Monday Night Football delivers a two-game slate for the fourth time this season. The first game kicks off on the East coast at 8:00pm ET featuring the Chicago Bears riding a seven-game losing streak as they visit the Minnesota Vikings, who are currently riding a six-game winning streak and have a chance to make up ground for the division title with the Lions taking a loss on Sunday. 

For a short, two-game slate, this matchup features the largest favorite of all four teams, but we can never sleep on divisional matchups. Here are the top Bears vs. Vikings DFS picks for Monday Night Football!

 

 

 

NFL DFS Bears vs. Vikings Monday Night Football Playbook

With the Washington Commanders getting the win on Sunday over the New Orleans Saints, the Chicago Bears have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. And we can’t say it’s too much of a surprise. This team has been pretty awful since coming off their Bye week. They’ve lost seven straight games and in four of those performances the offense scored 15 or fewer points.

Big changes should be coming in the offseason for the Bears, and it’s a pretty appealing job after all. They have a young franchise quarterback with pieces and weapons around him. There’s also some talent on the defensive side as well. So yes, there will be changes starting in the new league year, but one has to wonder how much motivation they have down the stretch. I’m not saying they’ll mail it in or rest starters by any means. However, this will be a good test for how a relatively young team handles adversity amidst a lost season.

The Vikings are sitting very pretty in the NFC. Are they leading their division? No, but they have a great chance to pull even with the Lions if they can get a win Monday night. The Lions won the first matchup between both teams and they’ll have another crucial Week 18 matchup that could potentially determine who wins the NFC North, and potentially a Bye week for the NFL playoffs. Let’s take a look at the Bears vs. Vikings DFS picks for the first game of Monday’s doubleheader.

 

 

 

Bears vs. Vikings MNF Odds at DraftKings & FanDuel

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • Spread: Vikings -7 (-110) 
  • Money Line:
    • Bears (+275)
    • Vikings (-345)
  • Game Total: Over 44 (-110) / Under 44 (-110)

FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Spread: Vikings -7 (-102)
  • Money Line:
    • Bears (+265)
    • Vikings (-330)
  • Game Total: Over 44.5 (-104) / Under 44.5 (-118)

 

 

 

NFL Weather: Bears vs. Vikings MNF, December 16th

This game will be played indoors in a controlled environment.

Bears vs. Vikings Notable Injuries & Inactives

The visiting Chicago Bears will be a bit thin on their offensive line for this matchup. Ryan Bates and Braxton Jones have been ruled out for this NFC North matchup. Running back Roschon Johnson will also be inactive for the offense while D’Andre Swift is currently questionable.

For the hometown Minnesota Vikings, their injury report is definitely a little cleaner as only Stephon Gilmore is listed as questionable based on Saturday’s injury report. We’ll have to keep an eye out 90 minutes before kickoff to see who is designated as a healthy scratch.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Showdown MVP/Captain for Monday Night Football, 12/16

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $12,000 | FanDuel: $17,000

You almost get the sense that Jetta is a dormant volcano of some kind. We saw him explode in Week 14 with a massive 132-yard game with a pair of touchdowns while catching all seven of his targets. It was the first time he found the end zone since Week 7, and he only has one game all year with double-digit fantasy points.

It’s hard to tell what the Bears will do on defense. I was optimistic they would show up and perform well in Week 14 against San Francisco after they fired Matt Eberflus on Black Friday. But that wasn’t the case. So despite the offseason acquisitions and new personnel for the Bears, the defense fell short. 

The Bears held Jefferson to just 27 receiving yards in their Week 12 matchup that went to overtime. I don’t like dwelling on home/road splits too much, but Jefferson performs much better indoors at home than he does on the road, or at least that’s been the case this season. He averages 107.9 yards per game at home compared to 69.2 on the road.

The Bears deploy zone coverage at the seventh highest rate in the NFL (74.7%) and Jefferson has a 27.6% target share against zone (1st in the NFL) and a 2.80 yards per route run (5th in the NFL).

Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $10,000 | FanDuel: $13,000

Ball security has definitely been a concern for Jones of late. In his last four games, he’s fumbled four times and lost two of those. But he’s also scored in three straight games and it seems like after each win he’s emotional in his on-field interview(s) about how the team lifts him up and believes in him. Will the fumbles cease? Hard to say really. A lesson learned is different from a lesson given.

As far as the matchup goes, we just saw Jones run for 106 yards on 22 carries for a touchdown back in Week 12. Moreover, he added three receptions as well. At 134.8 rushing yards per game, the Bears allow the sixth-most yards on the ground in the NFL. And for those at home wondering why the Bears look good against the pass, it’s largely because teams run it at such a high clip on Chicago (11th most in the league) while they attempt the fourth fewest pass attempts per game. Either way, that bodes well for Jones so long as he can hold on to the ball.

Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $9,600 | FanDuel: $14,000

You may scoff at this especially after the dud we saw in Week 14. And mind you, the Bears were coming off extended rest and we usually see more fight and inspiration out of teams that recently fired their head coach. That was not the case for the Chicago Bears as they took a 38-13 beating at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

But believe it or not, I’m actually optimistic he can put up a big DFS score Monday night. In four of his last nine games, dating all the way back to Week 5, Williams has put up 26+ fantasy points on DraftKings. Two of those performances came in Weeks 12 and 13 against NFC North opponents. And in this sample size going back to Week 5, Williams has actually run for 25+ yards in seven games.

Against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, Williams completed just 20-of-39 pass attempts for 256 yards, but he threw three touchdowns (two to Keenan Allen) and he rushed for 39 yards. In Week 12 against these same Minnesota Vikings, he completed 32-of-47 pass attempts for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and he ran for 33 yards as well. Don’t sleep on him for this matchup especially since he’s potentially trending towards getting a rushing touchdown on the ground at some point.

Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $8,400 | FanDuel: $11,500

This one feels like a trap if there ever was one. Addison has effectively broken the slate in two of his last three games. In Week 14 he caught 8-of-12 targets for 133 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 12 against these Chicago Bears he caught 8-of-9 targets for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Now I should remind you, those two games are the only contests this year where he caught more than five passes. In seven games this year, he caught three of fewer passes so that speaks to the boom/bust nature of this play.

But that’s still perfect for DFS and Showdown slates for tonight’s matchup. The targets have noticeably been increasing for Addison as he has 35 over his last four games. In the last five weeks, the Bears are allowing the most yards per reception (14.5) and most yards after the catch per reception (7.47). 

 

 

 

Mid-Tier & DFS Value Plays for Monday

Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $10,600 | FanDuel: $15,500

It may surprise some to not see Darnold up in the Captain/MVP section and I get it. He’s been electric of late with 11 touchdowns in his last four games (five last week) and zero interceptions in that span. Against the Bears in Week 12 he completed 22-of-34 pass attempts for 330 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The one concern I have with Darnold may just be the passing volume. As we alluded to previously in the article, opposing quarterbacks tend to throw less on the Bears as teams opt more for the run. That could be due to matchups or game script. In a competitive game that went to overtime in Week 12, Darnold attempted just 34 pass attempts against Chicago.

But he still has 24+ fantasy points per DraftKings scoring in three of his last four games with a pair of 300-yard bonuses baked into that sample size as well. Darnold works perfectly with any Minnesota pass catcher you plug in at MVP/Captain.

DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $8,000 | FanDuel: $12,000

We saw back in Week 12 that there was enough volume to go around for Chicago’s big three receivers and Moore was incredibly efficient. He caught all seven of his targets for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings a few weeks ago and we know this Minnesota secondary is pretty pitiful.

