RADIO
Christmas Day has come and gone and as we enter the last week of 2020, we also prepare for the very last night Monday night football game of the NFL season. It's been a wild ride this year with COVID wreaking havoc on the NFL schedule and forcing us into a "new normal" of social distancing. But let's all take a second to feel thankful for the fact that we got to watch football all season long.
Tonight's matchup is an AFC East rivalry game between teams whose seasons have gone in very different directions since their first meeting back on November 1st. The Bills won that game 24-21 and have only lost once since then as come into tonight's game at 11-3. The Pats managed to win four of their next five after the loss in Buffalo but have dropped two straight games and fallen out of playoff contention. The first matchup was played in heavy winds, so we have to consider that when looking at who produced for each of their teams in that game as both teams ran the ball a lot to avoid having to throw.
I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Monday Night Football slate on December 27th (Week 16). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
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DFS Quarterbacks
Josh Allen ($16,500 FD, $12,600 DK)
Cam Newton ($15,000 FD, $9,000 DK)
Allen is simply a must play in all formats as he's thrown for 4,000 yards this season and 30 touchdowns. He's also run for eight scores this year and in a normal universe where Patrick Mahomes doesn't exist, he's probably in the mix with Aaron Rodgers for the MVP.
Allen and the Bills should get the best of this middling Pats defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league against the run and the pass. This offense is clicking, too, as they've scored 48, 26, and 34 points in their last three games. There's no reason to think they don't keep the pedal to the metal tonight against the Pats.
Cam is a risky play given the fact that Coach Bill Belichick was non-committal this week about whether he'd stay with Cam the whole game or give some snaps to the rookie Jared Stidham. My guess is that the plan is to bring Stidham in if the game gets out of hand, so if you think the Pats can hang, then it's probably because Cam is having a game, so unless you are playing the blowout angle, you should consider playing Cam for his rushing upside (even if he can't hit his receivers to save his life.)
DFS Running Backs
Zack Moss ($100 FD, $7,400 DK) or Devin Singletary ($7,600 DK)
Let's start with the Bills' backs. It's become a timeshare situation with Moss being the early-down back and Singletary beings used for a change of pace or in passing situations. Moss has out-touched Singletary 13-7, and 13-11 over the last two weeks but Singletary has the lone touchdown between them. The reality is that the Bills love to throw the ball and Allen is a capable runner who vultures touchdowns, giving neither of these guys any kind of floor. However, if the Bills build a big lead, you'd have to think they feature the running game in the second half so I don't think you can totally fade both Bills' backs either.
Damien Harris ($12,500 FD, $8,400 DK) or Sony Michel ($10,000 FD, $7,000 DK)
Harris is questionable with an ankle injury and missed last week's game, however, he is the better back of the two and had wrestled the lead back role away from Michel during the course of the season. If Harris can't go, then Michel will be a popular play as the Pats love to run the ball and have been effective at doing so this season. Michel averaged seven yards a carry last week and the Bills' ability to defend the run is the weakest aspect of their defense.
We should expect New England to run the ball a lot in the first half and attempt to keep Allen off the field and keep their own QB from having to make too many throws. They had success in the first meeting, too, as Harris went over 100 yards and Cam added 50 of his own.
DFS Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs ($15,500 FD, $11,000 DK)
Cole Beasley ($13,000 FD, $10,000 DK)
Jakobi Meyers ($11,000 FD, $7,200 DK)
Diggs is the obvious choice here as he's had a tremendous season and is Allen's top target in the passing game. He does, however, draw a tougher matchup than the other Bills' receivers. Stephon Gilmore is done for the year, but J.C. Jackson has filled in at right cornerback quite nicely. Diggs had 6-92 in the first meeting and is a tough cover for anyone so don't fade him by any means, but he's expensive and is going to be chalky.
My favorite play here is Beasley and you might be thinking he's overpriced. But Beasley has been darn good this year and the Bills have had to lean on him and Gabriel Davis more than they expected with John Brown missing most of the year. Beasley's game log has been a bit feast or famine, but I love his matchup in the slot as the Pats have been the weakest there this year.
Man, I have very little confidence in any Patriots receivers as long as Cam is at QB, but Meyers is a solid play here to get some exposure to the New England side. He had six catches for 58 yards in the first meeting and the Bills are also a team we want to attack with slot receivers as their shutdown corner Tre'Davious White should be on Byrd or Harry.
DFS Tight Ends
Dawson Knox (7,500 FD, 5,600 DK)
Knox has finally become a bigger part of the gameplan for Buffalo and it's really given Josh Allen another weapon in the passing game that makes this offense so much harder to defend. He's got 15 targets over his last three games has scored a TD in three of his last four. The price is right here for a guy with some TD potential and I think he makes for a great value play in your Bills' stacks.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
Tyler Bass ($9,000 FD, $3,800 DK)
Nick Folk ($8,000 FD, $3,600 DK)
Bills Defense D/ST ($5,400 DK)
Bass has been one of the best kickers in the league this year connecting on 27 of 33 field-goal attempts and has scored double-digit DK points in six of Buffalo's last eight games.
Folk is questionable to play but has only missed two attempts all season. Both kickers are solid plays and I will remind you that they often go badly under-owned in showdown contests where they can easily outscore the other cheaper plays with several made field goals.
The Bills Defense is a tad pricy on DK, but Cam Newton has been a turnover machine this season with 10 picks. The defense has played really well in two straight weeks and should be prepared to stop the one-dimensional offense of New England.
That's all I got today, RotoBallers! Good luck in your contests and don't be afraid to shake things up as these single-game slates are full of variance!
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