Time to take a look at some Monday-Thursday short-slate DFS action for Weeks 13 and 14.

Before doing anything, you should check out Ryan Hallam’s Weekly Previews and Matt Selz’s Weekly Match-Up Report. Both will provide a deep look into the games. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of each game. Take a read and go build some lineups – remember, I only play GPP tournaments for short slates – then come back and compare to the ones I am leaving here as examples. As always, these are meant to serve as a comparison tool for your own lineups. These aren’t to be taken and submitted into contests as your own.

Here's a breakdown of the two games involved:

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks

Spread: Seahawks -3.0

O/U: 49.5

These teams are very similar in many ways. They both play at a slow pace, ranking 26th (Vikings) and 27th (Seahawks). Despite that, they are 7th (Vikings) and 6th (Seahawks) in points per game scored. Each team has a strong balanced offense. On the defensive side of the ball, both team’s bolster a strong rush defense, but they can both be beat through the air. This should be a fantastic game.

Offensive Breakdown:

Passing: 

The Vikings passing attack started the year a bit slow, but it’s been clicking as of late. Cousins is averaging 288.7 passing yards per game over the last seven games and they are averaging 29.7 points per game as a team in that span (up more than three points per game on their season average). In that timeframe, he has 18 passing touchdowns and just one interception. He will be without star wide receiver Adam Thielen in this one, but Thielen basically hasn’t played the last five games, so it won’t be a big adjustment. The Seahawks give up the fourth most passing yards per game and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cousins throw for 300 and a pair of touchdowns in this one.

Wilson would likely be heading towards an MVP award if it wasn’t for the silly things that Lamar Jackson is doing this year. The Seahawks are going to need Wilson to play like an MVP in this one, as the Vikings are tough to rush on. The Seahawks defense may have a tough time stopping a Vikings offense that is in a groove, so Wilson is going to have to lead this offense to multiple touchdowns. He has not played well in the last two games, but this is still Russell Wilson and he will step up tonight. I’m feeling 270 yards and three scores here.

Rushing:

The Vikings rushing attack will, of course, be led by the great Dalvin Cook . Cook has had a stellar season, as he has already rushed for north of 1000 yards and 11 touchdowns while also hauling in 45 passes for 455 yards. The Seahawks are pretty tough on the ground, but this is a tough guy to stop. You can expect him to get more than the season-low 11 carries that he had in the Vikings last game. This should be a competitive game throughout, and Cook should get the bulk of the touches. I wouldn’t expect much out of Mattison or Abdullah in this one.

This is a far more interesting situation than the Vikings side. Chris Carson has been the Seahawks lead back all year long, but he fumbled again last week and is now up to seven for the year. That led to him only garnering eight carries, while Rashaad Penny racked up 14 carries for 129 yards. This is still Carson’s backfield in my opinion, but it’s a murky situation, and another fumble would have him in the doghouse big time. Given the poor match-up with a strong Vikings rush defense and the murkiness of usage between these two backs, this is a situation where I want no part of either guy tonight.

Receiving:

As mentioned, the Vikings will once again be without Thielen tonight. That hasn’t been beneficial to Stefon Diggs , but Kyle Rudolph , Irv Smith Jr, and Bisi Johnson have all seen increased opportunities with Thielen out. However, the Seahawks lack a lockdown corner and Diggs should be able to “get his” tonight. I don’t have a whole lot of interest in Johnson with that being the case, but I still love both tight ends. The Seahawks have really struggled against tight ends and they should both see plenty of work. Rudolph has been playing very well lately with five touchdowns over the last five games. He hasn’t racked up a ton of yards though, so he’s more touchdown-or-bust. Smith Jr. hauled in his first career touchdown last week and he is the more athletic tight end of the two, but he is still playing second fiddle to the veteran.

The Seahawks passing attack pretty much involves three players (not counting Carson), and that’s Tyler Lockett , D.K. Metcalf, and Jacob Hollister . Everyone was excited for Josh Gordon when he signed with Seattle, but he has just four targets through two games and hasn’t really been relevant. Lockett is coming off back-to-back poor games, but this is a nice spot for him and I think he has a big game tonight. Metcalf has had a very strong rookie campaign, with five touchdowns and six games with at least 60 receiving yards. He has racked up at least five targets in six straight games and he is averaging 7.8 targets over the last five games. Hollister struggled against the Eagles last week, but he totaled 12 catches for 99 yards and three touchdowns across the two games prior to that. The Vikings give up the fourth most points to wide receivers this year, making it a prime spot for Lockett and Metcalf.

Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears

Spread: Bears +3.0

O/U: 43.0

Oddly enough, these teams are similar in many ways as well, which is not what you would expect. The Cowboys are 20th in pace, while the Bears come in at 24th. Both teams are average against the run, ranking 14th (Bears) and 17th (Cowboys), and they’ve both been stout against wide receivers. The biggest difference between these two teams comes in the offensive scoring department. While similar in pace of play, they are far from similar in scoring, as the Cowboys are 6th in points per game while the Bears come in at 28th.

Offensive Breakdown:

Passing: 

The Cowboys passing attack has been very strong this season, leading the league in passing yards per game at 305.2. Prescott has played very well this season (obviously), but he has a tough match-up in this one. The Bears give up the ninth fewest pass yards per game and, as stated above, they have been very tough on wide receivers. Dak will need to bring his ‘A’ game Thursday night.

The Bears have had one of the least effective passing attacks (and offenses in general) in the entire NFL this season. However, it’s been a lot better lately. Trubisky had a season-high 278 passing yards in Week 12 and followed that up with 338 yards and three touchdowns in Week 13. That was against the Giants and Lions though, who have some of the worst pass defenses in the NFL, so it remains to be seen if the Bears have found their groove or if they’ve just been able to take advantage of good match-ups.

Rushing:

The Cowboys will, of course, be led by Zeke on the ground and he comes into this game 10 yards shy of 1000 rushing yards on the season. Zeke hasn’t topped 100 yards rushing in a game since Week 9, but Dallas may lean on him heavily in this one, as the Bears are far more beatable on the ground than they are through the air. This isn’t a great matchup for Zeke, but it’s not one that scares you away either. I see Zeke getting at least 20 carries in this one and I don’t expect to see much of Tony Pollard.

As for the Bears, well they will bring their unpredictable rushing attack into this one. Every time I watch David Montgomery he looks really good to me, but unfortunately Matt Nagy just does whacky things all the time. The second we buy into Monty, Nagy gives him four carries. The second we give up on Monty for fantasy, Nagy leans on him and he has a great game. The latter was the case in the Bears last game, as Monty rushed 16 times for 75 yards and hauled in two passes for 12 yards and a touchdown. That led to far less usage for Tarik Cohen , because Nagy just can’t help himself from throwing the ball a million times per game with Trubisky for some reason, I digress. It’s anybody’s guess who gets more usage out of the Bears backfield on Thursday, but Monty seems like the better choice.  

Receiving:

This is a major area of strength for both teams. Starting with the Cowboys, their group of Amari Cooper , Michael Gallup , and Randall Cobb is among the most dynamic in the entire NFL. Not to mention Jason Witten , who is the ole reliable chain-mover and goal-line threat. All four of those players have at least 60 targets, 40 receptions, and three touchdowns. The matchup is a tough one, but this talented group could still get it done. On paper, Cobb and Witten have the most favorable match-ups of the bunch.

Moving over to the Bears, this group also has some talent. Sometimes it’s tough to see it, with poor QB play and poor coaching, but the talent is there. Allen Robinson is one of the most talented receivers in the game. Not based on numbers, but if you watch a lot of football, you know that statement is true. His numbers aren’t too shabby either though, as he has 71 receptions for 850 yards and five touchdowns. Anthony Miller was irrelevant for the large majority of the season, but he has been balling lately. He is averaging 11 targets per game over the last three weeks and over 90 yards per game.

 

Being a two-game slate we are looking at GPP lineups. I built a Bears stack on DraftKings and if that seems too crazy for you, the pivot plays turn it into a safer Vikings Stack. I do think the Bears are an interesting route though. The offense has to be feeling better about how things are going lately and that can build momentum. Dallas also struggled to stop Josh Allen, who I view as a similar type player to Trubisky (though better, of course). That being said, I like the Seattle/Minnesota game better for DFS purposes overall.