NFL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Cowboys vs Giants MNF Showdown

John's top NFL DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Cowboys vs Giants showdown slate on 9/26. His Monday Night Football daily fantasy football advice.

Happy Monday, RotoBallers! I hope your Week 3 has been successful so far. I had a bit of an up-and-down day yesterday, but I managed to come through with a profit. After a very lackluster Sunday Night Football matchup, we may see something similar tonight, as the Cowboys head up to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants. Similar to last night's game, I can see tonight being a low-scoring affair. Let's take a look.

We were pretty successful so far with these showdown slates and hopefully that trend continues from last year into this year. Most of us started our fantasy journeys with football, so it's always nice when it comes around and it's always a shame for it to come to an end. Thanks to the advanced analytics of today, I'll do my best to provide you with as much in-depth analysis as possible regarding positional matchups and the like to help put some lunch money in your pocket. Let's make some coin this season gang, and let's get right to it. 

I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Cowboys vs Giants NFL DFS showdown slate on September 26th. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If you have any questions, you can follow me on Twitter @LucidMediaDFS and fire away, or sign up for a premium RotoBaller NFL package and chat with me and other NFL DFS analysts at any time you'd like!

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

MVP/Captain Plays

Saquon Barkley - RB, $17,700 (DK), $16,000 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2022 Stats: 39 rushing attempts, 236 rushing yards, 11 targets, nine receptions, 46 receiving yards, one touchdown.
• 2022 Offensive Rush DVOA: -0.2% (11th), per Football Outsiders.
• 2022 Opposing Defense Rush DVOA: -10.8% (12th), per Football Outsiders.

I'll start tonight's slate with the clearest, obvious, and most expensive play of the night: Giants running back Saquon Barkley. In a game that shouldn't be all that exciting as far as scoring is concerned, I like to take the "safest" players in the 1.5x spot. The matchup here isn't great, but great players always seem to supersede poor matchups. Although the 2-0 Giants are slightly favored, I believe if they want to get anything going offensively, it'll be through Barkley.

Tony Pollard - RB, $12,300 (DK), $9,000 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2022 Stats: 15 rushing attempts, 51 rushing yards, nine targets, six receptions, 69 receiving yards, one touchdown.
• 2022 Offensive Rush DVOA: 0.7% (10th), per Football Outsiders.
• 2022 Opposing Defense Rush DVOA: -1.5% (22nd), per Football Outsiders.

I'll look at another running back as my secondary 1.5x guy tonight, Cowboys running back Tony Pollard. Pollard has seen just 15 rushing attempts on the year, but he has seen a nice bit of work in the passing game. He caught four of his seven targets for 55 yards last Sunday against the Bengals. While the Cowboys have a projected rushing DVOA of 5.94%, they have a great matchup in terms of their backs receiving out of the backfield, with a projected RB receiving DVOA of 28.48%. I slightly prefer Pollard to Elliott tonight but will have shares of both of them.

Other Captains/MVPs: Cowboys D/ST, CeeDee Lamb

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DFS Flex Plays

Cooper Rush - QB, $10,200 (DK), $13,500 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2022 Stats: 299 passing yards, one touchdown.
• 2022 Offensive Pass DVOA: -14.5% (27th), per Football Outsiders.
• 2022 Opposing Defense Pass DVOA: 12.3% (21st), per Football Outsiders.

I'll take a look at Cowboys QB Cooper Rush as one of my primary flex plays on the slate. While I think that the Giants' offense will run primarily through Saquon Barkley, I think Cooper Rush has the ability to spread the ball around. They have two solid backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield, Michael Gallup should be returning, and at least as I'm writing this, Dalton Schultz is scheduled to play tonight. Look for Rush to spread the ball around and put the Cowboys in a position to win tonight.

Sterling Shepard - WR, $7,600 (DK), $11,500 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2022 Stats: 14 targets, eight receptions, 105 receiving yards, one touchdown.
• Individual Matchup (vs Jourdan Lewis): 12% targets per route, 75% catch rate, 0.21 fantasy points per route covered.

On the other side of the field, I'll take a look at Sterling Shepherd. I cannot even begin to explain how the Giants are 2-0 with how lackluster their offense is. Shepherd, though, has emerged as the number one wide receiver in their offense, seeing 14 targets on the year, including 10 targets last Sunday against Carolina. I anticipate the Cowboys grabbing an early lead in this one, with the Giants using Sheperd, as well as Barkley, to get themselves back in the game.

Other Flex Options: CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliot, Daniel Jones

DFS Value Plays

Dallas Cowboys - D/ST, $4,600 (DK), $8,500 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2022 Stats: 36 points allowed, eight sacks, one interception.

I just mentioned how I believe the Cowboys will get out to an early lead and look to put this one away. I'll expect them to run a similar game plan to last week, grab the lead and let Micah Parsons and the pass rushers to pin their ears back and get to Danny Jones. Jones is turnover-prone as it is, and my model projects the Cowboys to have a whopping 12.02% sack rate tonight, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up in the optimal lineup.

Graham Gano - K, $4,000 (DK), $10,500 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2022 Stats: 4/4 field goals made/attempted, 2/2 extra points made/attempted.

Being an Eagles fan, as much as I can't fathom it or even begin to understand it, the Giants are 2-0. They've been able to put themselves in positions to win, albeit against bad teams, and they've put Graham Gano in situations where he's able to knock down field goals. He knocked down four of them last week, including a 56-yarder. I can see the Giants moving down the field a few times before stalling, putting Gano in a position to knock down a few more field goals.

Other Value Plays: Giants D/ST, Brett Maher, David Sills V

Enjoy your week and good luck everyone!

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