Daniel Jones vs. Cooper Rush is not exactly a thrilling match-up. But this MNF game does feature a close spread and a few big playmakers on both sides of the ball, so perhaps we get an entertaining game out of this one tonight. There's no way it could be worse than last night's Broncos vs. 49ers game... right?!?!

By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter and LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (-1) | 39 O/U

DAL: 19.0 Implied Points | NYG: 20.0 Implied Points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: QB Dak Prescott (OUT), WR Michael Gallup (Questionable, expected to be inactive), TE Dalton Schultz (Questionable, trending towards doubtful), WR Kadarius Toney (Doubtful), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (OUT)

Score Prediction: DAL - 20, NYG - 17

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

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

RB Saquon Barkley: The Cowboys possess a fairly solid run defense (12th in rush DVOA), but volume is the game's name here. Barkley has seen elite usage and snaps through two games this season. In week one, he led all NFL RBs with a 41.4% touch% and he remained near the top of the rankings in week two with a 34.3% touch%, which was good for the 6th highest touch% of the week. His 83.5% snap% also currently ranks 3rd among NFL RBs. His production was suppressed in week two but we saw plenty of the vintage Saquon elusiveness and playmaking ability during his monstrous week one performance. In what figures to be a low-scoring game between two unexciting starting QBs, Barkley will once against be the focal point of the Giants offense.

WR CeeDee Lamb: It’s hard to get too excited about any receiver in this game. No one is calling for a shootout in this Cooper Rush vs. Daniel Jones showdown… but hopefully, it won’t be as bad as last night's SNF game. Lamb will remain on the captain radar due to his borderline elite 31.0% TGT%. He has garnered 11 targets in both games this season -- those 11 targets in week two represented a 35.5% TGT% on Cooper Rush’s 31 pass attempts. Lamb has aligned in the slot for most of his routes. That means he’ll see plenty of Giants slot CB Darnay Holmes, who opposing QBs have targeted on 33% of routes ran against him.

RB Tony Pollard: Zeke is still likely to receive the larger snap share in the Dallas backfield, but I’ll choose to place my faith in Pollard to have the better fantasy day. Pollard played just 24 snaps (39% snap%) last week, compared to 41 snaps (67% snap%) for Elliott. But it was Pollard who posted 19.8 DKFP compared to 5.9 DKFP for Elliott. As long as Cooper Rush is in at QB, the offensive playcalling will likely remain fairly conservative. That means plenty of short dump-offs and screens to the RBs. Pollard received seven targets from Rush last week (22.6% TGT%), and the Giants have allowed an 8-103-2 receiving line to RBs through the season's first two weeks.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

QB Daniel Jones: I don’t love the prospect of rolling either of these QBs out as a captain, but Jones does at least bring some rushing potential to the table. He hasn’t broken loose for any huge runs, but he does have 16 rush attempts for 46 yards and Jones had as many as 95 rushing yards in a single game last season. We’re mainly hoping for around 200 yards passing and 20-30 yards rushing from Jones with two touchdowns (on the ground or through the air). That would land him around 16-20 DKFP which, in a low-scoring game, would almost certainly make him an optimal FLEX play (and potentially the optimal captain selection). The Cowboys have given up 18.1 DKFP/gm to opposing QBs this season.

WR Noah Brown: With the departure of Amari Cooper and the continued absence of Michael Gallup, Noah Brown has stepped up to be the secondary Cowboys receiving option behind Lamb. He owns a respectable 19.5% TGT% and a 33% share of the team’s overall air yards. Brown has also caught 71.4% of his targets which has helped him lead the team in receptions (10) and yards (159). Brown will be the primary beneficiary if the Giants look to bracket Lamb off in double coverage routinely.

Cowboys D/ST: Both D/STs are in play for this projected low-scoring game, but the Cowboys possess the better pass rushers and defensive playmakers. They violated Joe Burrow with six sacks last week and have held two quality offenses to 18 PPG. If they manage to stop Saquon and force Daniel Jones to beat them with his arm, several sacks and multiple turnovers become much more likely.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

TE Jake Ferguson: Dalton Schultz (knee) seems to be on the wrong side of “questionable” heading into this game. If he cannot go, rookie TE Jake Ferguson may be on the field for nearly every offensive snap. He already saw his offensive snaps rise from 11 (16% snap%) in week one to 34 (56% snap%) in week two. He has yet to draw a target, but that would surely change if he is the primary Cowboys tight end in this game. The real kicker is that he’s only $200 in tonight’s showdown pricing. If you plan to use Saquon at the captain spot, then the salary relief you’d receive from rolling Ferguson in the flex could certainly come in handy.

K Brett Maher OR Graham Gano: The low salaries and high median projections keep kickers in play, especially in these likely low-scoring games where plenty of drives could stall out within field goal range. The winds should be manageable at MetLife Stadium tonight, and both kickers have connected on multiple 50+ yard FGs this season.

WR Richie James Jr.: James has caught 5-of-6 targets for 50+ yards in each game this season. That is an 83.3% catch% and a strong 24% TGT%. He is the Giants’ primary slot receiver and should continue to see targets on short to intermediate routes with a higher catch probability.

Monday Night Football TD Call 🏈

RB Saquon Barkley

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*RB Saquon Barkley, WR CeeDee Lamb, TE Jake Ferguson: Barkley is going to run you $17,700 at captain tonight but if there is one player who can score 30+ DKFP in this game, it would be him. Run it back with Lamb on the other side and punt Jake Ferguson (assuming Schultz is out) in the flex to make CPTN Saquon much more feasible.

*WR CeeDee Lamb, QB Cooper Rush, WR Richie James Jr.: Historically, WR1s are the most likely optimal captain selections. Lamb has yet to prove that he can handle the additional defensive attention that comes along with being a team’s alpha WR, but it is a good spot for him to excel against slot corner Darnay Holmes. With injuries to other Cowboys receivers, Lamb should have 10+ target upside for a third consecutive week.

*RB Tony Pollard, Cowboys D/ST, WR Richie James Jr.: It’s no coincidence that Pollard saw seven targets last week with Cooper Rush in as the starting QB. Many fantasy football talking heads have long been calling for a larger workload for Pollard with the growing ineffectiveness of Zeke Elliott. Pollard will still own the lower snap% but his role as the preferred pass-catching back gives him notable upside.

*QB Daniel Jones, WR Sterling Shepard, WR Richie James Jr.: With Jones in at CPTN, we’ll be banking on some rushing production on top of what he does as a passer. It’s not going to excite anyone to run with a CPTN Jones double stack, but if he does end up being the optimal CPTN play, then two of his pass catchers will probably have a solid day as well. Shepard and James should command around a combined 50% TGT%. Saquon Barkley is ‘stackable’ with Jones as well given his role as a pass catcher out of the backfield.

*Cowboys D/ST, RB Tony Pollard, K Brett Maher: Let’s say this game turns into another sloppy offensive punt-fest. If the Cowboys win this game, it’ll largely be thanks to a big defensive performance. A handful of sacks and a couple of turnovers is within the realm of possibilities for the Dallas D/ST.

PrizePicks MNF Power Play ⚡

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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!