Time to take a look at some Monday-Thursday short-slate DFS. As always, I encourage you to check out Justin Mason’s Weekly Previews to get a deeper look into tonight’s action. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of each game. Take a read and go build some lineups – remember, I only play GPP tournaments for short slates – then come back and compare to the ones I am leaving here as examples. As always, these are meant to serve as a comparison tool for your own lineups. These aren’t to be taken and submitted into contests as your own.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

Chiefs: Run D – 30th Pass D – 30th

Broncos: Run D – 5th Pass D – 19th

Passing:

This should be an interesting test for Patrick Mahomes as he gets his first real taste of the elevation and thin air in Denver. He’s fairly mobile and could run into some troubles if the Broncos pass rush can keep flushing him out of the pocket. The Broncos have a top-10 pass rush, but if Mahomes acts quickly, he can still pick apart this defense with short passes to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill which should help open things up for some deeper plays downfield to Sammy Watkins .

People are going to be scared off of Keenum this week after two very lackluster performances (207 passing yards per game with zero touchdowns and two INT) and reports of him sporting a knee brace during the week. It’s actually the perfect time to get him into your lineups as the Chiefs are allowing 363 passing yards per game and have coughed up eight touchdowns through the air. Keenum has solid weapons and this team has the experience to do battle on the Monday night stage.

Rushing:

Kareem Hunt hasn’t seen a ton of work in Denver as he sat out last year’s Week 17 match-up while the team prepped for the playoffs. The one time he did face them, he posted just a 2.1 YPC on 22 carries and caught a few inconsequential passes. He’s seen an average of 17 carries per game this season, but against this Broncos run defense, I could see Andy Reid limiting his work.

Can “Lights Out” Lindsay stay in the game long enough to do some damage? The Chiefs rank dead last against running back pass plays and are allowing an average of 122.3 yards per game to them. But don’t rule out Royce Freeman as the Chiefs are also giving up 111.3 rushing yards per game with a 5.2 YPC. The hope is that Vance Joseph pounds the run early and controls the pace of the game, but it will only last if the defense can contain Mahomes.

Receiving:

Denver’s overall pass coverage ranks as the seventh-worst according to Pro Football Focus, so if Mahomes can keep himself settled in, then the passing yards should flow. It’s going to come down to Tyreek Hill versus Bradley Roby . Chris Harris should have no trouble with Chris Conley in the slot and Watkins will get his downfield looks, but with Denver rankings 28th against opposing WR1, Hill seems to be the guy to shine. Well, him and Travis Kelce who faces a team that ranks 29th in coverage against the tight end.

For the Broncos, I like Demaryius Thomas the most with Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton following him. With the targets Sanders has been seeing, I could see the Chiefs really trying to work him over and take away that security blanket Keenum has in him. What I really like is the use of Jeff Heuerman as a low-cost option. The Chiefs rank 31st in coverage and are allowing the third-most fantasy points to the position. Denver isn’t far behind them, so perhaps more will land on Kelce or the tight ends from the other game.

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots

Colts: Run D – 15th Pass D – 12th

Patriots: Run D – 17th Pass D – 23rd

Passing:

Tom Brady got back to business while dispatching the Dolphins on Sunday and threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. This week, he not only gets a healthier Josh Gordon who made a few nice grabs Sunday, but he also gets his buddy Julian Edelman back. Couple that with a need to get Gronk involved in this passing game and TB12 is looking like a pretty nice option, especially when the Colts secondary looks as bad as it does.

On the other side, how can you not love what Andrew Luck did, throwing for over 400 yards and four touchdowns against the Texans on Sunday? Unfortunately, this secondary isn’t like that of Houston as the Pats rank sixth overall in pass coverage according to Pro Football Focus. There’s not much of a pass rush though, so it could get a little dicey as you simply cannot give Luck too much time in the pocket.

Rushing:

The Colts are doing a decent job of containing the running backs this season, so while Sony Michel and James White both had fantastic days, using them on a short week against a team that allows just 3.6 yards per carry, might not be the best idea. If you were to pick one, I think it favors White again as the Colts rank 20th against running back pass plays and are allowing just over 80 yards per game to them.

Indy has the similar issues in the backfield as the short week will probably mean no Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins just hasn’t been effective. Luck built up a nice rapport with Nyheim Hines this week and they connected on two touchdowns, so the fact that the patriots rank 25th against running back pass plays is encouraging.

Receiving:

 I could see this being a good game for Josh Gordon who will likely be the WR2. For the others, it depends on how they use Edelman. If they run him out of the slot, he may have some issues with Kenny Moore in coverage, but if they keep him on the outside, I do like his chances. I also see a big game from Gronk and feel like paying up for him may be the wise move. Colts rank 18th against the position but are allowing just over 94 yards per game to the position this season.

For the Colts, Ryan Grant is the guy I want. The short week might be tough for T.Y. Hilton to endure after leaving Sunday’s game with a chest injury, but we’ll have to keep a watchful eye on his condition. If he struggles and needs the week off, Grant will match up against a Pats secondary that ranks 30th and is allowing almost 88 yards per game to them. Sorry, Eric Ebron truthers, but the Pats’ coverage of the position is looking pretty tight.