This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
While the official opener of the NFL season was Thursday, the first full slate of games hits our televisions Sunday. A bevy of games on the schedule means there are plenty of great contests available on Monkey Knife Fight.
There are three Game Types that are offered: "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
An interesting option for this contest is a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize for rushing yards for Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon. Chubb's number is 75.5, while Mixon's is 69.5. Look for the Browns to rely heavily on Chubb out of the gate with Deshaun Watson serving an 11-game suspension. Jacoby Brissett is a serviceable backup quarterback, but he's not an inspiring passer, by any means. Chubb had five games in which he received at least 20 carries last season, and he finished with at least 84 yards in each. Take the over for his number.
For Mixon, he could also be busy with the Bengals being heavy favorites over the Steelers. If they do race out to an early lead, Mixon has the potential for added carries in the second half. The two times he faced the Steelers last season, he rushed for 90 and 165 yards, respectively. I like the over on his number, as well.
Rapid Fire Contest
Among the options is a 2/3 goal with regards to fantasy points scored for 1.5X the prize. The choices are Jalen Hurts (with +0.5 bonus points) vs. Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow (with +1.5 bonus points) vs. Jonathan Taylor, and Joe Mixon (with +1.5 bonus points) vs. Trey Lance. The two I'm most confident about are McCaffrey to score more points than Hurts, and Taylor to score more points than Burrow.
When he is healthy, McCaffrey is the most dominant force in fantasy. In Week 1 last season, he carried 21 times for 98 yards, while catching all nine of his targets for an additional 89 yards. He has a much more talented quarterback now in Baker Mayfield, which should help him be even more dangerous. Hurts' rushing ability does make this a little tricky, but no player in fantasy has McCaffrey's upside.
Taylor has the potential to provide a monster stat line in a matchup against the Texans. The first time he faced them last season, he ran 14 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns. In their second matchup, he had 32 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts are heavy favorites again, which means Taylor should receive a heavy workload.
Stat Shootout Contest
One option among this group is to select three players to score a total of over 2.5 touchdowns for 1.5X the prize. Derrick Henry, who faces the Giants, stands out. Despite only playing eight games last season, Henry had 10 touchdowns, marking the fourth consecutive season in which he has registered double-digit scores. The Giants have a weak secondary, so the Titans should move the ball up and down the field, setting up Henry for the potential for a touchdown, or two.
Another appealing player is James Conner, who is coming off of a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns for the Cardinals last season. In 15 games last season, he received a whopping 42 rushing attempts inside the red zone.
Finally, Austin Ekeler is my pick to round out this trio. The Chargers face the Raiders in what has the potentially to be a high-scoring affair between two deadly offenses. Ekeler had 20 total touchdowns last season, and he scored two touchdowns in both games that he played against the Raiders.
