Underdog Fantasy Monday Night Football Top Plays 9/8

It’s the last game of Week 1 folks, and I’m bringing you my Underdog Fantasy Top Plays for Monday Night Football. We’ve got a fun divisional clash on tap between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears in Chicago’s home opener. Without further ado, let’s get right into the plays you need to know.

Aaron Jones HIGHER Than 15.5 Receiving Yards

It’s the first ever NFL game for QB J.J. McCarthy under the bright lights, against a division opponent. The Vikings brought in Jordan Mason to handle a portion of the touches, which I would expect to mean more passing down opportunities for Aaron Jones this year. I think at least a handful of check downs are in order for the red-shirt rookie, and Jones still has the wiggle and speed burst to turn those into chunk yardage plays.

For context, even last season where Jones was more of the rushing down back (out of necessity), Aaron Jones still hit higher than 15.5 receiving yards in 12 of 18 games, with another game at exactly 15 receiving yards.

D’Andre Swift HIGHER Than 0.5 1Q Receiving Yards

Similarly to J.J. McCarthy on the other side, this is the first game for Ben Johnson as the Bears’ head coach and primary play caller. There have been questions all off-season whether Johnson made the Lions, or if the Lions made Johnson. Now, we get the first crack at finding out, and I don’t think Ben Johnson is going to be timid in his play-calling. I expect him to involve D’Andre Swift heavily both in the pass game and run game.

Whether this is some sort of trickery, or simply a check down from Caleb Williams early on, I think the Bears offense is going to seek to move the ball early and try and put pressure on McCarthy to match their scoring pace. Johnson has also shown a tendency to target his running backs at a solid clip, and D’Andre Swift is the only back on the roster that has a knack for pass-catching.

Jordan Mason HIGHER Than 0.5 Rushing + Receiving TDs

You’re starting to notice a theme here I imagine. My expectation is that this game is going to be about minimizing mistakes and having efficient drives on offense for both teams. I don’t think Kevin O’Connell is going to get cute in his play-calling in Week 1.

KOC has already said this off-season that Jordan Mason is the team’s goal line back, and frankly it makes a lot of sense with Aaron Jones’ age and inefficiency in the red zone last season. If the Vikings get inside the 5, expect Mason to at least get 1 or 2 cracks at finding the end zone.

Cairo Santos HIGHER Than 2.5 XP Made

While I do think the Vikings’ defense will be fearsome again this season, I think the improved offensive line for Chicago and having a play-caller that can tie his own shoes could truly unlock the talented weapons on the Bears. I’m so confident, in fact, that I bumped up the selection from 1.5 to 2.5 XPTS for Santos.

I don’t project a defensive slog, and operating on that projection, I like the Bears to score at least 3 touchdowns, giving Cairo Santos the chance to hit 3 extra point attempts. While the Windy City is always a bit of a concern, it being Santos’ home stadium since 2020 makes me feel better about his ability to nail the attempts. He only missed 1 extra point attempt last season, so in my mind it’s more about the hope that the Bears score 3 touchdowns.

**All projections are pulled from FantasyPros Weekly Research Tools.