Underdog Fantasy NFL Picks Week 9 MNF: Austin Ekeler Among Top Picks for Chargers vs Jets
NFL Week 9 wraps up tonight with the Los Angeles Chargers vs New York Jets matchup on Monday Night Football. Before MNF kicks off, let's check out top NFL Underdog Fantasy picks for the Chargers vs Jets game. Our top NFL picks today include Chargers RB Austin Ekeler and Jets TE Tyler Conklin. As always, keep an eye on the latest NFL injury updates for MNF as both teams have notable names to monitor. Enjoy these NFL Underdog top plays and Monday Night Football picks as you watch tonight's game. If you're making more NFL picks tonight or setting NFL DFS lineups, check out our NFL daily projections. Now, let's dive into the top NFL Week 9 MNF picks on Underdog Fantasy for tonight's games.
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Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers – HIGHER Than 32.5 Receiving Yards
After losing Mike Williams for the season, the Los Angeles Chargers are also now down Joshua Palmer as he lands on IR with a knee injury. This leaves Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler as the Chargers’ clear top two receivers and targets for Justin Herbert. The injury situation immediately makes Ekeler more important as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. We saw this last week when he had seven catches for 94 yards after Palmer got hurt. Yes, the Chargers have some other guys like Quentin Johnston and Donald Parham who will be involved in the passing attack. But the target share and receiving production should be largely funneled towards Allen and Ekeler tonight.
The New York Jets pass defense is one of the best in the NFL, led by that talented secondary. This could limit Allen’s yards and impact tonight with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed likely shutting things down. Ekeler, though, can be a safety valve for Herbert and catch plenty of quick passes like we’ve seen so often. In fact, opposing teams against the Jets have continually used their running backs as receivers because New York’s secondary is so good. The Jets are allowing an average of 44.3 receiving yards per game to opposing RBs. They’ve also allowed at least 35 receiving yards to a back in four of seven games.
As for Ekeler, he has at least 35 receiving yards in three of four games played this season. Last year, he had 35+ yards in 12 of 17 regular season games. With Williams and Palmer out, expect Ekeler to be plenty involved as a receiver tonight to have at least 33 receiving yards on 4-5 catches or more.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets – HIGHER Than 2.5 Receptions
Garrett Wilson is the clear headliner in the New York Jets passing game. After him, though, Tyler Conklin is quietly one of Zach Wilson’s favorite targets. Conklin’s 20 receptions are second on the team and he’s tied for second in targets thus far. The Jets tight end was held catchless last week, but he had 3+ receptions in five straight games beforehand. This matchup presents a nice bounce-back opportunity for Conklin.
The Los Angeles Chargers defense is allowing the most passing yards per game (297.4) in the NFL this season. In particular, the Chargers have given up big games to opposing tight ends. Last week, Cole Kmet went for 10 receptions and 79 yards while Travis Kelce had 12 catches for 179 yards the week prior. Earlier this season, T.J. Hockenson had eight receptions for 78 yards vs LAC. Yes, all of those guys are better receivers than Conklin. Still, the Chargers have given up 3+ receptions to a tight end in five of seven games so far. That includes guys like Chigoziem Okonkwo and Durham Smythe. The LAC secondary will likely be paying more attention to Garrett Wilson and force throws to the Jets’ secondary pass-catchers like Conklin.
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