FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 8 Monday Night
The 2-4 Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting the South Florida based "NFL" team known as the Miami Dolphins. A 29.00 implied team total for the Steelers should bring them plenty of scoring but only a 15.00 implied team total for the Dolphins could leave this game lacking fantasy potential overall.
For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5-times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.
Bookmakers currently have the Pittsburgh Steelers as massive 14-point home favorites with an over/under set at 44.0 points. We could be in for a lower-scoring game, as nearly 70% of the public bets are on the under, according to oddsFire.
MVP Considerations
James Conner ($15,000) - At 20.6 FanDuel points, Conner comes in as our highest-projected player -- which shouldn't be a surprise. The Dolphins are allowing 28.0 FanDuel points per game to running backs this season, which is the third-worst in the league. This is a dream matchup for Conner, as a home favorite against a very weak defensive opponent. Our projections have Conner piling up 18 rushing attempts (most in the game) and six targets in the passing game (fourth-highest), which should allow him to reach that 20-point projection.
Mason Rudolph ($14,000) - Rostering a quarterback against the Dolphins has been successful all season long, so there is no reason to stop with Rudolph tonight. He comes in projected for 1.99 touchdowns, the second-highest in terms of points -- 17.9 -- all adding up to a strong choice for the MVP spot. Just like with running backs, the Dolphins are unable to stop quarterbacks this season, as they are posting 24.4 FanDuel points per game against them. A full-on Steelers stack is looking to be one of the prime options in this game, which should have Rudolph as a key part of that.
Ryan Fitzpatrick ($14,00) - If you like to go for lower ownership and take a contrarian look at things, Fitzpatrick in the MVP spot could be for you. In theory, the game script sets up for the Dolphins to be trailing, which means they will need to pass the ball in order to catch up. The Steelers are allowing 16.2 FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks, which is actually the 11th-lowest in the league. Even with that said, the 1.5x multiplier for the MVP spot provides a nice boost for Fitzpatrick, if he were to reach that mark through some garbage time points.
Value Plays
Preston Williams ($8,000) - If you are going on the theory that the Dolphins are playing from behind in this game, you will likely need a pass catcher from their team to soak up that potential offense. Williams comes in with an average depth of target (aDOT) at 13.1 -- the third-highest on the team -- along with the second-highest market share of air yards and highest target share among wide receivers. He has a large, if not the largest, role in the Dolphins' passing game, which should be in a spot for potential scoring.
Jaylen Samuels ($7,000) - Samuels has a questionable tag as of now but should be set to return to action tonight after missing two games. Samuels played on 25% of the snaps in each of his first five games, which is encouraging given his cheaper price tag tonight. As a lower-owned option, Samuels offers leverage against Conner, who will certainly be higher owned tonight.
Diontae Johnson ($7,000) - Johnson comes in with a target projection of 5.11, which is the third-highest for the Steelers tonight. It's clear that JuJu Smith-Schuster is the number one option for the Steelers, but when looking at the next best option, many will look to James Washington, when in fact Diontae Johnson is the answer. He has played on the second-highest percentage of snaps for wide receivers over the past two weeks, though note that Washington didn't play last week. In the last two games that both wide receivers played, Johnson out-targeted Washington 14 to 7.
