Ravens-Buccaneers + Chargers-Cardinals DFS Picks: Monday Night Mayhem Doubleheader! (Oct. 21)

Monday Night Football brings the second doubleheader of the season, which also means the second two-game featured slate, one that will create ample opportunities across the NFL DFS world. In this installment of Stokastic’s NFL DFS picks series, we’re breaking down the Monday Night Mayhem for Week 7 with the Ravens-Buccaneers and Chargers-Cardinals comprising the player pool. Let’s get ready by analyzing NFL DFS ownership projections and player projections for DraftKings and FanDuel.

Monday Night Mayhem DFS Picks: Week 7 NFL DFS Picks

Explore our Single-Lineup Simulator to see how this powerful tool can help you hand-build and evaluate individual lineups to increase your ROI.

Here’s how the Single-Lineup Simulator is grading a Week 7 Monday Night Football DraftKings lineup, using some of the picks highlighted here. If you’re impressed, sign up for a Lite, Core, or Max NFL package and start tracking how your lineup ROI stacks up!

Quarterback NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 7: Lamar Jackson

Tampa Bay has allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game (252.3) this season, though only half a dozen aerial strikes. Those scores have all occurred in the last three games, with Kirk Cousin accounting for four of them in Week 5. The Buccaneers have also ceded four rushing scores to opposing quarterbacks, two to Jayden Daniels and one to fellow rookie Bo Nix, while veteran Jalen Hurts was the only opposing signal-caller to rush and pass for a score against the Bucs this year.

Jackson has three multi-touchdown games, and in the other trio of tilts, he has rushed for at least 40 yards. This dual-threat status clearly makes him the most coveted of DFS options for Monday Night Mayhem.

Quarterback Positional Preview for Monday Night Mayhem

Looking at the rest of the position, Baker Mayfield does stand out, propelled by his steady presence and the best group of pass-catchers on the slate. Buffalo was the only team this season that failed to record at least 269 passing yards against Baltimore. That was just an odd game all around, with the Ravens flying to a 35-10 victory. Despite his “caretaker” mantle, Mayfield leads the league with 15 passing touchdowns this season, which is three more than Joe Burrow and Jordan Love, though the latter did play in two fewer games.

Justin Herbert has not had the volume as in prior seasons, with new coach Jim Harbaugh looking to focus more on the running game. Herbert also is without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams as the dynamic duo are suiting up for other squads this year. Though the former Oregon Duck has one interception, he also has just six passing touchdowns, with only two games with more than 144 aerial yards (237 at Denver and 179 vs. Kansas City).

Kyler Murray has been pretty mediocre through the air with 758 passing yards across his last four games and one touchdown in each. The team is 2-4, and the 266 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 2 drubbing of the Rams (41-10) feels like a lifetime ago. Murray does have 45-plus rushing yards in four of his six games, but his last three have been wild with one carry for 3 yards and no touchdowns, 7/82/1 and 7/14/0.

1. Jackson: Get with the action.
2. Mayfield: Surprisingly effective; looks like he was just a late-bloomer that needed the right situation.
3. Murray: His team at least will throw the ball.
4. Herbert: His team is run first, second and third.

Running Back NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 7: J.K. Dobbins

Something along the lines of a 70/30 workload split between this pair is likely, but there is some room for Vidal to edge a little higher. Former Tennessee Titan Hassan Haskins will serve as the third back, though he had just 10 snaps on the season, albeit accompanied by five carries for 16 yards.

Running Back Positional Preview for Monday Night Mayhem

Derrick Henry is the bucks deluxe option, with a $1,400 “performance premium” on DraftKings and an $1,100 “talent tax” on FanDuel, compared to the next most spendy option.

Henry leads the league with 117.3 rushing yards per game and eight total touchdowns. He also has another score as a receiver, converting his eight targets into six receptions, 49 yards and a tuddy.

The Stokastic NFL stat projections have Henry trailing Dobbins by nearly 15 rushing yards and 6 receiving yards.

Each also has nearly a two-thirds probability of reaching pay dirt, making each a core building block, with Dobbins the cheaper option, while Henry receives the popularity discount.

James Connor is the only other “workhorse” back, with Tampa Bay potentially looking at a three-man backfield after Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker both produced phenomenal games while Rachaad White was sitting due to injury. Connor has a 5-fantasy point edge over the Tampa options on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

1. Dobbins: Cheaper than Henry with a nearly identical median fantasy point projection.
2. Henry: Multi-touchdown threat; has proven once again that he can score from anywhere on the field.
3. Connor: 13-plus fantasy points in four of his five games; played a season-low 16 snaps last week with rookie Trey Benson seeing action on 11 plays, and backup Emari Demercado led the way with a season-high 31 snaps. It is hard to see Connor being overtaken without an injury, but it is in play.
4. Justice Hill: Clear RB2 behind Henry; keeps him above the rest of the riffraff.
5. Kimani Vidal: Took an injury to get him on the field; what has he learned from a month on the sidelines?
6. Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker: Coinflip. Either or both could be ahead of White; phenomenal tournament guessing game situation.
7. Emari Demercado: What if he has actually taken the lead over Connor? Unlikely, but much more in play now, and he should be ahead of his rookie counterpart.
8. Benson: Speaking of that rookie counterpart, he is as live as anyone to post the third-best fantasy score at this position, though it will take some touchdown luck.

Ready to crush your lineups with Stokastic’s advanced NFL DFS Sims? Check out our complete guide to the NFL Sims Tool and discover how to get the most out of your Sims subscription for the 2024 season!

