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Rams vs Cardinals
By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
It’s the end of another fantastic week here on Dynasty Owner and with that we inch closer to crowning our new Chase for the Ring champion! I honestly don’t think I remember a season that has went by quicker than this year and we are even getting a bonus week. Unless it’s just my mind playing tricks on me after getting just about every bad break imaginable in fantasy football this season. It has been a wild year filled with injuries and strange outcomes, but the ride isn’t over just yet and the playoffs officially start after tonight’s game.
Before we jump into Monday Night Football game, let’s touch on last week briefly. As I mentioned last week, my Value of the Game picks have been somewhat of a curse on the picked player and instead of proving that theory wrong, I only strengthened it. I chose Jakobi Meyers as my Value of the Game and boy was I wrong with Meyers finishing the contest without even seeing a target come his way. Great pick by me……. Not!!! In my defense, I am not much of a weather watcher and had no idea the game would be held in such brutal conditions. Instead of Meyers making me look smart, someone I wouldn’t had considered, Damien Harris won the award. I stayed away from Harris due to his lack of work in the passing game and he certainly overcame that to finish on top.
What to Watch For
Finally, we have back-to-back big time Monday night football games. In tonight’s matchup between division rivals, we have the Odell Beckham Jr (OBJ) Rams vs the Arizona Cardinals, in a game that the Cardinals can all but secure a division title with a win. The Rams who were on the verge of being out of the playoff picture a few weeks back have gained some ground with only six teams in the NFC having a record above .500 after Sunday’s games. In tonight’s game I will be watching for a couple of things on each side of the ball. Let’s start with the Red Birds. The main thing I want to see when the Cardinals take the field is the health of DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins has not had the type of year we are used to seeing though some of it is due to injury, however it is imperative Nuke is healthy for the playoffs. The other big thing I am looking for with the Cardinals is if they can make a huge statement and virtually secure the division on top of a potential Number 1 seed in the NFC. On the other side of the ball, we have Hollywood and there will be many things worth watching but luckily for you I won’t name all of them. First, let’s talk about the elephant in the Rams room, OBJ. The Rams offense has not seemed the same since OBJ came to town but that also has a lot to do with Robert Woods being out for the year. Woods is excellent at things that do not show up in the stat sheet while his replacement (OBJ) doesn’t seem to want to get his hands dirty most days. I still don’t think he is to blame, yet. I am curious to see if OBJ can find his way in this offense and start making more positive plays for an offense that will no doubt need him come playoffs. The last thing I will be watching for with the Rams is the health of Matthew Stafford. I know Stafford can and will play through just about any injury imaginable but I’m not sure this team can accomplish its goals without a near 100% Matthew Stafford.
Jay’s Monday Night Prediction
Los Angeles Rams 28  | Arizona Cardinals 31  |
Over/Under Projections
Rams
| Player | Position | Salary | Projected Points | Over/Under |
| Matthew Stafford | QB | $27,000,000 | 27.3 | Over |
| Sony Michel | RB | $2,406,674 | 15.8 | Under |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | $15,750,000 | 23.3 | Over |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | $1,250,000 | 13.1 | Over |
| Tyler Higbee | TE | $7,250,000 | 10.2 | Over |
Cardinals
| Player | Position | Salary | Projected Points | Over/Under |
| Kyler Murray | QB | $8,914,504 | 28.7 | Over |
| James Conner | RB | $1,750,000 | 11.5 | Over |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | $27,500,000 | 14.7 | Over |
| Christian Kirk | WR | $1,473,717 | 11.4 | Under |
| Zach Ertz | TE | $8,500,000 | 10.4 | Over |
Jay’s Dynasty Owner Games of the Week
Each week I will pick two games that are close in score and will likely be decided during Monday Night Football. If you happen to find yourself in this situation on Sunday night, please get ahold of me on Twitter (@jaypoundsnfl) and I will gladly feature your game here.
Game 1 – League #76062
Another Won – No one left in Starting lineup or Bench to play
Another Won has our 13th ranked Chase for the Ring contender on the ropes heading into tonight’s game. Another Won is projected to lose by just over 7 points and has no players left to play but they are in a not so decent spot even with a nearly 30-point lead built. The problem with this 30-point lead is the fact that John Boy’s Bolts has two excellent fantasy studs left to play, Cooper Kupp and James Conner. No matter the outcome it was certainly a valiant effort by Another Won. If tonight’s game is somehow a defensive matchup, Another Won should win the matchup, if it’s not, it likely won’t be as close as the predictions say. Unfortunately for Another Won, they may end up missing the playoffs with an 8-6 record if both of the 7-6 teams in their league win their games.
John Boy’s Bolts – James Conner and Cooper Kupp in Starting lineup and A.J. Green on Bench left to play
As I mentioned earlier John Boy’s Bolts is Dynasty Owner’s 13th ranked contender in Chase for the Ring and I would like to say congratulations, that is tough to do this late in the season. John Boy’s Bolts has got to feel great heading into tonight’s matchup with the Number 1 receiver in Dynasty Owner, Cooper Kupp yet to play! If Kupp or James Conner have a big game, this matchup could be over relatively fast and let’s be honest, Cooper Kupp can put up 30 points in his sleep.
Game 2 – League # 27466
Just Win Baby – Cooper Kupp in Starting lineup left to play
Unlike the first matchup we covered, we may see the Chase for the Ring contender lose in this one. Just Win Baby is down by just under 29 points and has that bad man we just talked about; Cooper Kupp left to play. If I am Just Win Baby, I am feeling great heading into tonight’s matchup with how consistent Cooper Kupp has been this season. Beating a Chase for the Ring contender is always great bragging rights and in my opinion, this owner will get just that when all is said and done. They will also clinch a playoff berth with a victory.
Little Donny Foundation – No one left in Starting lineup or Bench to play
The Little Donny Foundation may be crumbling at the knees when looking at their match-up. If Little Donny Foundation is looking for someone or something to place the blame of this loss on, they won’t have to look far as their running back depth virtually caused this loss, if it happens of course. All of that said Little Donny Foundation is one subpar Cooper Kupp performance away from escaping with a massive victory.
Value of the Game
If are familiar with my newfound curse on the player selected to win the Value of the Game, you will likely smile when you read my answer. You see what I did here was place my curse on a man who is already cursed in hopes of reversing my curse. Make sense? The one thing I didn’t think through with all of this was that I would have to publicly choose Odell Beckham Jr. to play well and/or win something, potentially a career ending decision (I’m looking at you John Dorsey). All jokes aside this was a weird week to pick from as many of the starting players have higher salaries. I am sure you’re wondering why it matters since all of them have higher salaries and the reason is because someone like Ben Skowronek is bound to make at least one catch and with a cheap enough salary ($891,131), it puts him in position to potentially win Value of the Game.
Winner – Odell Beckham Jr.
| Jay’s Projected Stat Line | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 5 | 72 | 1 | 18.2 |
Be sure to check out my Free Agent Auction article and video that will be released on Tuesday afternoon before Free Agent Auction bids are processed on Wednesday at 5 AM. Don’t forget about Steve Van Tassell’s weekly Tuesday recap article and Friday preview article and video, as well as Matt “The Jerk” Morrison’s Wednesday article and video plus his Thursday Night Football preview article. Don’t forget to check out Dynasty Owner on YouTube!
Thank you all for reading and hopefully tonight’s game will be a good one with all these projections coming true. Stay safe and good luck on your 2021 Chase for the Ring!