If you’ve already lost in Week 15 because your opponent started Tyler Huntley, Duke Johnson, and Gabriel Davis, you could use an escape — a different kind of fantasy football competition. DFS offers all the joys of winning without the heartache of losing to that former coworker who’s somehow still in your league. Today’s NFL DFS lineup picks for Week 15 Monday Night Football reflects the most likely game scripts for the Browns vs. Raiders and the Bears vs. Vikings. As always, this DFS lineup is based on FanDuel pricing.
Top NFL DFS picks for Monday Night Football Week 15 | QB and RBs
This lineup’s quarterback and running backs assume surprisingly strong offensive performances for the home teams, as well as Minnesota capitalizing on a vulnerable Chicago defense. My focus is on optimizing elite potential, knowing that landing two breakout RBs and a dominant QB could set up this lineup to be a big winner.
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears ($7,000)
Justin Fields should be valued higher. With Andy Dalton on the shelf, there’s no risk of him getting benched. With the Vikings yielding the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs — including the 10th-most QB rushing yards — Fields is in a prime position to notch his third 19+ point performance in his past four games.
Also, consider that two of those games were against two much tougher defenses: the Packers and 49ers. Fields has as good a chance as any starting QB tonight of scoring the most points.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings ($9,000)
When Dalvin Cook returned to the field in Week 14, he earned 28 touches compared to 6 for elite backup Alexander Mattison. In other words, unlike in Green Bay, there’s no running back controversy in Minnesota. And with Mattison forced to miss tonight’s contest (reserve/COVID list), Cook is locked in for one of the week’s heaviest RB workloads.
While the injury-depleted Bears are getting a bit healthier, they’ll still be short-handed against a team desperately trying to stay in the playoff hunt. The Vikings will ride Cook all night.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns ($8,000)
What I wrote about Cook also applies to Nick Chubb, who will be expected to carry the Browns with many offensive weapons still on the reserve/COVID list. It’s been an up-and-down season for Chubb, who’s mixed in four elite performances with too many forgettable ones. The absence of Kareem Hunt should help his cause, though D’Ernest Johnson could cap his ceiling a bit.
The bigger story is that the opposing Raiders are yielding 29.0 fantasy points per game to opposing backfields — the NFL’s third-highest mark. If Chubb can garner a few dump-off passes from third-string QB Nick Mullens, he should finish the week as a solid RB1.
Top NFL DFS picks for Monday Night Football Week 15 | WRs
This lineup’s wide receivers assume blow-up games from the evening’s two most talented receivers, plus a cost-saving bargain. After all, bargains are usually needed in DFS lineups because of salary-cap limitations.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings ($8,800)
I was debating whether to start Justin Jefferson (and an extra cheap bargain) or David Montgomery (with an extra solid WR3). Jefferson’s upside is simply higher, so I’m going with Minnesota’s No. 1 receiver. Along with Cook, we can assume Jefferson will reap rewards if the Vikings’ offense is functioning. The Bears’ subpar pass defense (which is missing players due to COVID), along with Adam Thielen’s questionable status, make Jefferson a cornerstone of any Week 15 MNF DFS lineup.
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders ($7,400)
Hunter Renfrow has been on another level since the Henry Ruggs tragedy. And with Darren Waller still on the shelf, Renfrow should continue to be Derek Carr’s unquestioned top target. Volume and playmaking ability make him a strong piece of this DFS puzzle. It helps that the Browns’ defense is down several starters, opening the door to higher-probability WR1 production.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears ($6,100)
Darnell Mooney’s DFS price has dropped after back-to-back letdowns — a 5-27-0 receiving line in Week 13 and a rock-bottom 1-19-0 line in Week 14. But in that second game, he was playing alongside Allen Robinson against Green Bay’s tough defense. With Robinson on the COVID list, Mooney is a must-start in deep leagues and a great flier in DFS.
Ignore the false narrative that “Mooney isn’t good when Fields is at QB.” Fields targeted Mooney on 5 of his 11 pass attempts in Week 11, 6 times in his previous game, 9 times in his game before that, and so on. Mooney is the best bet tonight among Chicago receivers.
Top NFL DFS picks for Monday Night Football Week 15 | TE, Flex, D/ST
We have only $13,700 remaining in this extraordinarily top-heavy DFS lineup. What’s the optimal combination for these final three slots?
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns ($5,200)
No Austin Hooper (reserve/COVID list). No Jarvis Landry (reserve/COVID list). And the fourth-worst defense against tight ends (Raiders at 16.8 TE fantasy points per game). On a night when there are no must-start fantasy tight ends, Njoku offers as much upside as any of them. He missed last week (COVID), and because of Cleveland’s Week 13 bye, he hasn’t played since his 3-35-1 receiving line in Week 12. I’m expecting at least 5 targets tonight, setting him up as a TE1/2 with strong TD potential within a short-handed receiving corps.
Damiere Byrd, Flex, Chicago Bears ($5,000)
Damiere Byrd gets a boost with Robinson on the COVID list and facing a beatable Raiders pass defense. Byrd has transitioned from a deep backup role earlier this year to a “key cog” position that saw him earn 12 combined targets in Weeks 12 and 13. He took a step back with 2 targets last week, but as alluded to above, it’s hard to find volume in a subpar pass offense when both Mooney and Robinson are on the field.
That said, Byrd’s big-play ability (as highlighted by a 58-yard TD reception in Week 14) makes him an ideal boom-bust option at his cheap DFS price.
Chicago Bears, D/ST ($3,400)
The least expensive D/ST in today’s DFS slate — why overthink it? The Browns should score on the Raiders, and vice versa. The Bears should score on the Vikings, and vice versa. None of these defenses are especially formidable, though Cleveland could make that claim if they were near full health. So by saving money at D/ST, we can afford to get guys like Cook and Jefferson. Here’s hoping Chicago gets a special-teams or defensive touchdown.