Another week is drawing to a close and we have two more Monday night games to end the week. The more football the better, and it’s hard to argue with having multiple games on a night. The NFL is certainly saving the best for last though tonight with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the Detroit Lions. There figures to be a fair share of offense with an over/under of 46.5 so that certainly works from a DFS perspective. Here are some Monday Night Football NFL DFS picks with preferences ranked within each category so you can find success.
Monday Night Football NFL DFS Picks – Seattle Seahawks @ Detroit Lions
Captain
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Entering tonight’s game, DK Metcalf has consecutive 100-plus yard games. Given Detroit’s performance to begin the season, they are allowing the second-most points to opposing receivers, Metcalf is in a good spot to make it a third straight week. While he was only targeted six times, four receptions, last week, Metcalf had a 71-yard reception to make it a big day. It was also the second straight game in which Metcalf found the end zone as his chemistry with Geno Smith remains strong.
After Metcalf had just 29 yards on three catches in Week 1, all of the rust appears to be shaken off. Metcalf continues to be a big play threat for Seattle. Perhaps more importantly, the matchup lines up perfectly against Detroit.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
From a DFS perspective, it’s a tough matchup for the Lions against the Seahawks. In the last two weeks, Jahmyr Gibbs has 13 and 16 carries for 84 and 83 yards, respectively. We know that Gibbs has a legitimate role in Detroit’s offense, even if he operates as more of a 1A with David Montgomery. It’s tough to argue with Gibbs’ efficiency in the past two weeks, but the game flow was interesting last week.
After being targeted seven times in Week 2, and catching all seven targets, Gibbs wasn’t targeted last week. He generally has a role in Detroit’s passing offense and I would chalk it up more to game flow and Detroit’s struggles. However, he did run 20 yards on a lateral for a touchdown, so despite looking odd, Gibbs did have some receiving production.
From a cost perspective, there isn’t much difference between Gibbs and Jared Goff, but it’s a slightly better matchup for Gibbs. The expectation is that he’ll touch the ball 20 times tonight and come close to 100 total yards.
Flex
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
If there is any matchup for Detroit to exploit, it’s Seattle’s struggles against opposing tight ends. To begin the season, the Seahawks are allowing the ninth most DFS points to tight ends. While I thought about including LaPorta above, there is a little cause for concern holding me back.
Last week, LaPorta was dealing with an ankle injury. After practicing on Friday, there are no apparent injury concerns, but there is also re-injury risk. The other problem is that LaPorta has struggled to begin his sophomore season. He hasn’t been targeted more than five times in a game and has two receptions in back-to-back weeks. Through three games he has eight catches for 94 yards and his next touchdown will be his first. Last year he proved to be a legit red zone target, and this could be the week for him to get back on track.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
We’ve established the struggles Detroit has against opposing receivers, so that’s a plus. Last week, game flow didn’t work in Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s favor as he caught all three of his targets for 39 yards. It was the week prior though that caught our attention. The explosive receiver caught 12 of 16 targets for 117 yards. While that is the high end of our expectations, it’s nice to know what’s possible.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Will this be the week that Geno Smith is turned lose? He has yet to complete less than 72% of his passes this year, but he also has yet to throw for more than one touchdown. Through the three games, Smith has 787 passing yards in what has been a solid start to the season. The biggest drawback here is the lack of potential upside for Smith.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
While the Seahawks are allowing the fewest DFS points to opposing receivers, Goff has to throw the ball to someone. Oftentimes, that someone is St. Brown. After being targeted 19 times in Week 2, St. Brown saw eight passes thrown his way last week. Over the last two games, St. Brown has 18 catches for 194 yards and a touchdown. He has proven his worth as a high-volume receiver and has to be considered.
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions
After seeing him run for a touchdown each week this season, tonight might be more of a Gibbs game than a David Montgomery game. Last week, Detroit leaned on the veteran as he carried the ball 23 times for 105 yards. Things will be more difficult for him tonight after he carried the ball 23 times for 105 yards in Week 3. It’s also a good sign for Montgomery that he has a role in the passing game with seven catches in the last two weeks.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
After missing the last two weeks, Kenneth Walker returns to action. In Week 1, Walker gained 103 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown to get the season off to a good start. It will be a tough matchup for Walker tonight against a Detroit team allowing the least points to opposing running backs. He should be back to a regular workload this week.
Value
Seattle Defense
Through three games, the Seahawks have yet to allow more than 20 points. We do have to grade somewhat on a curve as they benefited from facing Miami last week. After the Dolphins scored three points in Week 3, Seattle is at just 39 points through three games. They are now up to 11 sacks, and even if they don’t generate any turnovers, there is limited risk here. Goff has thrown at least one interception in each game so far, so that helps as well.
Fade
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff does have one day of over 300 passing yards, 307, but it wasn’t a great performance overall. In Week 2, Goff failed to throw for a touchdown while being picked off twice and completing just 62% of his passes. It will be a tough matchup against the Seahawks, and the Lions quarterback isn’t cheap. The lack of ability on the ground limits his upside and he has yet to have a truly strong game that gives us confidence.