Squirrel Patrol’s Week 2 NFL MNF Classic Slate DFS GPP Picks

Sep 15, 2025

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

We get a rare Monday Night Football doubleheader in Week 2, something the NFL has made a tradition early in the season over the past few years. These slates are a personal favorite of mine because they blend Showdown strategy with a classic slate format, making for a long, entertaining evening of NFL action. I also won my only solo Milly Maker on one of these slates in Week 2 of 2023, which helps to build my personal attachment to this format.

The strategy for these slates is just as important as the picks, so I’ll highlight some of the main points here:

While the number of teams in this format is limited, the number of positions isn’t. With a full nine roster spots to choose from, differentiation isn’t hard. One low-owned player is usually enough—I rarely dig deeper than a third wideout or a primary backup running back.
I typically stack my quarterback with more teammates than I would on a full main slate. With just two games, there’s a decent chance one turns into a dud, so I want as much exposure as possible to the higher-scoring matchup.
While I want to over-stack my lineups, be cautious on FanDuel, where we are limited to four players from the same team. If you set a rule to pair your QB with at least two WR/TE pass-catchers, you can’t also roster both that team’s RB and D/ST (since that would total five players from that team).
On a two-game slate, it’s perfectly fine to roster offensive players against the opposing defense. A special teams score can swing everything, and give the ball right back to your offense.
Kickoff starts at 7 p.m. ET with Tampa Bay–Houston, followed by Chargers–Raiders at 10 p.m. Even though it’s not an international game, mind the gap. If your lineup missed on some chalk in the early game that put up a big score, consider a switch to more off-the-board players in the late game. Conversely, if your contrarian players hit in the early game, you have some leeway to play things chalkier in the late game.

Let’s break down the positions, spotlight some of the best DFS options, and map out a path to the top of the leaderboards.