NFL Monkey Knife Fight Picks: Week 18 Sunday

NFL Monkey Knife Fight Picks: Week 18 Sunday

This article is part of our DFS NFL series.

Sunday brings our final full slate of the regular season on Monkey Knife Fight. Three Game Types are offered, including "More Or Less," "Rapid Fire" and "Stat Shootout." For a full breakdown of the rules for each game, see the House Rules page. Let's dive into some of the contests within each Game Type, and highlight one option to consider.

More Or Less Contest

Starting things will be a 2/2 goal for 3X the prize. We will pick sides on Sam Ehlinger 199.5 passing yards and Andy Dalton 199.5 passing yards. Take the under on Ehlinger. He will take over for Nick Foles (ribs), who went down last week against the Giants. In his two previous starts, Ehlinger threw for 201 and 103 yards, respectively. An underwhelming total could be coming against the Texans, who have stunk against the run, but have allowed the 12th fewest passing yards per game in the league.

For Dalton, I'm leaning toward the over. He has produced some duds down the stretch, but he has thrown for at least 200 yards in four of his last six games overall. The Panthers have been surprisingly productive on offense since Sam Darnold took over at quarterback, so the Saints might need to throw more than they would usually like to keep pace. If that happens, the Panthers are vulnerable in the secondary, allowing the 10th most passing yards per game in the league.

Rapid Fire Contest

Let's look at a 2/2 goal for 2.5X the prize. The battles are Jalen Hurts vs. Austin Ekeler fantasy points (with Ekeler receiving a 5.5 fantasy point bonus) and Justin Herbert vs. Geno Smith (with Herbert receiving a 0.5 fantasy point bonus). Hurts has missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury, but he is trending in the right direction to make a return. The Eagles can lock up the top seed in the NFC with a win, so if he's healthy enough, he will play. However, the Chargers are basically locked into the fifth or sixth seed in the AFC. Either way, they will be on the road in the first round. They could limit the workload for some of their top players, including Ekeler. Therefore, I'd go with Hurts over Ekeler.

The same can be said about the matchup between Herbert and Smith. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Herbert limited to a half. Meanwhile, the Seahawks still have a chance to lock up a wild card spot in the NFC. That should leave Smith as the safer option.

Stat Shootout Contest

Closing things out will be the contest in which three players must combine for at least 2.5 touchdowns for 1.5X the prize. With the Eagles likely to deploy their starters as usual, our first selection is A.J. Brown. He has at least one touchdown in four of his last six games, including a score against the Giants in Week 14. The Giants have locked up the sixth seed, so they could rest some of their key defensive players, which would tilt the scales even more in Brown's favor.

Next up is Cam Akers for the Rams' matchup with the Seahawks. He has been busy down the stretch, receiving at least 17 carries in three of the last five games. He scored six touchdowns during that five-game span, two of which came against the Seahawks in Week 13.

Finally, I'll complete the trio with Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys are currently the fifth seed in the NFC, but they could work their way up to the first seed. That means it should be business as usual for them against the Commanders. Elliott doesn't put up impressive rushing yard totals anymore, but he does have at least one touchdown in nine consecutive games.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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