Week 9 Monday Night Football pits the streaking Steelers (winners of three straight) against the collapsing Bears (losers of three straight). Somewhere in the fog of these two offensively challenged teams are five fantasy football players who can turn your DFS lineup into a winner. Who are they, and how much do they cost? Here are our Monday Night Football picks for Week 9 in NFL DFS.
Monday Night NFL DFS Picks | Steelers
Last Thursday, my five-player lineup hit big, with Jonathan Taylor, Carson Wentz, Elijah Moore, and Michael Pittman all finishing as top-six scorers on the Thursday Night Football DFS slate. For tonight’s contest, here are my favorite players using FanDuel scoring.
Collectively, they fall within the single-game tournament and 50/50 salary cap, with a focus on expensive high-upside players and inexpensive players with decent TD potential. We’ll start with players on the Pittsburgh side of the ball.
Najee Harris, RB, Steelers ($16,500)
A decent bet to be tonight’s highest fantasy scorer, Najee Harris has delivered all that fantasy managers had hoped for — and then some. After a tough start to his career in Week 1 against Buffalo (49 scoreless yards), the rookie has been a top-four RB and has scored in five of his last six games. If you have a DFS “MVP” slot for bonus points, Harris belongs there.
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers ($15,000)
Ben Roethlisberger is not a great fantasy option. But he’s thrown at least 1 touchdown pass in every game this season. Harris’ significant usage in the passing game has been a boon for Pittsburgh’s aged quarterback. I like Roethlisberger’s floor more than most tonight, particularly in a game that might feature no more than 3 offensive TDs.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers ($13,500)
My redraft opponent is starting Diontae Johnson, so I have no reason to root for him. But objectively, he is this evening’s safest fantasy WR. He’s handled 13 targets in three of his last four contests, which followed Weeks 1 and 2 where he had 10 and 12, respectively. In other words, Johnson offers the highest floor and highest ceiling of any Steeler or Bear not named Najee.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers ($8,000)
Now we have to cut costs. So who do we add to our lineup? My most-hyped streaming TE heading into last week. Pat Freiermuth is the real deal. With 7 targets in each of his last two games, he is well on his way to weekly TE1 production. For you fantasy managers, he’s still a relatively cheap dynasty hold with massive upside in the next year or two.
Monday Night NFL DFS Picks | Bears
The Bears’ roster doesn’t offer as many options as does the Steelers. But we have one Chicago player who will fit into our MNF lineup.
Marquise Goodwin, WR, Bears ($6,500)
We have $7,000 left. I’m anticipating Pittsburgh will beat Chicago, and that Justin Fields will be forced to throw deep into the fourth quarter. With Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney struggling, and with an unpredictable backfield (thanks to David Montgomery’s return after a stint on injured reserve and the continued presence of Khalil Herbert), this is not a night to invest heavily into the Bears.
Related | Buy Low, Sell High: Fantasy football trade targets for Week 10 include Derek Carr and DJ Moore
Marquise Goodwin offers a little upside. More importantly, his price allows us to put most of our dollars on Pittsburgh’s top three offensive weapons.
