Squirrel’s Nuts & Bolts: Bills - Vikings MNF Showdown Strategy (Week 9 NFL DFS)

Nov 09, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 9 of the NFL season wraps up with an interconference Showdown between the Bills and the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff is 8:15 PM ET, and the Bills are favored by 3.5 points on the road, with the total set at 45.5 points. Both teams are 6-1, and it’s the league’s No. 1 scoring offense (33.3 points per game) against its No. 1 scoring defense (13.3 points allowed per game).

The Bills are coming off a 36-10 win over the Ravens in their first game after the bye, and the offense is the story in Buffalo: it leads the league in both points (33.3) and total yards (393.1) per game. Josh Allen has 1,793 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions, plus 270 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, second in the league behind only D'Andre Swift. James Cook III is one of four backs with 700 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns this season (707 and seven on 5.1 yards per carry), and he gets a Minnesota run defense that ranks 24th in yards per carry allowed. Dalton Kincaid leads the team with 401 receiving yards, and D.J. Moore has seen at least seven targets in each of his three full games as a Bill. Joshua Palmer (hamstring) is out, and left tackle Dion Dawkins (ribs) is questionable.

The Vikings are 6-1 after their first loss, 19-15 at Detroit, and the defense is why they got there: Brian Flores’ unit leads the league in points allowed (13.3 per game) and passing yards allowed (154.9 per game), has 25 sacks in seven games, and is blitzing at a rate above 70%, on pace for the highest mark since the league started tracking it. The offense hasn’t kept up. Minnesota ranks 27th at 20.0 points per game with 12 offensive touchdowns in seven games, and Kyler Murray (hamstring) is out, so Carson Wentz makes his second start of the season. Wentz is 23-of-39 for 276 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in two appearances, and he gets a Bills defense allowing 254.7 passing yards per game, third-most in the league. Justin Jefferson has 28 catches for 335 yards and four touchdowns in six games, T.J. Hockenson leads the team with 31 catches, and Jordan Addison has 16 catches for 249 yards, 15.6 per catch, with Jauan Jennings (calf) out. In the backfield, Aaron Jones Sr. has 110 carries for 458 yards but is managing a knee injury and had five carries last week, while Jordan Mason led the team with eight carries in his second game back from a thumb injury.

This Showdown gives us the league’s best offense against its best defense, with a backup quarterback on the other side. Let’s break down this Monday night interconference Showdown, highlight the key plays, and uncover the strategies that could help you climb the leaderboards.