This is our Monday Night Football DFS strategy breakdown for Week 11 as the Dallas Cowboys face the Las Vegas Raiders in Las Vegas.
There probably isn't a great deal of playoff significance at stake in Week 11's Monday Night Football matchup between the 2-7 home-team Raiders and the visiting 3-5 Cowboys, but the two weak defenses could lead to a productive game from scrimmage at least. Dak Prescott needs to bounce back emphatically after stumbling against Denver and Arizona before the bye, and the Raiders defense should accommodate that. Meanwhile, even a nearly-hopeless Raiders offense has a pretty good shot at moving the ball against a Dallas defense that might be the worst in the league.
The over/under is 50.0 with Dallas favored by 3.5 on the road.
QUARTERBACK
The season has proved disappointing for both Dak Prescott ($10400 DK, $12800 FD) and Geno Smith ($8800 DK, $10200 FD), so it's convenient that the two get to face off against accommodating defenses Monday.
The Raiders defense technically ranks around average, but the underlying details and an accounting of their personnel gives reason to suspect they will likely finish the year as some version of below average. Prescott struggled badly against Denver and Arizona before the bye, but both defenses are good, especially Denver's, and the Raiders just aren't anything like either of those defenses.
The Dallas defense, on the other hand, might be the worst in the league and could be just what Smith needs to improve his stats on the year. Smith heads into this game with 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions as a passer, and to be fair to Smith his schedule has been rather difficult so far in 2025. This game could be a get-right spot for both passing games.
RUNNING BACK
Ashton Jeanty ($10000 DK, $11400 FD) and Javonte Williams ($9800 DK, $12200 FD) are both tough to fade here, though maybe not the easiest to afford given the number of pass catchers and quarterbacks with high projections in this game. Jeanty is the better talent and has much more pass-catching upside than Williams, but Jeanty's offensive line is a nightmare right now, whereas Williams' offensive line is finally getting fully healthy and possesses one of the best run-blocking interiors in the league.
The good news in both cases is the backup running backs shouldn't poach much or any production from the workhorses. Raheem Mostert has played fewer than 10 snaps in three straight games for the Raiders, while the rookie Jaydon Blue has been such a mess that he fell past Malik Davis as RB2 on the Cowboys depth chart in Week 10, resulting in Davis playing five snaps to Williams' 58.
WIDE RECEIVER + TIGHT END
A lot of Dallas pass catchers are candidates to see some notable level of opportunity here, and most of those players are also good bets to convert their opportunities into production. CeeDee Lamb ($11000 DK, $13200 FD) is the obvious headliner and a candidate to post big numbers in this one. Lamb has yet to log a truly big game in 2025 and this might be a spot to make up for lost time. George Pickens ($9000 DK, $8800 FD) would likely be the leading pass catcher if it isn't Lamb, and if Prescott has a big enough game it could prove fruitful to employ the full stack between Prescott, Lamb and Pickens. With that said, Jake Ferguson ($7400 DK, $8200 FD) should also be a primary consideration for any such stack, and among Dallas pass catchers generally. Ugly as Ferguson's numbers have looked at times the last two years, he usually produces when Prescott produces, and Prescott should be able to produce in this one.
Ryan Flournoy ($4600 DK, $2600 FD) looks like a nice bargain on FD after emerging as the clear WR3 in Dallas. Flournoy has shown real big-play ability the last two years and is likely worth consideration on both sites, especially if you expect the game to be close or/and high-scoring. Dallas might run more two-TE looks the bigger the lead they get, but if they need to throw the ball to keep pace then they'll be more inclined to run three-wide formations, assuring Flournoy's snap and route count in the process. KaVontae Turpin ($3000 DK, $5800 FD) is probably best understood as a punt play but he remains a dangerous returner in any matchup. Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Ford-Spann are longer shots yet.
Brock Bowers ($8000 DK, $9600 FD) isn't easy to fade in any given one-game slate, and maybe none more than this. Sure, Bowers only had one catch against Denver in Week 10, but the week before that he had 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Dallas' defense is maybe the weakest in the NFL, and even Geno Smith should produce fine in this game. Bowers is Las Vegas' clear lead pass catcher – if Geno goes then Bowers goes too, and Geno could push for 300 yards in this one. Tre Tucker ($6600 DK, $7400 FD) might not be cheap anymore but he's worth the price against this Dallas boundary corner rotation – very likely the worst one in the league at the moment. With that said, Tyler Lockett ($3400 DK, $5200 FD) might be the Raiders' target leader at wide receiver going forward, making Lockett a very difficult fade at those prices.
Michael Mayer ($4000 DK, $4200 FD) is probably more talented than most TE2s and is a justifiable pick here, but his price being anywhere near Lockett probably makes Lockett preferable. Dont'e Thornton ($2000 DK, $3000 FD) and Jack Bech ($1000 DK, $4800 FD) are arguably worth punt-play consideration against Dallas' weak defense, but the two rookies are struggling badly so far this year.
KICKER
Daniel Carlson ($5000 DK, $6400 FD) had an excellent three-year peak from 2020 to 2022, but he seems to have lost something by now after making just 12 of his 16 field goal attempts in 2025. The Dallas matchup is very inviting, so Carlson might be able to miss a field goal in this game and still go over double-digit points, but it's not nearly as sure of a bet as it would have been a few years ago.
Brandon Aubrey ($5400 DK, $6800 FD), on the other hand, is always a central consideration on single-game slates. Dallas could/should be able to move the ball well in this game, and with Aubrey's exceptional range he could be within three-point distance often Monday. Although he hasn't seen many opportunities the last two weeks, that can be attributed to the struggles of Dallas' offense in that span, and those struggles should cease against the Raiders.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Picking either defense in this game probably isn't advised, both because neither defense projects well and because there should be a number of preferable alternative picks given the yardage and point projection in this game.
With that said, both of these teams is capable of disappointment in almost any scenario, even those with low expectations, and the Raiders offense in particular has been turnover-prone. That might be a reason to rank the Cowboys ($4200 DK, $6600 FD) ahead of the Raiders ($3600 DK, $6200 FD) – Prescott's six interceptions on the year isn't great, but it's a lot better than Smith's 12 interceptions.
