FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 14 Monday Night (Rams at Cardinals)

Monday night's matchup between the Rams and Cardinals figures to stand in stark contrast to last week's windy, low-scoring Patriots-Bills contest. This game checks in with a 51.5-point over/under, and the two teams are separated by a mere two points in favor of Arizona at home.

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.

Our Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy. It's worth checking out before you make your lineups.

MVP Candidates

According to numberFire's projections, there's a "big three" up top tonight between Kyler Murray ($17,000), Matthew Stafford ($15,500), and Cooper Kupp ($15,000).

Of course, it's of no surprise to see the two quarterbacks here. Murray and Stafford have both excelled as passers this season, ranking first and second in Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back among quarterbacks with at least 100 drop backs.

Fantasy-wise, Murray has a slight leg up on Stafford because of, well, his legs. Although he hasn't run as often as he did in 2020, he's still averaging 6.6 rushes per game and has tallied five rushing touchdowns. Only Josh Allen and Tom Brady have averaged more FanDuel points per game at the position this season.

Additionally, Stafford also has the more difficult matchup of the two. The Cardinals rank 2nd in schedule-adjusted pass defense, per numberFire's metrics, while the Rams rank 21st.

This also means a tougher matchup for Kupp, though that shouldn't deter us from utilizing this year's top fantasy wideout at MVP. Since the Rams' Week 11 bye, Kupp has averaged 10 targets with a team-high 26.3% target share. He's dropped below double-digit targets only once all year.

All three players should be popular MVPs, so if you're looking to mix things up, someone in the next tier might do the trick. Sony Michel ($12,000), DeAndre Hopkins ($12,500), and James Conner ($13,500) are the only other players projected for double-digit FanDuel points.

With Darrell Henderson going on the COVID-19 list, it paves the way for Michel to have a workhorse role for the second straight week. In Week 13, he played a whopping 97.0% of the snaps and logged 32.0 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets).

Conner has enjoyed bell-cow status lately, as well, averaging 26.5 adjusted opportunities over his last four games. However, in his case, we could see the return of Chase Edmonds ($10,000) tonight, who is essentially a game-time decision. However, even if Edmonds is back, it's worth considering Conner at MVP in case he maintains the bulk of work.

Furthermore, there's no question that Conner will remain the top running back in the red zone. He's tied for fifth overall in red zone carries and tied for fourth in rushes inside the 10-yard line this season.

Lastly, Hopkins is definitely the shakiest of this group, though that should also drop his roster percentage at MVP.

He's coming off a recent hamstring injury and simply hasn't dominated targets like in past seasons. That said, he's still the top pass-catcher in this offense, and despite missing three games, Hopkins still leads the team in receiving scores (eight), which is double the next highest mark. If this game shoots out, a multi-score performance can't be ruled out.

Flex Breakdown

WIth both backfields more than likely dominated by Michel and Conner, the secondary pass-catchers on each team round out the guys to consider as flex options.

The Rams' side is arguably the more predictable of the two, with Van Jefferson ($11,000), Odell Beckham ($10,000), and Tyler Higbee ($7,500) following Kupp in the receiving pecking order.

Over the past two games, Jefferson has the next-best target share (22.4%), and Beckham is close behind (19.7%). Higbee ranks fourth in the group at 14.5%.

Jefferson's logged a 94.9% snap rate over his last six games, which includes three when Robert Woods was still healthy. Given his solidified role in this passing attack, you could even make a case for using him as a contrarian MVP option.

Higbee is a clear value, as he continues to rarely leave the field, occasionally logging 100% of the snaps. That hasn't led to a ton of upside, but we typically don't find full-time players at such a low salary point.

As noted with Hopkins earlier, Arizona really spreads the ball around, making their pass-catching situation a bit murky. Christian Kirk ($10,500), A.J. Green ($9,000), Zach Ertz ($9,500), and Rondale Moore ($7,500) could all be factors, with all four players averaging roughly five targets per game this year. If Chase Edmonds returns, that will only further complicate things from a fantasy perspective.

For what it's worth, Kirk has the best projection of the group in numberFire's model.

One final avenue for saving salary could be in the kicking game. Kickers tend to be more intriguing for low-scoring games, but Matt Prater ($9,000) and Matt Gay ($8,500) do offer up some value at their respective salaries.