Prime-Time First TD Bets — Monday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicks off Thursday night with an island game between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. Since there’s only one game on the slate, our only option to get some DFS action in is showdown.
While the preseason is certainly different from the regular season, our goal for showdown rosters remains the same. We want to construct rosters that tell a coherent story and are packed with high ceiling plays. Of course, in the preseason, knowing who is going to play the most is key.
Based on what we saw last week, let’s break down the players who are the best bets to see the field the most in this contest. Before I get into each team, it’s worth noting that both defenses along with the kickers – Cairo Santos and Jason Meyers – are very much in play for this slate. Have exposure to all four options as you build your lineups.
Chicago Bears
Justin Fields got off to a rough start, taking two sacks on just 10 dropbacks last week. Don’t expect much improvement in this one. Likewise, he doesn’t figure to lead the Bears quarterbacks in snaps. That distinction will likely again go to Trevor Siemian, who played 28 snaps in the preseason opener. While Siemian only went 7-of-13, he did toss two scores in that contest. The veteran is in play on this slate.
We may see some David Montgomery in this one, but don’t expect him to play enough to be worth rostering. Instead, opt for Khalil Herbert, Tristan Ebner and Darrynton Evans. Herbert is the top early-down runner of the three and did carry the ball seven times in the preseason opener. Both Ebner and Evans saw plenty of run in the Bears’ first preseason game and are also in play. Err toward Ebner, who caught one of Siemian’s scores in the first preseason game, but both backs are worth some exposure.
Like Fields and Montgomery, Darnell Mooney isn’t likely to see enough work to make him usable here. Instead, hone in on Velus Jones. The rookie speedster is set to make is preseason debut after returning to practice this week. Dazz Newsome found paydirt last week and is also in play along with Isaiah Coulter.
Seattle Seahawks
Drew Lock was slated to start, but he tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t play in this contest. That means we should expect to see a ton of Geno Smith. He’s the top play on the slate and essentially is a free bingo space in the captain spot. Smith didn’t do anything special in the preseason opener, but this is strictly a volume play.
Rookie seventh-rounder Dareke Young played a hefty 43 snaps in Seattle’s first preseason contest and led all Seahawks receivers with four catches on five targets for 30 yards and a score. He’s the top player to stack up with Smith, as we aren’t likely to see much of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. You can sprinkle both into lineups, but it isn’t wise to go overboard. We’re really just hoping for a quick score from them early in the game. Rookie Bo Melton also flashed in the preseason opener with two catches for 47 yards. He’s also in play on this slate.
Kenneth Walker will be sidelined and there’s no telling how much, if any, Rashaad Penny we’ll see. So that leaves us with DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer as the primary backs in Seattle. Homer served in a passing-down role last week, and that’s likely to continue here. While he’s interesting, Dallas figures to see a bulk of the work in the run-heavy Seahawks offense. He carried the ball a healthy 10 times for 73 yards in the preseason opener and is the top RB play on the slate.
