NFL Monday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for September 22, 2025
Last updated: Sep 21, 2025, 4:06PM | Published: Sep 18, 2025, 4:06AM
Draftstars Australia's NFL Monday DFS contest commences at 3:02am AEST on September 22, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NFL fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NFL contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Monday and beyond.
Featured NFL Games
Draftstars' NFL Monday slate includes these games:
- Los Angeles Chargers vs Denver Broncos
- Cleveland Browns vs Green Bay Packers
- Washington Commanders vs Las Vegas Raiders
- Tennessee Titans vs Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New York Jets
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston Texans
- Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals
- San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals
- Philadelphia Eagles vs Los Angeles Rams
- Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons
- New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers
- Chicago Bears vs Dallas Cowboys
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to make some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the best NFL fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NFL fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you find the best picks on Monday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Christian McCaffrey (SF, FLEX/RB) | $19,830 | 21.8 | 1.1 |
| Value | Jonnu Smith (PIT, TE/FLEX) | $5,000 | 8.9 | 1.8 |
| Fade | J.K. Dobbins (DEN, RB/FLEX) | $12,220 | 11 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Kayshon Boutte (NE, FLEX/WR) | $6,460 | 8.5 | 1.3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
QB (Quarterback)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jalen Hurts (PHI) | $17,940 | 21.1 | 1.2 |
| Value | Marcus Mariota (WAS) | $10,500 | 17.7 | 1.7 |
| Fade | Bryce Young (CAR) | $12,460 | 13.7 | 1.1 |
| Cheapie | Joe Milton (DAL) | $8,000 | 0.3 | 0 |
WR (Wide Receiver)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | CeeDee Lamb (DAL) | $18,090 | 21.1 | 1.2 |
| Value | Kayshon Boutte (NE) | $6,460 | 8.5 | 1.3 |
| Fade | Elic Ayomanor (TEN) | $10,770 | 9.7 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Michael Pittman (IND) | $9,800 | 12.2 | 1.2 |
TE (Tight End)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Brock Bowers (LV) | $12,930 | 15 | 1.2 |
| Value | Jonnu Smith (PIT) | $5,000 | 8.9 | 1.8 |
| Fade | Tucker Kraft (GB) | $11,710 | 10.8 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | T.J. Hockenson (MIN) | $7,890 | 10.2 | 1.3 |
RB (Running Back)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Christian McCaffrey (SF) | $19,830 | 21.8 | 1.1 |
| Value | Kenneth Walker (SEA) | $11,920 | 16.6 | 1.4 |
| Fade | J.K. Dobbins (DEN) | $12,220 | 11 | 0.9 |
| Cheapie | Kenneth Gainwell (PIT) | $8,390 | 10 | 1.2 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NFL Monday teams, consider starting with a value player like Jonnu Smith. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Christian McCaffrey is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Kayshon Boutte.
On the other hand, according to our model, J.K. Dobbins is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NFL Monday slate closes at 3:02am AEST on Monday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NFL DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NFL fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NFL Monday slate. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NFL DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NFL Monday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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