The NFL DFS Grind Down: Monday Night Football - Eagles vs. Bears
For this Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup on 9/28 featuring the Eagles vs. Bears, Notorious will take a look at the top NFL DFS plays on DraftKings and FanDuel. As always, you can visit our NFL lineup optimizer, LineupHQ, to help you with your lineup-building process.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks – Eagles vs. Bears
Jump straight to the DFS Showdown salaries and projections →
Week 3 was one of my best main slates in a long time, so I hope it was for you too.
I expect many to write this game off as a boring one, as Caleb Williams is out for the Bears. However, Case Keenum is a veteran, and Ben Johnson is as good as anyone at designing an offense around a quarterback. I personally view this as a potential shootout.
The Eagles are 2-0 this season, but they nearly lost to both the Commanders and Titans. I was excited about Philadelphia bringing in Sean Mannion as their offensive coordinator this season, but they look stagnant once again. The Bears put up 59 points in their opener against the Panthers and then couldn’t get anything going in a bad-weather game against the Vikings last week.
Tonight’s game features a 3.5-point spread and a 42.5-point total.
Key Injuries (as of Monday, 12:00 PM ET)
▪️ QB Caleb Williams (CHI) — Out (hamstring)
▪️ TE Dallas Goedert (PHI) — Out (knee)
▪️ TE Grant Calcaterra (PHI) – Out (back)
▪️ WR Hollywood Brown (PHI) — Out (ankle)
▪️ T Fred Johnson (PHI) — Out (knee)
▪️ OLB Jonathan Greenard (PHI) — Questionable (pectoral)
Philadelphia Eagles Preview
Jalen Hurts has had two of the easiest matchups to start his 2026 campaign. While he has missed some throws, he has still averaged 21 fantasy points per game. Heading into the season, I was very interested to see if Hurts would run more in the new offense. Through 2 games, he has 12 rushing attempts for 62 yards. He doesn’t have a rushing touchdown yet this season, so the fantasy production could be even better. He draws another elite matchup tonight, as the Bears gave up a ceiling game to Bryce Young in Week 1. With his rushing upside, he’s an elite option at both CPT/MVP and UTIL/FLEX.
Eagles’ Week 2 wideout usage:
🔹 DeVonta Smith (PHI): 92% route participation, 31% target share, 51% air yards share
🔹 Dontayvion Wicks (PHI): 72% route participation, 16% target share, 29% air yards share
🔹 Makai Lemon (PHI): 79% route participation, 8% target share, 3% air yards share
🔹 Darius Cooper (PHI): 19% route participation, 5% target share, 5% air yards share
🔹 Johnny Mundt (PHI, TE): 27% route participation, 5% target share, 1% air yards share
Everyone was excited to see DeVonta Smith in the alpha role, and the usage through the first 2 games has been incredible. He has seen 31% of the team’s targets and 51% of the team’s air yards. He’s coming off a huge performance against the Titans where he had 10 receptions, 113 yards, and a touchdown. We saw Jalen Coker have a ceiling game against the Bears in Week 1, so we should love Smith’s upside in this spot. If you think the Bears can put up points (I do), we should prioritize the Eagles passing attack.
Dontayvion Wicks has stepped in as the clear WR2 in this offense, earning 16% of the team’s targets and 29% of the team’s air yards. He’s topped 70 receiving yards in each of the first 2 games. Makai Lemon has been on the field a ton (79% route participation), but he hasn’t seen many targets. At $4,200 on DraftKings and $3,800 on FanDuel, it’s not a bad idea to invest in the 1st-round draft pick.
Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra are both out tonight, so Zach Ertz will be the TE1 for the Eagles. This has been a valuable role over the years, and Ertz has had a great career. He doesn’t offer much speed or after-the-catch upside at this stage of his career, but he can still get open and is a weapon in the red zone. Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins will mix in as well, but Ertz is the preferred target on this slate.
Saquon Barkley left last week’s game with a stinger. He was ultimately able to return, but Tank Bigsby saw most of the work in the backfield. I’m not ready to say this is going to be a timeshare anytime soon, but Bigsby might have earned a larger role moving forward. This is an elite spot for both backs, as the Bears are not great on the interior and have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
The Eagles defense is firmly in play here. The Bears have allowed a 36% pressure rate this season and are starting a backup quarterback. Kicker Jake Elliott is viable as well. The Eagles should move the ball at will, and they are 3.5-point favorites.
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Chicago Bears Preview
Caleb Williams is out, which means Case Keenum will be under center for the Bears. He’s not afraid to sling the ball, and Ben Johnson loves an aggressive quarterback. The Eagles are far from an ideal matchup, but I have faith in Johnson. They’ve had all week to come up with a game plan, and it doesn’t hurt that the game is in Chicago. I expect a decent portion of the field to shy away from Keenum, but he’s one of my favorite UTIL/FLEX targets.
Bears’ 2026 wideout usage:
🔹 Luther Burden III (CHI): 66% route participation, 19% target share, 26% air yards share
🔹 Colston Loveland (CHI, TE): 73% route participation, 6% target share, 10% air yards share
🔹 Kalif Raymond (CHI): 65% route participation, 22% target share, 16% air yards share
🔹 Rome Odunze (CHI): 69% route participation, 11% target share, 30% air yards share
🔹 Cole Kmet (CHI, TE): 40% route participation, 6% target share, 13% air yards share
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t have Kalif Raymond leading the team in target share through the first 2 games of the season, especially since there hasn’t been an injury. Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, and Rome Odunze have all underwhelmed this season. It feels like a breakout from Burden or Odunze is imminent, as they have combined for 56% of the team’s air yards. The coaching staff has to find a way to get Loveland more involved, as he’s one of the keys to the offense. As 3.5-point underdogs at home, I want to be overweight on all of the key pass catchers for the Bears. With Keenum under center, they will likely be under-owned in tournaments.
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have been a lethal duo for the Bears this season. They have combined for over 100 rush yards over expectation (RYOE) and 37 fantasy points per game. Swift has played on 61% of the snaps and has run more routes than Monangai, but they have both been great fantasy producers. The Eagles have struggled to stop the run in the first 2 games, ranking 26th in EPA against the run. Both are viable tonight, especially if you think the Bears will focus on the run.
The Bears defense doesn’t have a ton of talent, and the Eagles aren’t a turnover-prone team. It helps that the game is being played in Chicago, but I am not prioritizing the Bears defense tonight. Kicker Cairo Santos is viable if you think the game stays close.
DraftKings Ownership Angle & CPT Picks
The Eagles are dominating the CPT ownership tonight, as Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley have a combined 53% pOWN. All three are strong plays against a very beatable Bears’ defense. If you are looking to get contrarian at the position, I don’t mind looking to one of the key Bears’ pass catchers in Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, or Rome Odunze.
FanDuel Ownership Angle & MVP Picks
It’s the same story on FanDuel, as the three Eagles are dominating the MVP pOWN%. I don’t mind mixing in D’Andre Swift at the multiplier if you think the Bears can keep this game competitive.
Prop Pick – Eagles vs. Bears
✅ Jake Elliott over 1.5 field goals made (-110)
For a full stat preview of every game this week, head to the NFL First Look.
Image Credit: Imagn
Stats credit: Fantasy Points Data