NFL Monkey Knife Fight Picks: Week 9

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Published on November 4, 2022

Although six teams have byes Week 9, we still have a lot of appealing options 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. Our options are Tyler Lockett 60.5 receiving yards and Zach Ertz 50.5 receiving yards. Lockett is coming off a productive game against the Giants, catching five of eight passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. He's hit the over on this number in five of eight games this season, but the Cardinals held him to two catches for 17 yards when they first met in Week 6. Lockett has big-play upside and the Cardinals have allowed the fifth-most receptions to wide receivers in the league, so I'll lean toward Lockett hitting the over in their rematch.

For Ertz, let's take the under. He came away with a touchdown against the Vikings last week, but he finished with only 34 receiving yards on four catches. That came on the heels of him posting 21 yards against the Saints in Week 7. He only has nine targets in two games since DeAndre Hopkins returned from his suspension, which is concerning.

Rapid Fire Contest

Let's look at a 2/2 goal for 2.5X the prize. We have Kyler Murray vs. Cooper Kupp fantasy points (with Kupp receiving a +1.5 fantasy points bonus) and Hopkins vs. Geno Smith fantasy points (with Smith receiving a +2.5 fantasy points bonus). First off, give me Kupp over Murray. While Kupp suffered an ankle injury last week, he practiced on a limited basis Thursday and all signs point to him playing in this game. He's as good as it gets, catching 64 passes for 686 yards and five touchdowns this season. Murray has been inconsistent and was limited to 222 passing yards and no touchdown passes by the Seahawks when they last met.

For the second battle, let's go with Hopkins. In two games since returning from suspension, he received 14 and 13 targets. That left him to record 22 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown. With the heavy volume of passes that should be thrown his way, he could outproduce Smith, even with Smith receiving a bonus.

Stat Shootout Contest

Let's finish things by selecting three players to combine for 24.5-plus receptions for 2X the prize. First and foremost, let's start with Hopkins. He has at least 10 catches in back-to-back games. For the second player, let's go with Kupp. He has at least seven receptions in all but one game this season, and he has three games with at least 11 catches.

Rounding out this trio will be Chris Godwin, who has been extremely busy for the Buccaneers. He has been targeted at least 10 times in four of the last five games, leaving him with at least six receptions in all five games. He doesn't carry the same big-play upside that his teammate Mike Evans does, but he is without question one of Tom Brady's most trusted options.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.