Welcome to the Monday Night Showdown Slate for NFL Week 7!

Before we start, please allow me to reiterate that while we all love having a little skin in the game, these showdown slates are basically lottery tickets. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but more often than not, you need that random, differentiate yourself from the herd dart-throw to hit in order to claim that top prize. As a result, we encourage to play responsibly. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.

OK, lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.

Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams

Spread: Rams -6

O/U: 44.5

Betting Facts:

Money line: Rams -250; Bears +250

Notable Injuries:

Bears:

Buster Skrine – Questionable (Ankle)

Khalil Mack – Questionable (Back)

Rams

Tyler Higbee – Questionable (hand)

Defensive Rankings (Using DVOA):

Bears:

vs Pass: 2nd

vs Run: 11th

Rams:

vs Pass: 11th

vs Run: 21nd

Please note the players below are ranked in terms of preference. If a player is not listed below that does not mean they are a complete fade. Given the single-game nature of the slate, all players listed can be moved around to fit the salary requirements.

MVP/CPT

1. David Montgomery , RB CHI – Based off the DVOA numbers above the best way to attack the Rams is going to be on the ground so let’s roll with Montgomery here as one of our better captain plays for tonight’s slate. Last week Montgomery saw an insane 85-percent of the offensive snaps and that is unlikely to change too much this week. His recent involvement in the team’s passing game following the injury to Tarik Cohen has given him a nice fantasy floor as well.

2. Rams D/ST – What’s that now? A defense in the captain spot? Yes, you are seeing that correct. Listen, as an industry, we don’t think too highly of Nick Foles or the Bears offense for that matter and now they face a Rams defense that registered 17 sacks between Week 3 and Week 5 before struggling against the 49ers in Week 6. With Jalen Ramsey likely locking in on Allen Robinson , the pressure will be on Foles and this Rams D could force some turnovers and register some sacks.

3. Cooper Kupp , WR LAR – If the Bears defense has a weakness it tends to be at the slot corner with Buster Skrine who is consistently rated towards the bottom of Pro Football Focus’s coverage rankings. This means that Kupp has himself a nice match up  tonight. The Rams passing attack has struggled a bit of late but the targets continue to flow in Kupp’s direction, with an average of eight targets over the past four games.

Mid-Tier

1. Allen Robinson , WR CHI – I am a big fan of Allen Robinson , the man is a target monster and generally is going to get his; however tonight he likely finds himself one-on-one with Jalen Ramsey and that is not going to be a fun match up for him. That being said, I still expect him to see double-digit targets and therefore he has value on tonight’s slate.

2. Bears D/ST – Goff has four interceptions through six games this season and has been sacked seven times as well. The Bears defense ranks 2nd against the pass per DVOA rankings and 11th against the run. If Khalil Mack ends up being ruled out then I probably move off this play but I think both defenses are in contention tonight as we look at a game with a relatively low game total of just 44.5 points.

3. Jimmy Graham , TE CHI  - If Allen Robinson is going to be tied down by Jalen Ramsey then the Bears will need to go elsewhere with the football. While Darnell Mooney will certainly get the looks I think tight end Jimmy Graham could also be a primary target tonight. Over the last four games Graham is averaging seven targets a game and already has four touchdowns on the season. If Chicago can get in the red zone tonight I like Graham’s chances of scoring.

Dart Throw

 1. Gerald Everett , TE LAR – Tyler Higbee is dealing with a hand injury that has him questionable to play tonight. Even if Higbee is active, it has been Everett that has had great success of late as the pass catching tight end in this offense as he has seen four targets in each of the last two games.

2. Cam Akers, RB LAR – After burning everyone last week when he played just one snap, I think there is a chance that Akers finds himself actually in tonight’s game script as it seems unlikely the Rams will find themselves out of this game which is apparently why Akers did not crack the rotation against the 49ers after having a successful return against the Washington Football Team the week prior.

3. Darnell Mooney, WR CHI – Mooney has apparently leaped Anthony Miller as the team’s No.2 WR and if Allen Robinson gets locked down tonight then the football will have to go elsewhere. Mooney has soon no less than five targets in each of the last four games while seeing a season high nine targets back in Week 4.