The Bears versus the Vikings could be an unexpected joy. Three weeks ago, you could be forgiven for thinking this one would be the worst game of the season as Tyson Bagent could have been lining up against Sean Mannion. But Justin Fields is back and looking like he could blossom into the exciting QB everyone hopes for. And the “p-astronaut” is lining up opposite him. All of which makes for some intriguing potential DraftKings DFS bargains.
DraftKings Bargains for Monday night Week 12
The Expensive, But Worth It Bargain DraftKings DFS Pick – Ty Chandler
Yes at $5,800 on the DraftKings DFS Captains Showdown slate, he’s pretty expensive for a “bargain”. But he was the cornerstone of the offense (and special teams) against the Broncos so he’s a bargain, nonetheless. Chandler is averaging 5.3 yards per touch in his last two games. He’s the Vikings’ answer to Jaylen Warren, even though he’s their most impactful player they still won’t hand the offense over to him.
The Bears’ defense allows 3.4 yards per rush and has conceded 11 touchdowns to running backs in 2023. The 5 touchdown catches they’ve conceded to running backs are more than anyone else in the league! Chandler has yet to catch a touchdown pass from Josh Dobbs, but this might be the game when he breaks that duck.
The Under The Radar DraftKings DFS Pick – Brandon Powell
Powell is only $2,000 on the DraftKings DFS slate. And he averages 9.2 yards per touch, that’s just .06 yards fewer than T.J. Hockenson (and Hockenson costs $9,000!) So, Powell is a bargain. Super Bowl winner Powell has only started 1 game for the Vikings, but he’s already recorded more receiving yards than he has in any of his four other seasons in the league.
In his last 5 games, Powell has seen 20 targets and he’s caught 14 of them. He’s racked up 156 receiving yards and 7 rushing yards in those games too. He will probably line up opposite Kyler Gordon in this game. Gordon’s been pretty good this season, he’s only missed one tackle, but he is yet to make an interception and he is allowing 78.1% of passes thrown his way to be completed. If Powell sees 4 targets like he did last week, he’ll be good for about 40 yards and maybe even a touchdown. Wide receivers have scored 12 touchdowns against this Bears’ defense, only two teams have conceded more.
The Safest Pair Of Hands DraftKings DFS Pick – Josh Oliver
Oliver is another Viking who is criminally undervalued in DraftKings DFS this week. Oliver will cost just $2,600 on this DraftKings DFS Captains Showdown slate. He saw 4 targets last week against a Denver defense that was a bit “swarmy”. Eberflus is going to try and imitate that with the Bears’ defensive front this week. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Vikings counter by lining up with two tight ends and trying to stop the Bears from substituting the big guys in and out.
Oliver began the season by catching 7 of 8 targets in his first three games. But he’s been used more sporadically since then, he has only failed to catch 2 passes all season though, so without Jefferson, he’s the Vikings’ most reliable pass catcher. Last week he averaged 11.8 yards per reception and caught a touchdown. The Bears have allowed 12.6 points per game in DraftKings DFS, just 13 teams have allowed more.
The Big Play Bargain DraftKings DFS Pick – Darnell Mooney
Mooney is averaging an impressive 14 yards per catch in 2023. That’s the best average of his career and it’s only 0.8 yards behind D.J. Moore’s 2023 average. Mooney is $4,800 on the DraftKings DFS slate this week. Moore is $10,400, so Mooney is definitely a bargain. And according to DraftKings, his opponents are 23rd in the league when it comes to defending receivers.
Mooney only saw 1 target last week, but that was his fewest looks since Week 3 of the season. So, it must be more of a blip than a trend. In his last 5 games, he’s seen 20 targets and he’s caught 13 of them. He’s taken those 13 catches for 193 yards, an average of 14.8 yards per catch, even better than his impressive season average.
Mooney will probably be covered by Josh Metellus, who has allowed two touchdowns this season. He’s also missed 6 tackles though and he is allowing 82.2% of the passes thrown his way to be completed.
The Low Key Solid Pick – Cairo Santos
He’s a kicker, what more do you need to know? He’s a very good kicker if that helps. Santos averages 8.3 points per game this season and he’s cheaper than Greg Joseph who averages 7.7. At just $4,600 on the DraftKings DFS Captains Showdown slate, he’ll prove to be a bargain. Santos has attempted 20 field goals this season and made 19 of them.
Main Photo: [Ron Chenoy] – USA Today Sports
