Monday NFL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings (12/20/2021)

John Brubaker's top NFL DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on Monday Night - 12/20/21 two-game slate. His Week 15 daily fantasy football advice.

As Bubba mentioned on Saturday, it's hard to accept that we are down to the final four weeks of the NFL season. Fortunately, though, we have a Monday Night Doubleheader as the Raiders head to Cleveland, a makeup from Saturday's game, and the Vikings head to Chicago to take on the Bears in a divisional matchup. The Browns are ravaged with COVID currently, so that should open up some value for us. However, a few guys are questionable to return tonight, so I may make some updates as I see fit.

In the second matchup, Justin Fields makes his 10th career start as the Bears take on Minnesota. While the Bears are testing Fields out to see how their QB of the future looks, the Vikings should be coming into this one with high energy as they continue to fight for a wild card spot in the NFC. This will likely be the lower-scoring of the two games tonight but should have some high-volume players.

In this article, I will be providing you with my Week 15 Monday daily fantasy football lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings. These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. Please also check out our weekly DraftKings DFS lineup picks and many other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big! Also, feel free to give me a follow on Twitter @LucidMediaDFS.

Quarterbacks - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Justin Fields, QB - CHI vs MIN (DK: $5,300, FD: $7,000)

On just a two-game slate, our options at quarterback are limited. The most popular QB will likely be Kirk Cousins, and rightfully so. Derek Carr will likely be next but without Darren Waller. Carr has thrown just one touchdown pass in the last two weeks. If you wanted to go super bold, you could run Nick Mullens, which I wouldn't recommend. That leaves us with Justin Fields. Now hear me out. In Fields' last three starts (in which he played the entire game), he has thrown for 690 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. His value comes mostly from his legs though, as he's run for an even 200 yards and a touchdown in that same three-game span. The Vikings have a solid defense against the pass, coming in ranked 12th in DVOA, but in either a garbage-time or a close game scenario, Fields has a solid rushing floor with a "QB1" on the slate upside, so I'll be on Fields tonight.

Running Backs - DFS Lineup Picks

Dalvin Cook, RB - MIN at CHI (DK: $8,500, FD: $9,000)

While Cook is the highest-priced and will likely be the highest owned running back on the slate, it will be well worth it. Cook ran for a whopping 205 yards and two touchdowns last Thursday against the Steelers and will look to continue that momentum as the Vikings look to build ground in the NFC wild-card race. Regardless of how this game shakes out, Cook is likely to see at least 20-25 touches. Chicago comes into this one with a defensive DVOA against the run of -5.2%, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. The last time Cook faced the Bears, he ran for 132 yards and a touchdown. I'll look for him to create similar production tonight.

Nick Chubb, RB - CLE vs. LV (DK: $7,900, FD: $8,000)

As I mentioned before, the Browns are ravaged with guys on the COVID reserve and are now down to third-string quarterback Nick Mullens. They also will likely be down three of their top offensive weapons, Kareem Hunt, Jarvis Landry, and Austin Hooper. This creates an offensive funnel that screams that Cleveland will be running the ball with Chubb.

While the Raiders are solid in DVOA against the run (-10.7%, 16th), from a fantasy perspective they are much worse, coming in ranked 30th on the season versus opposing backs and 31st over the last four games. They've allowed on average over 100 yards rushing over their last four games, creating a potential smash spot for Chubb. This also opens the door for D'Ernest Johnson to be a sneaky GPP play as the RB2 in this game.

Also Consider: Josh Jacobs (LV at CLE) $6300/$7400, D'Ernest Johnson (CLE vs. LC) $5,400/$5,700

Wide Receivers - DFS Lineup Picks

Hunter Renfrow, WR - LV at CLE (DK: $6,500, FD: $7,400)

Honestly, how is Renfrow this cheap? In the last two weeks with Darren Waller out, Renfrow has seen 24 targets, catching 22 of them for 219 yards and a touchdown. It's a joke that Renfrow was so cheap on Saturday and then both FanDuel and DraftKings LOWERED his price! Renfrow should see a ton of targets and will likely end up feasting in a solid matchup against Cleveland's M.J. Stewart.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR - CLE vs. LV (DK: $4,200, FD: $5,900)

On the other side of this game, we have Donovan Peoples-Jones. While Peoples-Jones doesn't have the insanely strong matchup that Justin Jefferson or Hunter Renfrow has, with the Browns running out their taxi squad, DPJ should see plenty of targets. He saw seven of them last week, catching five for 90 yards on the way to a 14 point DraftKings performance and 11.5 points FanDuel performance. He could get shut down just based on the fact that Nick Mullens is under center, but his price is low enough that I'll take the risk.

Justin Jefferson, WR - MIN @ CHI (DK: $8,500, FD: $8,800)

While Adam Theilen is questionable heading into this one, Jefferson is a great play regardless. He's seen double-digit targets in four of his last five games, seeing 15 last week. He's nearly a lock for 7+ catches and 80+ yards every week, and now he gets a solid matchup against Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Johnson is allowing a 15% target rate per route covered, along with a 57% catch rate and 0.26 fantasy points per route. He should feast tonight, and he becomes a must-play in all formats if it turns out that Adam Theilen won't be suiting up for this one.

Also Consider: Darnell Mooney (CHI vs MIN) $5,500/$6,100, Zay Jones (LV at CLE) $3,600/$5,100

Tight Ends - DFS Lineup Picks

David Njoku, TE - CLE vs. LV (DK: $3,600, FD: $5,200)

Njoku practiced in a limited fashion on Friday, and there's no doubt that the extra two days helped Njoku and he'll be ready to go tonight. Njoku has seen at least four targets in his last three games played, and that should see an uptick tonight with the Browns shorthanded. He draws a decent matchup against Raiders linebacker Cory Littleton, who allows a 17% target rate per route covered, an 86% catch rate, and 0.3 fantasy points per route. While it's difficult to trust Nick Mullens throwing the ball, the old adage remains true: backup quarterbacks love throwing to their tight ends.

Also Consider:  Tyler Conklin (MIN @ CHI) $4,200/$5,700, Foster Moreau (LV at CLE) $3,700/$5,500

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