Wide Receiver NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 7: Chris Godwin

Rashee Rice (nine targets, seven catches, 130 yards, zero touchdowns), Davante Adams (12/9/110/1), Ja’Marr Chase (12/10/193/2), Tee Higgins (14/9/83/2) and Terry McLaurin (7/6/53/2) have all had big days against the Ravens, so both Godwin and Evans are live for 100-plus yards and a touchdown. This duo has accounted for half of the Tampa Bay targets, which is impressive. Focusing only on the wideouts, they have nearly 80% of the opportunities.

Wide Receiver Preview for Monday Night Mayhem

Things spread out after the Buccaneers dynamic duo, with Zay Flowers ranking behind Godwin and rookie Ladd McConkey edging out fellow first-year phenom Marvin Harrison Jr. but slotting in as the fourth-best option, just behind Evans.

Flowers leads Baltimore with a 28% target share, including nine or more in four of his six games. Though his only touchdown was all the way back in Week 2, he had 111 and 132 yards in the last two games.

Quentin Johnston is doubtful, which means more of the limited Los Angeles targets are likely to go to McConkey and Joshua Palmer, with teammates Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko the single-slate wild cards.

1. Godwin: More time in the slot; as a featured option has paid huge dividends.
2. McConkey: Only $4,900 on DraftKings; keep tabs on his hip injury that has limited him in practice.
3. Evans: Keep flipping over 1,000-yard seasons.
4. Harrison: Things get spicy after this tier.
5. Rashod Bateman: This time the breakout is real, right?
6. Palmer: Slight nod over the next guy, but not worth quibbling about.
7. Michael Wilson: Good at a lot of things, great at nothing.
8. DJ Chark: Could resurface with the injury to Johnston. This play is better off on Amity Island.
9. Greg Dortch: Seems to play best when we are not counting on him.
10. Nelson Agholor: Last player worthy of his own line.

Tight End NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 7: Trey McBride

The other two teams are in committee situations, so it makes sense that McBride and Otton are pushing 75% combined popularity on the main DFS sites. This, of course, opens things up in tournaments, where three receptions for 30 yards and a score could have any number of players vying for a top-2 fantasy total.

1. McBride: Ride with The Masses for cash games on the Monday Night Football doubleheader.
2. Otton: The $2,000 savings against McBride on DraftKings and $1,300 on FanDuel make the top 2 a lot closer than some may anticipate.
3. Will Dissly: Looks like he took charge of the situation, with five of his 15 targets coming last weekend. He and Hayden Hurst were tied at 10 looks apiece heading into the Week 5 bye, but Hurst dropped to a season low seven snaps in the ensuing game.
4. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely: Andrews has been impacted more by his injury recovery and the late-training camp car accident, which has led to Likely out-snapping him each of the last four games. The 47-play difference is stark, though Likely has just one more target than Andrews in this timeframe.
5. Charlie Kolar: Four of his six targets on the season came in Week 5, but he did not get a single look in the games on either side.
6. Eric Tomlinson, Stone Smartt, Elijah Higgins: Meh, more like longshot lottery options for the single-game contests.

Stokastic has all the tools you need to dominate NFL DFS picks, no matter the slate, format, or platform.

If you haven’t signed up yet, grab a Stokastic+ NFL package to unlock key resources like the NFL DFS Sims and Lineup Generator, along with essential data such as NFL DFS projections, ownership projections and NFL Top Stacks!

Defense-Special Teams Preview for Monday Night Mayhem

1. Baltimore Ravens: Have recorded the fourth-most sacks (19) on the season, while the Bucs have ceded 17, which is the sixth-highest rate. Injuries have hampered the depth on defense, which is not going to be helpful against the Pewter Pirates passing attack (DE Broderick Washington, LBs Mali Harrison, Deion Jennings, Malik Hamm, Trayvon Mullen, DBs Arthur Maulet, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Christian Matthew).
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The team has come on strong with 15 of 17 sacks in the last three games. Getting a rookie in his first start was a walk in the park, so going against Jackson is going to take a little time to adjust.
3. Los Angeles Chargers: Joey Bosa is on track to miss his third consecutive game, plus the secondary is banged up with Asante Samuel Jr. and Deane Leonard out, while Kristian Fulton and Ja’Sir Taylor are questionable. If Bosa were actually healthy, this team would garner the top slot, but since that is not the case, they are relegated to the four-team scrum where only 1.5 median fantasy points separate the pack.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Just two sacks in the last three games, but four interceptions and a fumble look good on the takeaway front. Herbert limits interceptions and does a decent job of avoiding sacks. Plus the run-heavy approach for the Chargers will inherently limit defensive fantasy production.

Stokastic’s NFL DFS Tools & Expert Advice

Looking for even more NFL DFS picks tips?

We’ve got you covered with expert NFL articles loaded with winning strategies! But even the pros need an edge—that’s where a Stokastic subscription comes in. Get access to the same tools our experts rely on, like the Sims Tool that helped our friend TheRealCoach111 win his SECOND MILLY MAKER in under two weeks!

His latest win was in MLB, but we’ve had NFL Milly Maker champs too — just ask Stokastic Sims co-developer Steve Buzzard, who took down last year’s Conference Championship Weekend.

And don’t forget to check out our Hall of Fame Avatar program to see what you can win by using the Sims to rise to the top of DraftKings or FanDuel NFL DFS contests!