The two-game Monday-Thursday slate will be tonight’s action between the Rams and Chiefs and the early game on Thanksgiving between the Bears and Lions. You’ve got some fantastic options all over the place so let’s get to the game breakdowns and who we like most.

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams

Chiefs: Run D – 32nd Pass D – 12th

Rams: Run D – 29th Pass D – 13th

Passing:

Two of the finest young quarterbacks in the game each running a high-octane offense capable of obliterating most defensive schemes that stand in their way. The Chiefs are allowing more passing yards per game (289), but the Rams have allowed a few extra passing touchdowns (19 to 16). However, I think I would lean more towards Patrick Mahomes as the Rams are allowing the higher QB rating to the opposition and they have fewer interceptions and sacks. We might be splitting hairs here between him and Jared Goff in this game, but everyone has to take a side, right?

Rushing:

This is no different than the difference between the quarterbacks as both running backs are insane beasts. Couple that with the fact that neither run defense is particularly strong and you probably have a winner either way. Or why not just use both if you can somehow fit their salaries? The Chiefs are allowing 121.7 rushing yards per game with 12 rushing touchdowns allowed. The Rams are allowing 122.1 rushing yards per game, but only eight rushing touchdowns allowed. That’s not why I’ll side with Gurley, though. The rams have done plenty to fortify their run defense and the addition of Dante Fowler to bolster the defensive line should prove to be the edge here.

Receiving:

Choosing the right receivers to use could be the big difference-make here. Both pass defenses have shown improvement, but overall, each has a series of issues that just may be too tough to overcome. Marcus Peters has been awful in man-coverage but on the other side, the Eric Berry -less Chiefs have also been struggling in overall coverage this season. If you look at the DVOA coverage numbers, though, the Chiefs have actually been fairly solid against the opposition’s No. 1 and 2 wideouts, but they’ve been terrible against the No. 3 and the tight end. Now does that mean we don’t use Brandin Cooks or Robert Woods ? Of course not. I’ll tilt towards Woods with his match-up against Kendall Fuller while pairing him up with Josh Reynolds and maybe, if I need a dart throw, Gerlad Everett who could be the guy who picks up some of the red zone slack left behind by Cooper Kupp .

The Rams coverage, again according to DVOA numbers, is much softer on the wideouts than it is on the tight end. Does that mean you totally avoid Travis Kelce . Not if you have the salary to burn. He always plays like a wide-bodied wideout, so there’s an obvious difference between him and your run-of-the-mill tight ends. For the receivers, Tyreek Hill is going to be a popular choice matching up with Peters, but if you’re looking for pivots, Chris Conley and Demarcus Robinson are cheaper alternatives who have favorable match-ups. We still don’t know if Sammy Watkins (foot) is going to play, so I’m already planning on avoiding him.  

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

*Bears: Run D – 2nd Pass D – 4th

*Lions: Run D – 25th Pass D – 31st

*rankings based on DVOA numbers heading into Week 11

Passing:

Without getting to ahead of myself here, this start can be just as tasty as two weeks ago when Mitchell Trubisky burned the Lions for 355 yards and three touchdowns, but it could also tilt upwards of something close to what we saw when the Bears quarterback dropped six touchdowns on the Bucs in Week 4. This offense is humming, the players all seem in tune with the program and the Lions pass defense continues to break down in coverage. For the Lions, I have no clue how Matthew Stafford will survive. His ground game is going to be on the shelf and his security blanket, Golden Tate , plays elsewhere. Yes, he’ll be slinging the rock as the Lions sit in catch-up mode, but that’s not enough of a reason to put any faith in him.

Rushing:

The Bears ground game will likely be focused on Tarik Cohen once again. Jordan Howard saw just 11 carries the last time and Matt Nagy’s offense with all that movement and all that misdirection just doesn’t suit his plodding run-style. Cohen saw plenty of action last time they faced and found his way into the end zone. Hard to imagine Nagy changes the game plan. On the Lions side of the ball, with Kerryon Johnson dealing with a knee injury he suffered late Sunday, he is unlikely to suit up this week. LeGarrette Blount should take the early-down work with Theo Riddick handling third downs and pass-catching situations. The Bears do a great job defending against the ground and against running back pass plays, so you should probably avoid.

Receiving:

Every receiver for the Bears is in-play and that includes the tight end. The Lions are that bad. I may think about avoiding Allen Robinson as Darius Slay is likely to be covering him most of the day, but Anthony Miller , Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton should be strong options this week. Lions receivers to use? Maybe Kenny Golladay for lack of better options, but again, you may just want to avoid the Lions altogether and lock the Bears defense into your lineups.