This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
Monday Night Football doesn't bring the best of matchups this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Indianapolis Colts. Let's try to spice up the game by playing 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
Let's begin with a 2/3 goal for 1.7X the prize. The options are Matt Ryan 240.5 passing yards, Kenny Pickett 210.5 passing yards and Michael Pittman 5.5 receptions. First, take the over with Ryan. He's regained his starting job with Jeff Saturday taking over as the head coach but didn't throw for more than 222 yards in either of the last two games. This could be a heavy passing game for the Colts, though, with the Steelers allowing the second-most passing yards per game in the league. They have been much better against the run, allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game.
With the expectation that Ryan is productive, also take the over for Pittman's receptions. He is Ryan's top pass-catching option, receiving 16 targets the last two games. That helped him record seven and six receptions.
Rapid Fire Contest
An interesting option is a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize. We will pick sides on Jonathan Taylor vs. Pickett fantasy points (with Pickett receiving a +3.5 fantasy points bonus) and Ryan vs. Pittman fantasy points (with Ryan receiving a +0.5 fantasy points bonus). Take Taylor over Pickett. As good as the Steelers' defense has been against the run, Taylor carries the highest upside. He has received 22 carries in both games since Saturday took over, totaling 231 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Let's also take Pittman over Ryan. When the Colts get inside the red zone, they like to turn to Taylor. In Week 11 alone, Taylor received six carries inside the red zone. Ryan has thrown one or no touchdown passes in six of the nine games that he's played. With Pittman receiving a heavy workload and this being point per reception scoring, he has a favorable opportunity to outproduce Ryan.
Stat Shootout Contest
Let's dig into the contest in which three players have to combine for at least 19.5 receptions for 2X the prize. First, take Pittman because of his aforementioned heavy workload. Also, roll with his teammate Parris Campbell. He has also benefited from Ryan regaining his starting job, posting seven and five receptions, respectively, over the last two games.
On the Steelers side, Pat Freiermuth is the most appealing option. He received 12 targets last week against the Bengals, which he turned into eight receptions for 79 yards. He has been targeted at least seven times in four consecutive games, coming away with at least four receptions in each matchup. For the season, he has the second-highest target share on the team, behind only wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
