NFL DFS Showdown Lineup Optimizer Values: Bears-Vikings DraftKings Picks
NFL Showdown season continues with the Bears at Vikings on Monday Night Football. Our expert analysts are breaking down DraftKings Showdown picks with our in-house NFL DFS lineup optimizer. Sign up for RotoGrinders Premium for full access to our NFL lineup optimizer and fantasy football projections all season long.
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The 6-5 Vikings are holding on to their Wild Card hopes and still have a chance at the NFC North title if they win a couple more games than the Lions do the rest of the way. They’ll host the 3-8 Bears, who are already thinking about next season but still have plenty of fight in them to make this game competitive. Justin Jefferson will remain out tonight, as Minnesota has their bye next week, and he should be good to go with another two weeks of rest for week 14. The Bears will be without DOnta Foreman with an ankle injury, so Herbert and Johnson will carry the RB load tonight.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Bears at Vikings Week 12
Currently, this game is sitting at a 43.5 total, with the Vikings favored by 3 points. This is a pretty close spread for a likely playoff team at home against a team with slim to none playoff hopes who will be without one of their most productive RBs. No Jefferson or Cousins does give the Bears a good shot of keeping this close. However, the emergence of Dobbs and Addison should be enough for Minnesota to win this game, but from a fantasy perspective, I hope the Bears can put up some points early and give this one a chance for a potential shootout.
Quarterback
I would be trying to fit both Justin Fields ($11,200) and Joshua Dobbs ($10,000) in your cash game lineup, as they’re both averaging above 18.5 FPPG, have a ton of rushing upside, and are facing defenses allowing 226-250 pas yards/game. Fields would be my top choice if you can only fit one, as the game script is more likely to favor him having to throw more and he has more big play rushing upside. If Dobbs doesn’t make your cash game lineup he should be in plenty of GPP teams at both captain and flex.
Running Back
The Bears rush defense has been fantastic, allowing under 80 yards/game, so with Alexander Mattison ($7,400) and Ty Chandler ($5,800) in a bit of a time share now, I won’t be looking to use either in my main build.
The Vikings have also been solid against the run, allowing just 94 rush yards/game, but Khalil Herbert ($6,800) is a bit too cheap given his projected role with Foreman out, and he makes for a great stack with Fields to cover almost all the rushing attempts from Chicago. Herbert saw 18 touches in his return last week while Roschon Johnson ($3,000) only saw six, so he’s my favorite cash game play under $7k, while Johnson is just a GPP flier who will need a TD or a long run to pay off.
Wide Receiver
DJ Moore ($10,400) continues to be the only reliable Bears WR as the other four all saw under three targets last week, while Moore saw 9 targets for the second straight week. He’s a top play in cash games and is a great captain option in all formats.
Jordan Addison ($8,200) is the clear top Vikings WR to use as he’s seen 6+ targets in each of the last five games, but with Osborn back in the mix, Powell continuing to see 4-5 targets/game, and Hockenson being the overall top target for Doubs, I don’t think Addison is a must play in cash games. He still has a ton of upside as the top deep ball threat, and if you’re doing MME (mass multi-entry) I would definitely have him in the captain spot in plenty of GPP teams, but given the plethora of options in the passing game I think he’ll need a long TD to pay off his price tag.
Mooney ($4,800), Osborn ($5,600), and Powell ($2,000) can all be sprinkled across GPP lineups but are way too risky to trust in cash games.
Tight End
TJ Hockenson ($9,000) has been a target monster averaging over 10 targets/game in his last seven games played, so if you can fit him in your cash game lineup I would absolutely do it. Like Moore from Chicago, Hockenson is a top captain play in all formats as the highest-upside and likely highest-floor Vikings skill player.
Cole Kmet ($6,200) has been hard to trust this year with four games of 15+ FP and four games of 5 or less FP, so given his range of outcomes I won’t be looking to use him in my main build. He’s still the third best p/$ Bears skill player behind Moore and Herbert so he should be in plenty of GPP lineups, especially on teams without Moore for max leverage.
Defense / Special Teams
Both DST’s are under $4,500 and have had solid games this year, so I don’t mind either in GPPs or if you need to fill a final flex spot for cheap. Both kickers are also very affordable at $5k or less, and each have big legs kicking in a dome, so make sure to have both in plenty of GPP teams and each are top cash game targets in the $4.6k-$5k price range.
Monday Night Football NFL DFS Strategy
Given the close spread and solid options from both teams, I like going with a 3-3 build in cash games, with a cheaper option at captain like Hockenson or even Herbert in order to fit in both QBs. I think using at least one kicker makes a ton of sense to save salary, and in GPPs, I like going overweight on Addison and Kmet.
DraftKings DFS Showdown Rankings
1. Justin Fields – Huge ceiling as a road underdog who just put up 100 yards rushing. Cash game lock and solid captain play.
2. TJ Hockenson – Should be the most targeted player in this game and I think he should have been priced at $10k or higher not $9k.
3. Khalil Herbert – Fantastic price at $6.8k, and should be looking at a big workload with Foreman out.
4. Joshua Dobbs / DJ Moore – At around $10k each I would definitely use at least one of them in cash games, and both should be captained in plenty of GPP teams.
5. Both Kickers – At $5k and $4.6k, both Joseph and Santos are top cash game values with likely 8+ FP floors and 15+ FP ceilings, kicking in a dome on offenses that can struggle in the redzone.
NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer for Monday Night Football
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