NFL

FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 2 Monday Night

The Cleveland Browns are on the road to take on a New York Jets team who will be without their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold. What does this mean for their respective fantasy implications tonight?

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5-times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

Bookmakers currently peg the Browns as 6.5-point road favorites with the over/under set at 45.5 points. We should be in for some solid offense tonight, so let's jump in.

MVP Considerations

Baker Mayfield ($15,000) - It's clear that Baker and the Browns didn't get off to the start they wanted last week, but they come in as solid road favorites against a depleted Jets lineup. New York will be without two key defenders, C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams, which should take some pressure off the Browns' offensive line, as Mayfield was sacked five times in Week 1.

In that Week 1 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Mayfield finished with 38 passing attempts for 285 yards, a touchdown, and 3 interceptions. A very middling stat line -- 12.4 FanDuel points -- but that should be on the rise tonight, as we have him projected for 18.5 FanDuel points, the second-highest for the game.

The Jets' defense looked average in Week 1, allowing 18.0 FanDuel points to Josh Allen. Mayfield is in a spot to surpass that total given the fact the Jets are weaker on defense, allowing them to move the ball up and down the field.

Mayfield throwing for three touchdowns or throwing for two and rushing for one is fully within his range of outcomes tonight, making him a strong option for the MVP spot.

Le'Veon Bell ($14,500) - As we take a look at the Jets roster, it has to be noted that Bell is officially listed as questionable for this game. He is dealing with a shoulder issue that caused him to get an MRI last week, which came back clean. This is massively important for the Jets, as they are already without their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold. Much of the offense should fall to Bell, since the Jets will have Trevor Siemian behind center.

We have Bell projected for over 22 total touches and 17.6 FanDuel points, which is the third-highest in the game. If Bell plays, that is great news for fantasy owners, since the Browns got roasted in Week 1, allowing 31.2 FanDuel points to the Titans' running backs. The total touch share that Bell owns within the Jets' offense is massive and simply too good to pass on, which is why he is another strong MVP candidate.

Odell Beckham ($14,000) - Beckham is a receiver who has always brought massive upside for fantasy owners since he can seemingly turn any simple reception into a touchdown, along with being a downfield threat. That is a great combination to have when you are looking for a player to lock into the MVP spot. In Week 1, Beckham was target 11 times, ending up with 7 receptions for 71 yards but no touchdowns.

It could be somewhat fitting that Beckham gets his first touchdown of the season at his old stomping grounds, albeit not against his former team. Beckham is projected for 5.86 receptions tonight, which is one full reception higher than the next wide receiver, along with the highest receiving yards projection. His upside is almost unmatched on this slate and besides a fit for the MVP spot, consider stacking him with Mayfield for the highest upside.

Value Plays

Ty Montgomery ($8,000) - If for some reason Le'Veon Bell doesn't play in this game -- as he's currently listed as questionable -- Montgomery should become the highest-owned player on the slate. In this scenario, Montgomery would become the starting running back, and as mentioned above, the Browns were awful against the rush in Week 1, allowing 31.2 FanDuel points.

If Bell does play, then Montgomery is more of a dart throw, since he played on only 6.9% of the snaps in Week 1. Yes, there are reports that Montgomery could see additional work even if Bell is playing, but with the Jets set to be trailing in this game, their passing options look better compared to their rushing game.

Robby Anderson ($9,000) - With Quincy Enunwa going out for the year with an injury, someone in the Jets' receiving corp will need to step up. Jamison Crowder is the clear number one receiver for the Jets, but we actually saw Anderson lead the team in terms of offensive snaps at 95.8% in Week 1.

This is certainly interesting since Anderson is $3K cheaper compared to Crowder tonight and Anderson brings the most upside. Crowder ended with 14 receptions in Week 1 but had an aDOT of 3.0 (average depth of target). Anderson, on the other hand, had an aDOT of 17.3, tied for the team lead with Enunwa, who is now out.

Anderson is known for being a downfield threat -- which doesn't exactly match up up with Trevor Siemian -- but it still gives him the most potential upside from a fantasy perspective. One long touchdown can be a game-changer, and with the Jets set to be playing from behind, we want their passing options in fantasy tonight.

Rashard Higgins ($6,500) - With Beckham and Jarvis Landry being the most expensive receiving options for the Browns, where can we find some value players? This might be the spot for Higgins, who is just $6.5K tonight and played on 43.8% of the snaps in Week 1. During those snaps, he caught 2-of-3 targets for a total of 46 yards.

While that might not be massive production, there is certainly some potential tonight, as the Jets allowed 31.1 FanDuel points to opposing wide receivers in Week 1. By no means is Higgins the safest play in this game, but a strong 26.00 implied team total for the Browns and a weaker Jets' defense could allow Mayfield more time to get the ball out to his receivers.