The Detroit Lions play host to the Las Vegas Raiders tonight on MNF. We’ll look to take advantage of what should be a competitive matchup tonight. With fantasy glory and a hefty $500,000 on the line, it’s now more crucial than ever to assemble a winning DraftKings lineup that can dominate the competition. This article offers DFS insights on who should take the coveted captain slot, which core player should anchor your player pool, a value gem that can boost your salary cap flexibility, a sleeper pick with breakout potential, and one player to steer clear of – the dreaded bust. Get ready for an interesting DFS showdown on MNF.
*Disclaimer: These picks have been constructed with the mindset of building a single lineup. When building large field/multi-entry tournaments, if the player sees the field you’ll want to have a piece of him somewhere, my “busts” included.*
Monday Night Football DraftKings Showdown Picks
Captain
Jahmyr Gibbs
DraftKings Captain Salary- $12,900
Well this is quite the change. The last time that I covered a Lions primetime game, Jahmyr Gibbs was my bust. This time around I’m convinced that he’ll lead the slate in DraftKings points. MNF will mark Gibbs’ second straight start without fellow running back David Montgomery (OUT). Montgomery went down with an injury to his ribs in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In games without Monty, Gibbs has been very productive for the Lions.
Jahmyr Gibbs all touches against Ravens • Bright spot for a burn the tape week 7 • #OnePride pic.twitter.com/LS4aoc9EHH
— Football Feen (@f00tballfeen) October 23, 2023
In his first game without David Montgomery, Gibbs was force fed 17 carries, which he took for 80 scoreless yards. He was hardly involved in the passing game, catching one of two targets for two yards. Lions head coach Dan Campbell must have watched some Gibbs college tape, because his last time out, Gibbs was used correctly. Last week in Baltimore, Gibbs finally got involved in the passing attack. He reeled in 9 of 10 targets for 58 yards. He finally found the end zone as well, adding 68 yards on 11 carries. I suspect he’ll be used in the same fashion on MNF tonight.
Core Play
Jakobi Meyers
DraftKings Salary- $8,200
Davante Adams has been targeted a team-high 71 times. Jakobi Meyers isn’t too far behind with 56. No other wide receiver or tight end have cracked 20. While that might not be the winning formula for an NFL offense, it sure does make things a hell of a lot easier for us to decipher. Oh wait, I’ve already cracked the code: Adams and Meyers are the only two pass catchers worth their salt on this offense.
The connection that Jimmy Garoppolo and Jakobi Meyers built in New England has clearly transferred to the Sin City. Meyers will be carrying a three game touchdown streak coming into MNF. He’s also gone three straight games with at least 7 targets and 50 receiving yards. The volume has been there for Meyers in every game that Jimmy G has been available.
Value
Sam LaPorta
DraftKings Salary- $7,400
Top Lions pass catcher Amon-Ra St. Brown is listed as questionable for MNF with a reported illness. He was added to the Week 8 injury report yesterday, which obviously does not bode very well for his status. We’ve already seen what happens when a sick player is active (Bijan Robinson/Patrick Mahomes) and we don’t want any part of that. Luckily for Jared Goff, he’s been developing quite the rapport with his rookie tight end Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta has come out of the gates strong this season. His first NFL game ended with him catching a perfect 5 of 5 targets. He’s carried that kind of reliability into each one of his matchups so far this season. Beyond the reliability, LaPorta has proven that he can be a big play guy as well. In Week 5 against Carolina, LaPorta caught 3 passes, two of them going for touchdowns. Possibly a man down, LaPorta may be asked to step up in a big way tonight.
Sleeper
Michael Mayer
DraftKings Salary- $3,800
I’m well aware that I said no Raider pass catchers were worth their salt besides Adams and Meyers. However, considering recent performances, Michael Mayer comes with a discount today. Mayer was practically invisible the first four weeks of the season. But the Mayer of Las Vegas has been relatively active in the last couple of weeks. After catching one pass on two targets in the first four weeks of the season, Mayer has churned out yardage totals of 39,75, and 13 since. The spike in production has led to an increase in snap percentages as well. Mayer’s high in the first four weeks was a 51% share in Week 4. His season high was accomplished two weeks later when he received an 81% share against the Patriots. Mayer’s SNF price tag is just sweet enough to draw my attention.
Stash Michael Mayer 🤫 pic.twitter.com/rDMxLrVnGL
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 24, 2023
MNF Bust
Josh Jacobs
DraftKings Salary- $8,400
What in the actual $#%! is going on with Josh Jacobs? The NFL’s former leading rushing champion has not looked the same this season. Jacobs has not had a single game over 100 yards this season, a feat that he accomplished seven times in 2022. Shoot, I’m sitting here talking about 100 yards when in fact Jacobs hasn’t even cracked 80 this year. I’m not putting this all on Jacobs. The Raiders have experienced poor offensive line play all season. However, at some point you’ve got to make lemonade. And let me tell you, Jacobs has been given a ton of lemons.
Through his struggles, one thing that hasn’t changed is the volume. The veteran back has seen at least 14 touches in each game this year. His high came in Week 6 against the Patriots where he got 27 touches, a game in which he didn’t crack 100 total yards or find the end zone. The MNF matchup that looms over Jacobs is far from favorable as the Lions DST has only given up 534 total rushing yards this season. That’s good enough to be ranked 3rd in the NFL.