open. So should tight end Luke Musgrave ($5200 DK, $8000 FD), who is in the clear from his concussion from Week 3. Josiah Deguara ($1800 DK, $5500 FD) to this point has gotten more of the scraps otherwise than Tucker Kraft ($200 DK, $5500 FD) has. Dontayvion Wicks ($200 DK, $7000 FD) quietly played over 30 snaps last week and could be a viable punt pick.

KICKERS

Daniel Carlson ($4200 DK, $9000 FD) faces off against his brother Anders Carlson ($4000 DK, $8500 FD), presumably a first since the Gramatica era. Daniel is the better player but on the worse offense, making the younger Carlson the potentially better fantasy option at the moment. Neither kicker has eclipsed double-digit fantasy points in a game to this point, however.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

Neither defense is especially encouraging to this point in the year, but the Packers ($4400 DK, $9000 FD) are generally regarded as the better group. Their front seven is a bit more solid – both on the line and the second level – and particularly if Alexander is active the Packers should also have the better secondary. With that said, perhaps the Raiders ($3800 DK, $8500 FD) shouldn't be crossed off with Love up-and-down and the Packers offensive line facing some doubts. Still, there's no doubt the Raiders lack talent at every level of the defense. If you're looking to pair a returner with the Raiders DST, both Tre Tucker and DeAndre Carter are return candidates, but particularly Carter.