This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
The NFL is back! The 2022 season couldn't kick off with a much better matchup than what we'll see Thursday when the Rams play host to the Bills. The Rams are the defending Super Bowl champions, and the Bills have their sights set on making another lengthy playoff run. To add even more excitement to the opener, there are plenty of great contests available on Monkey Knife Fight.
The site offers three Game Types: "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
Among the interesting options for this game is a 2/2 goal for a 3.5X prize on fantasy points scored by Allen Robinson and Gabe Davis. The line for Robinson is 13.5 fantasy points, while Davis's line is 12.5 points. It's important to note the scoring system does award a full point per reception.
Robinson is coming off a dreadful season with the Bears in which he caught just 38 passes for 410 yards and a touchdown. He was limited to 12 games because of injury, but he was also part of a terrible offense that was bogged down by poor quarterback play. Now, he's on one of the top offenses in the NFL with a stable quarterback in Matthew Stafford. He had back-to-back seasons with at least 1,100 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020, so it's not unrealistic to think that he could bounce back in a big way.
Davis will be entering his third season with the Bills and is primed to be as busy as ever. He's lined up to be the second receiving option behind Stefon Diggs, with Diggs regularly assuming much of the defensive attention. Despite Davis serving mostly in a limited role his first two seasons, he totaled 13 touchdowns. With added target share this season, a breakout campaign could be on the horizon.
This game has the potential to be a high-scoring affair, especially with the Bills without cornerback Tre'Davious White. Taking both Robinson and Davis to surpass their fantasy points is the way I'm leaning.
Rapid Fire Contest
One of the options Monkey Knife Fight included in this game is a battle of passing yards between Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford, and a battle of rushing yards between Devin Singletary and Cam Akers. It's a 2/2 goal for 3X prize. Stafford is given a +4.5 bonus over Allen, while Akers has a +2.5 bonus over Singletary.
Rolling with Stafford to have more passing yards than Allen is the best bet. Allen does a lot of damage with his legs, which can sometimes limit his passing totals. Also, Stafford will have the advantage of White not being on the field for the Bills.
With the two running backs, Singletary is set up to be the wise choice, even though Akers is the one getting the bonus. Last season, Singletary ran for at least 72 yards in three of the Bills' first four games, and he also finished the season by rushing for at least 81 yards in four of their final six games (including the playoffs). Akers didn't rush for more than 55 yards in any of the five games that he played in since returning from injury, and Darrell Henderson should also see significant touches after performing so well when Akers was out last season.
Stat Shootout Contest
There is no shortage of intriguing options for this contest. One is for three players to score more than 59.5 combined fantasy points, for a 2X prize. The three options to zero in on for this are Robinson, Davis and Cooper Kupp. As noted, Davis has been a touchdown machine, which makes him appealing for this group. Robinson is also primed to put up increased numbers in a vastly superior offense compared to what he played in last season.
Kupp stands out for this, as well, based on the monster numbers that he put forth last year. He was a big reason why the Rams won a title, finishing the regular season with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had a staggering 191 targets, and it was the second time in the last three seasons that he tallied at least 10 touchdown receptions. Also, he's had at least 124 targets in each of the last three seasons, which leaves him with an incredibly high floor.