The Vikings defense sees opposing offenses attempt 38.4 passes per game (most in the NFL) and sure enough the Vikings allow the third most passing yards per game (250.6). We also know Minnesota loves to blitz at a higher rate and that’s likely an attempt to mask the deficiencies and shortcomings of their secondary. Either way, it hasn’t stopped teams from throwing on Minnesota despite all the wins the Vikings have collected.

In his last four games, Moore has seen at least seven targets and has caught at least six passes in every game. There’s a nice combination of “floor and ceiling” in this matchup.

Keenan Allen, WR, Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $7,000 | FanDuel: $10,500

It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this turned into a Rome Odunze game and we saw him get more run in the closing weeks of the season. But for now, I’m partial to Keenan Allen based on target trends and usage of late.

Against this same blitz heavy defense back in Week 12, Keenan Allen saw 15(!) targets, of which he caught nine for 86 yards and a touchdown. Allen then followed that up with a pair of touchdowns on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions. He’s averaging 8.4 targets per game over his last seven contests and we know how vulnerable this Vikings secondary is.

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $5,800 | FanDuel: $9,500

Quite the price tag we’re getting on Hockenson for this NFC North matchup. Take this with a grain of salt but in Minnesota’s home game last year against the Chicago Bears, Hockenson did find the end zone. Moreover, he managed 50 receiving yards in both games against Chicago last year.

50 yards doesn’t seem like much and you’d be correct. But mind you, he is a tight end and they don’t typically break big plays like receivers do and they’re a bit touchdown dependent. Fortunately, the Bears defense is 31st in YPRR to opposing tight ends and against the Bears in Week 12 he caught seven of his nine targets for 114 yards. He’s yet to find the end zone this year, but that could easily change Monday night.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Dart Throw Bargains

Cam Akers, RB, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $7,500

The analysis won’t be too deep with Akers. But be mindful that Aaron Jones Sr. is still having some issues with ball security. That hasn’t quite yet led the team to take the ball out of his hands. But at a certain point, they have to send a message that it’s unacceptable.

It’s hard to predict if the fumbles become an issue Monday night. Truthfully, we’d need multiple for the Vikings to really punish him, but Akers does still get minimal work with some carries each week. This isn’t a good leverage spot, but he’s a play worth some shares whether you’re playing Showdown or the two-game slate. Most will opt to go with a cheaper running back from Chicago, but Akers has some contrarian appeal and he’s been very efficient the last few weeks when given the opportunity.

Josh Oliver, TE, Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $2,800 | FanDuel: $6,500

I gave a lot of consideration to Jalen Nailor, who I’ll still mix into plenty of my own DFS lineups but I’m settling on Oliver. He returned last week after missing a couple games because of an ankle injury. And yet he still managed to play 50% of the offensive snaps.

Is the ceiling all that great or should we expect him to do what he did prior to his injury? It’s hard to commit to that due to the return of T.J. Hockenson. But even last week, Oliver had two targets and in Weeks 9-11 he had 14 total targets. We know the Bears struggle to defend tight ends and that’s a big upgrade for Hockenson, but I don’t want to sleep on Oliver either.

Travis Homer, RB, Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $2,000 | FanDuel: $6,000

Given the injury situation with the Bears backfield, Homer seems like he’ll get some additional opportunities for this game Monday night. Roschon Johnson has already been ruled out. D’Andre Swift is dealing with a groin injury and those types of injuries are rather easy to re-aggravate.

Homer sustained a head injury in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers, but he did catch all three of his targets for 11 yards prior to exiting. With Johnson out and Swift a little beat up, there’s an opportunity for Homer to possibly provide 8-10 touches and at a $2,000 price tag for Showdown contests on DraftKings, he should be able to provide value.

 

 

 

Bears vs. Vikings DFS Player Pool, 12/16

Update: Aaron Jones does not appear in the table below due to a technical issue with how his name appears. His price tag was not populating and leaving him in was causing an issue publishing the whole article. He's still very much in play as detailed above.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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