FanDuel Single-Game Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 2 Monday Night (Browns at Steelers)

The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers will clash in the second game of tonight's doubleheader, and kickoff is slated for 8:15 pm ET. As has often been the case with these AFC North battles, touchdowns could be hard to come by in this one. The visiting Browns are 2.5-point favorites in a matchup that has just a 38.5 over/under.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy, and numberFire has projections if you select the game from the slate tab. It's worth checking out both before making your lineups.

MVP Candidates

Per numberFire's model, Deshaun Watson ($16,500) and Nick Chubb ($17,000) are tonight's top fantasy options, and it can't hurt that the Steelers' defense was skewered by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.

In terms of fantasy, Watson didn't disappoint last week, finishing with the fifth-most FanDuel points among quarterbacks (21.7) due in large part to five carries for 45 rushing yards and a score.

While that's all well and good, his passing output left a lot to be desired, averaging just 5.3 yards per attempt on his way to a measly 154 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Watson did later note that he dealt with cramps during the game, though, and his rushing ability could still keep his fantasy upside afloat regardless.

Quarterbacks tend to be popular MVP plays, so his shaky passing could be a viable excuse to fade him in the multiplier slot. That being said, as we'll soon see, there's a lack of exciting alternatives, which could leave us settling on Watson in a good chunk of lineups almost by default.

Chubb did his usual thing in Week 1, churning out 127 scrimmage yards off 18 rushes and four receptions. However, he also played just 47.2% of the snaps. Fellow running back Jerome Ford ($7,500) earned a sizable slice of the pie with 15 rushes and a 41.7% snap rate. Game script was a big part of this, though, with much of Ford's work coming at the end of a blowout win.

At any rate, we've seen Chubb excel in a split backfield pretty much his whole career, and as long as he's getting 20-plus opportunities per game, we know he has an immense ceiling. Chubb has the shortest touchdown odds (+115) in this game, and his rushing prop is up at a hefty 83.5 yards.

From the Pittsburgh side, Kenny Pickett ($15,000) and Najee Harris ($14,500) are third and fourth, respectively, in numberFire's projections, but neither one is coming off an encouraging Week 1.

Pickett had a whopping 46 pass attempts playing catch-up against the 49ers, yet it amounted to just 232 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

While he probably won't need to throw as much in what should be a closer game, the Browns' defense completely embarrassed Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in their opener. It's hard to get excited about Pickett bouncing back with an MVP-level score tonight. However, he should have a low MVP roster percentage for a QB, which has value in and of itself.

Harris was in a split backfield last week with Jaylen Warren ($7,500), logging a 52.5% snap rate compared to Warren's 39.3%. The difference is that the Steelers trailed from start to finish and were forced to abandon the run game almost immediately, leaving both running backs with scraps.

Given the small spread, Harris should have more chances to do damage in this one, and he's projected for a healthy 15.4 carries and 3.1 targets. Like Pickett, it's hard to get excited about the matchup, but the touches should be there.

With Amari Cooper ($13,500) looking unlikely to play with a groin injury, that opens the door for Elijah Moore ($9,000) to be the top candidate to lead Cleveland in targets. As is, Moore tied Cooper with seven targets (24.1% share) in Week 1, and he also tacked on a pair of rushes, resulting in a solid 62 scrimmage yards.

On a night lacking a ton of exciting MVP candidates, Moore feels like a great way to be different without going completely off the board.

Outside of Watson, Chubb, Pickett, and Harris, Pittsburgh's George Pickens ($12,000) is the only other player projected for double-digit FanDuel points.

Pickens posted an 88.5% snap rate and 90.2% route rate, but Pickett really spread the ball around, resulting in Pickens earning just a 15.6% target share. He actually finished second on the team with seven targets, one behind Allen Robinson ($8,000).

But with Diontae Johnson out of the picture with a hamstring injury, that ought to open up more targets for other pass-catchers, and Pickens did lead the way with a 25.7% air yards share. Pickens is projected for a slate-high 7.8 targets, and he also has the highest receiving yards prop, albeit at just 42.5 yards.

In this sort of game, it isn't crazy to throw the Cleveland D/ST ($9,500) into the ring as a contrarian MVP. Last week against the Steelers, the 49ers' defense recorded five sacks and two interceptions while allowing just seven points.

Considering how the Browns' defense performed against the aforementioned Bengals, it wouldn't be shocking to see them put the clamps down on the Steelers, and with some touchdown luck, they could pop for a big fantasy score. We've already seen other defenses post massive scores on these single-game slates this season.

Flex Breakdown

With Amari Cooper's assumed absence, Donovan Peoples-Jones ($8,500) and David Njoku ($8,000) are more likely to see targets, but nneither one made much noise in their opener, combining for just five targets.

Peoples-Jones led all Cleveland wideouts with an 88.9% snap rate, so he should have more opportunities moving forward. He's a boom-or-bust play after posting a 15.2-yard aDOT, but if Watson can connect with him on a deep play or two, People-Jones could work his way onto the optimal lineup.

Njoku was on the field plenty (72.2%), too, and his 68.8% route rate ranked third among pass-catchers. He'll probably need a touchdown to bump up his fantasy points.

As noted earlier, Jerome Ford split snaps with Chubb and saw 15 carries, but it remains to be seen whether he'll see enough work to be relevant in a closer game. He managed just 36 rushing yards on those attempts, and he also didn't see any targets. But at his $7,500 salary, he could be worth a shot in case he continues to get snaps.

For the Steelers, I briefly touched on Jaylen Warren and Allen Robinson, both of whom are intriguing flex plays.

Like Najee Harris, Warren didn't show much in the box score last week, but he played 39.3% of the snaps and notably received six targets, whereas Harris saw just two. Considering the giant gap in salary between Harris and Warren, the latter is the more intriguing flex play -- and could even be a fringe MVP with the hope his role increases.

Robinson led the team with eight targets and could be a beneficiary of Diontae Johnson missing time. He tied Pickens in snap rate (88.5%) and was just behind him in route rate (86.3%). Assuming Robinson's role stays this way, it wouldn't be shocking to see him lead Pittsburgh in targets again.

Pat Freiermuth ($10,000) and Calvin Austin III ($7,000) are the other relevant Steelers pass-catchers.

Freiermuth was limited by a chest injury last week but was a full participant in practice, so he should be more involved this time around. He's projected for 6.5 targets, one of the slate's best marks.

Austin figures to see the most significant boost in playing time from Johnson being out and finished with six receptions on six targets for 37 yards last week. His modest salary could definitely come in handy tonight.

If this ends up being a low-scoring contest, then kickers Dustin Hopkins ($9,500) or Chris Boswell ($8,500) could end up being viable. Boswell is clearly the riskier pick after the Browns' impressive defensive showing in Week 1.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.