This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
We'll close out Week 9 in the NFL with a Monday Night Football matchup between the Ravens and Saints. Both teams are dealing with injuries that could limit them offensively. Still, we have some intriguing option to consider 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 is a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize. We have Andy Dalton at 240.5 passing yards and Lamar Jackson at 220.5 passing yards. First, let's take the under for Dalton. Michael Thomas (toe) is expected to miss the rest of the season, robbing the Saints of one of their best offensive weapons. Dalton has provided some underwhelming stat lines, throwing for fewer than 240 passing yards in four of five games this season.
Let's also take the under for Jackson. This should be a run-heavy offensive scheme for the Ravens because of all their injuries. In the passing game, they will be without Rashod Bateman (foot) and Mark Andrews (knee/shoulder). Running back Gus Edwards (hamstring) is not expected to play, either, so we could see a lot of Kenyan Drake and designed runs for Jackson. Jackson hasn't exactly been lighting things up through the air, anyway, posting fewer than 220 passing yards in six of his eight games.
Rapid Fire Contest
Let's look at a 2/2 goal for 2.5X the prize. The battles are Jackson vs. Alvin Kamara fantasy points (with Kamara receiving a +3.5 fantasy points bonus) and Dalton vs. Chris Olave fantasy points (with Olave receiving a +1.5 fantasy points bonus). Give me Olave over Dalton. Dalton has three games with just one touchdown pass to go with all of his limited yardage totals. He's also been picked off four times, which is noteworthy since the Ravens have eight interceptions this season. Olave should at least receive a hefty workload, as he has three games this season with at least 13 targets.
The Jackson and Kamara battle is an interesting one. I'll lean toward Jackson, since he should be heavily involved on the ground. He's done plenty of damage with his legs already, posting 553 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Kamara would be facing an uphill battle against a Ravens team that likely will be focusing their defensive game plan on slowing him down, and also fortified their linebacker group by acquiring Roquan Smith from the Bears at the trade deadline. Kamara also has just three touchdowns this season, all of which came in Week 8.
Stat Shootout Contest
This has the potential to be a low-scoring game because of offensive injuries on both sides, which makes a lot of the options in this contest tricky. Let's look at three players to combine for 56.5-plus fantasy points for 2X the prize. The first choice has to be Kamara, even with the Ravens gunning to slow him. He's had at least 15 carries in four of his last five games, and he's received at least nine targets in three consecutive games. That gives him a relatively high floor.
Next, let's go with Drake. He showed his upside in Week 6 against the Giants, turning 10 carries into 119 yards and a touchdown. He's received at least one red-zone carry in each of the last three games, and could challenge for a season-high in carries with Edwards out.
Finally, let's add Isaiah Likely. Andrews is a huge part of the Ravens' offense, turning 64 targets into 42 receptions, 488 yards and five touchdowns. Likely looked great in the preseason and he caught six of seven targets for 77 yards and a touchdown when Andrews went down in Week 8 against the Buccaneers.
