The pandemic has dramatically changed Week 15. However, the Vikings and Bears will play their regularly scheduled Monday Night Football game for this week. The Vikings visit the Bears as more than a touchdown favorite. As a result, they’re the team I’m most interested in using players from on the single-game slate. However, the Bears have intriguing options as well.
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Game: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Spread: MIN -6.5 Points
Over/Under: 44.5 Points
The pandemic has dramatically changed Week 15. However, the Vikings and Bears will play their regularly scheduled Monday Night Football game for this week. The Vikings visit the Bears as more than a touchdown favorite. As a result, they’re the team I’m most interested in using players from on the single-game slate. However, the Bears have intriguing options as well.
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Game: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Spread: MIN -6.5 Points
Over/Under: 44.5 Points
Vikings Analysis: Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson are easily my two favorite options on this slate. Thankfully, it's easy to use the two studs together. Last week, Cook reprised his workhorse role after missing only one game with an injury, steamrolling the Steelers for 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He also hauled in a 17-yard reception on three targets. Now, backup Alexander Mattison is on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. So, Cook's a safe bet to handle the rock as often as his body can handle against a giving Bears' run defense. According to Football Outsiders, Chicago is 22nd in rush defense Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA).
Meanwhile, they're dreadful defending the pass as well, ranking 23rd in pass defense DVOA. The Bears are also explicitly bad against receivers. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Chicago allows the ninth-most DraftKings and seventh-most FanDuel points per game to wide receivers. Thus, it should be the Jefferson show as the focal point of Minnesota's passing attack, with Adam Thielen likely missing this game after failing to log a single practice this week.
Kirk Cousins is the trigger man of the offense. The veteran signal-caller is having a productive year, ranking eighth in passing yards per game (274.5) and tied for sixth in passing touchdowns (27). Therefore, he's equipped to pick apart Chicago's below-average defense and a stellar pick.
K.J. Osborn and Tyler Conklin are the top ancillary picks, in that order. According to Pro Football Focus, over the last two weeks, Osborn has been third in receptions (seven) and second in routes (72), targets (15), and receiving yards (130), tying for first in touchdown receptions (two). Conklin has been third in routes (63), targets (11), and receiving yards (76), and second in receptions (nine).
The sneaky option in Minnesota's passing attack is rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette. He climbs to the third receiver spot with Dede Westbrook on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Westbrook leaves behind 18 routes from last week as the No. 3 receiver. Therefore, you can do worse than spending the minimum $200 salary on DraftKings for a player with a modest role in a plus matchup.
Bears Analysis: Justin Fields is a fantasy-friendly signal-caller, even though he's a work in progress in real life. The rookie quarterback has rushed for 260 yards and a touchdown in the last four games he's started and not left with an injury. In addition, he has made strides as a passer, passing for 291 yards and 224 yards in his previous full starts (i.e., not including the Week 11 game in which he hurt his ribs and left early). Fields' dual-threat ability is appealing, making him an excellent option on this single-game slate.
My favorite option from the Bears is Fields' top stacking partner, Darnell Mooney. According to Sports Info Solutions, Mooney is 20th in Intended Air Yards (1,148) and tied for eighth in target share (25.5%). The sophomore receiver averages 4.0 receptions and 56.9 receiving yards per game, hauling in three touchdowns. However, he has erupted for a few blow-up performances, exceeding 120 receiving yards in three games. So, he's capable of giving fit to Minnesota's secondary that struggles mightily against receivers. The Vikings allow the most DraftKings and FanDuel points per game to receivers this year.
Chicago's receiving corps will be without Allen Robinson since he's on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, leaving Jakeem Grant Sr. and Damiere Byrd as the other receivers in the offense treated to the juicy matchup against Minnesota's secondary. The two ancillary receivers have nearly been one another's equal the last two games. Byrd has run more routes than Grant, but they're roughly equal in receiving yards. However, Grant has an extra path to scoring, and he demonstrated last week on a punt return touchdown. So, I slightly prefer Grant when picking between the two. However, neither is a bad selection.
Cole Kmet is also positioned to move up the pecking order with A-Rob out. He was tied for second in routes (65) the previous two games, parlaying them into six receptions for 58 scoreless yards. Obviously, that's lackluster production. In addition, the matchup isn't nearly as juicy for him as the receivers. Minnesota allows the 10th-fewest FanDuel and the eighth-fewest DraftKings points per game to tight ends.
Finally, David Montgomery is a great pick as a do-it-all back. His playing time has been everything you could hope for, as you can see on our snap counts page. Montgomery hasn't skipped a beat since returning from the Injured Reserve in Week 9, eclipsing 65 scrimmage yards in all six games. He's also been highly involved in the last two games' passing game, hauling in 14 receptions on 16 targets. Moreover, last week's showing was encouraging since it was with mobile Fields at quarterback instead of veteran statue Andy Dalton.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.