Perfect MNF Week 3 DFS FanDuel Lineup: Use Sam LaPorta, Rashod Bateman for High-Value
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Monday Night Football is giving us an explosive matchup tonight between the Lions and Ravens. As far as I am concerned, this game may well be a Super Bowl Preview. Time will tell, but these are two of the three best offenses in football and so you can expect massive outputs across the board. This allows for obscure and obvious value across DFS contests tonight. This game is perfect for fantasy football. Here is our ideal DFS Showdown Lineup.
MNF - Lions vs Ravens Preview
Las Vegas has this game listed as the clear highest scoring game of the week with an over/under of 53.5, and I think that it can go over. I have always said that they key to a high-scoring game is explosive play opportunity. Teams will not combine for 50+ points by methodical 5-7 minute drives. These games happen with long runs and big catches, and both teams tonight have that ability.
Thus far in 2025, these two teams have three of the top ten NFL players in EPA per Catch — DeAndre Hopkins, Tylan Wallace, Jameson Williams. This game is also working with the elite Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Rashod Bateman. Rocket-heaves are not likely, they are inevitable. As for the Lions, they have the Sun-God, Amon-Ra St Brown, and the dynamic duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery behind an elite offensive line.
Expect a ton of points tonight. I would be truly baffled to see this game score for any less than fifty points. As a bonus, the weather forecast in Baltimore tonight projects to be a beautiful 72 degrees with no rain and minimal wind.
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL FANDUEL SHOWDOWN LINEUP
There are a few keys to creating the best possible showdown lineup. The first order of business is your MVP/Captain slot. You must find value that is not highly owned. No true advantage is gained tonight by starting Lamar Jackson as he will be owned over 70%. Find a player that can score with massive, game-leading upside with lower ownership. Often times, I find this to be a WR2/WR3, Tight End, or Co-Running Back. In lower-scoring games, it can also be a team defense, but there is always someone.
MVP - 1.5X PTS - Sam LaPorta ($10,200)
I am not too obsessed with Defense Vs Statistics tonight, but they are a bonus. The reason I say this is because in a shootout, defenses tire and offenses playbooks get deep. At that point, everyone eats. As a bonus, the Ravens are 2nd worst versus the tight end through two games. LaPorta projects to be owned under 20% tonight, making him a great MVP pick. LaPorta is fully capable of scoring not one, but two touchdowns and/or 6-10 Catches for 100+ Yards. His upside matches St Brown at 3/4 of the price.
FLEX - Lamar Jackson ($12,800)
Lamar Jackson in 9 Monday games in his career:
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 20, 2025
🟪 25 TD/2 turnovers
🟪 124.3 passer rating
🟪 +10.36 expected points added per game
🟪 8.2 yards per attempt
🟪 7-2 record pic.twitter.com/UtjH3CNXSl
Your lineup can never fully be low-owned players. Usually about two-three players will still be highly owned. However, if you nail down the low-owned options and are correct about the highly-owned players, you can hit big. Jackson I am projecting as a 2x achiever without even factoring in his upside. The Ravens matchup greatly against coverage and the run stop. In a shootout, Jackson can easily achieve 25+ points, especially if he snags a rushing touchdown (6 Points vs 4 Points for Pass TD).
FLEX - Jahmyr Gibbs ($11,800)
Contrary to what you might think, Gibbs may not be extremely highly owned tonight. Per Rotowire, his projected ownership tonight is 37%, a middle-of-the-pack number. Gibbs has a 62% run-share and 19% target share through two games. In a shootout, he will be used and he very well may score multiple times. He had six games last year of multiple touchdowns, thus making this a very likely spot to do it again.
FLEX - Amon-Ra St Brown ($11,400)
Initially, I had some worry about the matchup against Marlon Humphrey, but I gave way. When dissected, Humphrey has not been an elite slot corner in recent times as a ninth year cornerback. In fact, it may be just one game, but the only time that the two matched up was in October of 2023. In that game, St Brown caught 13 Passes on 19 Targets for 103 Yards. He will be used and he will catch the ball, do not be worried. His target share is the clear best on the team at 26%. Score one touchdown and we should be looking up with this selection. St Brown is to be owned at just 22%, or so.
FLEX - Jameson Williams ($8,400)
He has high-risk high-upside in my analysis tonight. Williams has a just a 14% target share, but he rates at the top of the league in EPA per Catch. What this means is that one play can make his whole day. The Ravens secondary is rating in the bottom-ten of the league versus wide receivers, so do not be surprised to see multiple deep shots to Williams. I am very easily imaging a 50-Yard rocket for a touchdown to the wideout.
FLEX - Rashod Bateman ($5,000)
Bateman has similar value to Williams in such that he can connect for a deep ball once and pay you out in gold. Bateman has really finally found himself since the beginning of 2024. He is 2nd on the team in target share at 17%. For a notable discount tonight, he is a no-brainer. We can easily hit 2x on Bateman without ever scoring. Without even facing a dominant pass game to date, the Lions are rating 6th worst against opposing wide receivers in 2025. The Ravens will be a tough stop, thus resulting in that projected shootout.
Our average ownership percentage projects to be about 28%. In a shootout with high-value targets, this is a respectable number. We always want to stay under 30% average ownership across the roster.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.