If you’re competing in a DFS tournament or 50/50 competition for the Monday Night Football single-game slate between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams, then you’ve come to the right place for picks. We’ve run through dozens of potential game scripts to arrive at the most likely scenarios and how these scenarios would impact fantasy football performances. Here are our top NFL DFS picks for the Cardinals vs. the Rams, based on DraftKings pricing.
Top NFL DFS DraftKings picks for Cardinals vs. Rams | Rams
This lineup assumes the Rams win with a balanced attack that doesn’t feature expensive all-world receiver Cooper Kupp. It also assumes Kyler Murray almost singlehandedly keeps his team competitive in the face of injuries and underperforming offensive weapons.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams ($16,200)
If Matthew Stafford spreads the ball around, he could easily toss 4 touchdowns to four different receivers — a testament to how good he is, and how deep and talented his roster is. While the opposing Cardinals have been decent against fantasy QBs, they’ve yielded the 10th-fewest pass attempts.
For context, the Rams are yielding 1 less fantasy point per game to QBs than the Cardinals are. But the Cardinals are giving up 12% more QB fantasy production per pass attempt. On a per-pass basis, the difference is minuscule. In a full game, it’s tangible. Stafford can thrive Monday if he leads a pass-heavy attack. He belongs in your DFS Captain slot.
Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams ($6,600)
Cam Akers is priced as a backup RB while Sony Michel is valued at $7,800. Even the injured Darrell Henderson Jr. is valued higher at $7,400. It doesn’t make sense. And when something in DFS doesn’t make sense, it’s either because we’re missing something, or they’ve missed something.
In this case, it’s probably the former. Not automatically, but probably. Akers earned 8 touches last week in a tune-up game after returning from an Achilles injury. His usage should grow throughout the playoffs, as long as the Rams keep winning. At worst, he’ll get about 8-10 touches Monday. At best, he’ll exceed 20.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams ($5,400)
The Rams didn’t need Gerald Everett last offseason because they were confident with Tyler Higbee, their late-blooming 2016 fourth-round pick who finally found his groove in 2019. This season, until Week 18, he’d been absolutely solid. Not special, but acceptable from a fantasy perspective.
Higbee’s breakout last weekend is a reminder that he isn’t strictly a TE2. Higbee has as much upside as any non-elite fantasy tight end. Given how much he’s targeted, including near the end zone, he’s a great DFS flyer.
Van Jefferson, WR, Los Angeles Rams ($5,200)
The Cardinals have given up buckets of points to opposing receivers. Van Jefferson’s recent slump should not count against him when considering your optimal DFS lineup. He’s scored in six games this year, and he has four outings with 80+ receiving yards. Jefferson is a better bet than many people realize.
Top NFL DFS DraftKings picks for Cardinals vs. Rams | Cardinals
This lineup assumes Arizona spreads the ball around. It also assumes they’ll utilize their backfield in the passing game during catch-up mode.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals ($11,200)
Remember when the Cardinals were 7-0? Not coincidentally, they were pretty healthy to start the season. These days, not so much.
Losers of three of their last four games, this team is stumbling into the playoffs. To win, the Cardinals need an elite performance from Kyler Murray, including running far more than he has for most of this year. They probably won’t have a choice. Expect Murray to take over.
Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals ($5,000)
With only $5,400 remaining, our options are limited. This final lineup pick attempts to thread the needle based on a likely game script. We are assuming that Arizona will keep things close enough to continue operating out of the backfield for much of the evening. At the same time, given Chase Edmonds’ exceptional pass-catching chops, we believe he could thrive if Arizona’s in catch-up mode in the fourth quarter.