Daily fantasy football is a great way to get that fantasy fix in the NFL playoffs. With just four weeks of football remaining, our time is limited. Fortunately, we have three separate days of football this week to get our fill. Let’s take a look at the Monday DraftKings DFS Showdown slate and the fantasy outlook for Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., and Van Jefferson.
NFL DFS Picks: Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Van Jefferson
Of these three Rams wide receivers, who has the highest upside in DFS formats for the first-ever Wild Card Weekend Monday Night Football game? Let’s dive in.
Cooper Kupp ($13,000)
What really needs to be said about Kupp? He’s the priciest player on the slate and rightfully so. Kupp is coming off the single greatest fantasy wide receiver season of all time.
Kupp got there both on volume and efficiency. He averaged 25.7 PPR fantasy points per game, leading the NFL in targets (191), receptions (145), yards (1,947), and touchdowns (16). Kupp also led the NFL in plays of 20 yards or more (30), seven more than the next-best player in that category, Justin Jefferson.
If you want to go contrarian and leave Kupp out of your lineup, you’ll surely have a massive edge on the field if he flops. However, Kupp never flops.
During the regular season, Kupp finished as a weekly WR1 in a staggering 15 out of 17 games. He scored at least 20 PPR fantasy points in 14 games. Simply put, Kupp was a machine. Leave him out of your lineup at your own peril.
Odell Beckham Jr. ($6,800) and Van Jefferson ($5,200)
When constructing a DFS Showdown lineup (or any DFS lineup), your lineup must tell a story. How do you see this Monday Night Football game playing out?
Both Beckham and Jefferson have had success against the Cardinals this season. Beckham was not with the Rams during their first game against Arizona. Jefferson caught 6 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. In their second meeting, Beckham put up a similar line of 6-77-1. Jefferson only saw 3 targets in that one, but he caught 2 of them for 58 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals are a favorable matchup for Rams wide receivers
The Cardinals have struggled to defend wide receivers this season. They allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position. With that said, your lineup construction should center around how you think this game will play out.
For example, I believe the Cardinals will win this game. If that happens, I would anticipate a more pass-heavy approach for the Rams. In situations where the Rams are not leading (either tied or trailing), they throw the ball 66% of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the league.
While I don’t necessarily expect the game to play out like their first meeting, where the Cardinals maintained a two-score lead for the majority of the contest, I do expect a back-and-forth affair. Even in a neutral game script (leading or trailing by one score), the Rams like to throw. They have a pass rate of 60%, seventh-highest in the league.
The Rams ran 11 personnel (3 WR, 1 TE) a league-high 84% of the time this season. It’s been head coach Sean McVay’s primary offensive philosophy since he got the job. As a result, Jefferson and Beckham are quasi-every-down players.
Between Jefferson, Beckham, and Cardinals wide receivers Christian Kirk ($7,000), A.J. Green ($5,800), and Antoine Wesley ($1,800), there are a lot of different directions you can go in your DFS lineup. Success will likely come down to who gets the secondary wide receivers correct. Keep Jefferson and Beckham in mind when making your selections.