We have an interesting AFC North match-up ahead of us on Monday Night Football with Joe Burrow and the Bengals traveling to take on Nick Chubb and the Browns. We'll get a quick look at the best DFS targets and prop bets to consider on this primetime slate!

By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter and LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns (+3) | 45 O/U

CIN: 24.0 Implied Points | CLE: 21.0 Implied Points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: WR Ja’Marr Chase (OUT), TE David Njoku (OUT), TE Pharaoh Brown (questionable)

Score Prediction: CIN - 27, CLE - 20

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 4-2 Bengals, 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Browns

SICScore/Field View 👩‍⚕️🩺

via sicscore.com

Bengals Defense / Browns Offense

Browns Defense / Bengals Offense

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Joe Burrow: The biggest injury-related news in this game centers around the loss of electric WR Ja’Marr Chase (hip) for multiple weeks. The Chase injury comes just as Burrow was starting to light things up. Even without Chase in the fold, Burrow has some quality receiving weapons around him and he’s playing behind a fully healthy offensive line. The Browns' defense ranks 25th in applying pressure to the QB (19.7% pressure%) and they’re averaging only two sacks per game, so Burrow should have plenty of clean pockets tonight. His DFS price reflects this, but he provides the highest floor/ceiling combo in this game.

RB Joe Mixon: The Browns have been torn up by opposing RBs this season. They have allowed the 4th most FPPG to RBs and rank 27th in rush DVOA. Mixon’s 76.2% snap% this season trails only Saquon Barkley (83.8% snap%) for the NFL lead in snap share among RBs. So, he’s going to be on the field for nearly every snap and likely handle 20+ touches. Mixon could also be a somewhat quiet beneficiary of the Ja’Marr Chase injury. He was already one of the most targeted RBs in the NFL (5.0 TGT/gm, 13.5% TGT%) but don’t be surprised if he sees around seven targets tonight.

WR Tee Higgins: It’s an “all Bengals” captain section with Higgins looking to step into a solidified WR1 role. Chase leaves behind a 27.7% TGT% and 10.6 TGT/gm workload that will need to be distributed elsewhere. Higgins now looks likely to see 10+ targets and he has hauled in 70.5% of his looks this season. The Browns’ secondary has been middle-of-the-road against perimeter WRs (14th most FPPG allowed) which is where Higgins has run close to 80% of his routes. The Browns’ secondary is also not at 100%. They’ll be without Denzel Ward (concussion) for a third straight week and they may be without Greg Newsome II and Greedy Williams, both questionable for this game.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

RB Nick Chubb: Chubb is one of the premier RB talents in the league but he’ll draw a difficult match-up tonight. The Bengals have surrendered the fewest FPPG to RBs this season and rank 10th in rush DVOA. In total, the Bengals have allowed just two TDs to RBs this season. He is still a strong candidate for 20+ touches and if any RB can carve up a tough run defense, it would be Chubb. But, due to his high salary, it’ll be tough for him to crack the optimal lineup as a captain play. It’s certainly possible, but Chubb definitely deserves plenty of FLEX consideration.

WR Amari Cooper: Home/road splits usually aren’t as glaring for players in the NFL as it is in other sports, but in Amari Cooper’s case, he has been lights out at home but struggles on the road. In four home games, Cooper is averaging 11.3 TGT/gm, 6.8 rec/gm, 80.5 YPG, and 22.3 DKFPPG. All four of his receiving TDs have come at home. One player he won’t have to deal with tonight is Bengals CB Eli Apple, who will miss this game with a hamstring injury. He could see some shadow coverage from CB Chidobe Awuzie on the perimeter (Cooper: 75% perimeter%). Awuzie has been a tough match-up for WRs this season but I don’t believe we need to downgrade Amari Cooper’s expectations too much.

WR Tyler Boyd: The Browns have been extremely stingy against the slot where they have allowed the fewest FPPG to slot WRs (Boyd: 85% slot%). However, if Browns' primary slot CB Greg Newsome II (oblique) is out or limited, it becomes a much less concerning match-up for Boyd. Boyd is going to see his fair share of targets regardless (again, because of Chase’s absence) and he’s coming off of a massive 8-155-1 performance in week seven. Boyd has also caught 76.3% of his targets this season so he’s been a super reliable receiver when Joe Burrow looks his way.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

K Evan McPherson OR K Cade York: Kickers are strong value options as always. McPherson would be the preferred kicking option but Cade York has a big leg and has had multiple FGA opportunities in each of his last four games. The Browns offense is also more likely to stall out on multiple drives while still being within field goal range. Winds are only expected to hit around 7 mph in Cleveland tonight.

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones: DPJ has been a productive piece to this rather uninspiring Browns passing attack. Over the last four weeks, he is averaging 6.8 TGT/gm and 11.2 DKFPPG while playing 93% of snaps. As mentioned with Cooper, the Bengals will be without Eli Apple in the secondary and Cooper should deal with Chidobe Awuzie for much of the night. That leaves DPJ with some more advantageous CB match-ups.

TE Hayden Hurst: It’s a tough match-up against Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the impressive second-year Browns linebacker, and former Butkus Award winner. But, yet again, Hurst may see a couple of extra targets sans Ja’Marr Chase and he has been a reliable intermediate receiving weapon, having caught 74.4% of his targets this season. He tied a season-high with eight targets last game and has a 16.7% TGT% in the redzone this year.

TE Harrison Bryant: Bryant will be the Browns’ primary receiving tight end with David Njoku (ankle) sidelined. Bryant has been moderately involved this season even with Njoku having a strong year. He should play 80+% of snaps and the Bengals haven’t been particularly strong against opposing TEs (13th most FPPG allowed).

WR Mike Thomas: The Bengals run 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) at the second-highest percentage of plays in the NFL (77%). That means some other Bengals WR is going to see plenty of snaps and Mike Thomas is the leading candidate to take over as the third Bengals WR. At $1,200 in DraftKings showdown pricing, he is a worthy dart throw in GPPs tonight.

Monday Night Football TD Call 🏈

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

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Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*QB Joe Burrow, WR Tee Higgins, TE Hayden Hurst: Standard CPTN Burrow double stack.

*RB Joe Mixon, K Evan McPherson, WR Amari Cooper: Any time a player has a chance for 25+ touches, as Mixon does tonight, he’s a locked-in captain candidate. Mixon’s already strong involvement as a pass catcher could see a nice boost tonight as well and the Browns bleed fantasy points to RBs.

*WR Tee Higgins, QB Joe Burrow, RB Nick Chubb: The Browns are tough against the slot so Tyler Boyd may not see a huge uptick in production tonight. Higgins is a great talent who has a chance to post a monster game with Ja’Marr Chase on the sidelines.

*RB Nick Chubb, K Cade York, WR Tyler Boyd: It’s a tough match-up against a strong Bengals defensive front but the Browns will not win this game unless Chubb pops off and handles 20+ carries.

*WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, QB Jacoby Brissett, WR Tee Higgins: DPJ has been a viable DFS option for the last month. He’s getting the targets and the yards -- he just needs to connect on a touchdown and he could easily sneak in as the optimal CPTN play. DPJ also gets a boost if Amari Cooper struggles to find success in shadow coverage from Chidobe Awuizie. 

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That will wrap us up with today's "Primetime Preview" edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!