Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is set to take one of his first steps on the road to recovery from his third concussion of his NFL career this week. He will meet with neurologists this week to get a crucial update on his recovery process after originally scheduled to get tested last week, per ESPN.
Tua “feels fine” 11 days removed from his concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, according to Adam Schefter. Tagovailoa’s health is critical to the Dolphins’ future, obviously.
In games Tagovailoa starts and finishes, the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel are 20-11. In games the quarterback misses or leaves early, they’re just 1-7.
The Dolphins’ 1-2 start also marks the first time under McDaniel (since 2022) the team is under .500. Miami is also running out of quarterbacks. Backup quarterback Skylar Thompson (13 of 19 for 107 yards) left in the third quarter with a chest injury, which led to journeyman backup Tim Boyle entering the game. He finished with 79 yards on 7-of-13 passing.
After the game, Thompson struggled to dress himself, according to the Miami Herald, and needed assistance packing up his things.
Following their 24-3 stumble against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the Dolphins are the only team in the NFL that has not led with time on the clock this season. Their one lead came on a game-winning field goal by kicker Jason Sanders with no time left against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.
The Week 3 defeat also ran the Dolphins’ record against teams with winning records to 3-10 under McDaniel. Good news for Miami is that it faces the 0-3 Tennessee Titans on “Monday Night Football” in Week 4, and we’ll see if the Fins can improve on their 18-6 record against teams that are .500 or worse under their current head coach. Sure, the Dolphins have a quarterback problem but so do the Titans: Will Levis’ eight turnovers are the most in the NFL, and he has had multiple turnovers in all three of Tennessee’s games this season.
After two close setbacks to open the season, the Cincinnati Bengals will try to get into the win column when they battle the Washington Commanders as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader. For the third year in a row, Cincinnati has lost its first two games. Washington, meanwhile, will be looking for its second win of the season, reaching half of its victory total from a year ago in just Week 3. The teams are 5-5-1 against one another since their series began in 1970.
Kickoff from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. Cincinnati is a 7.5-point favorite in the latest Commanders vs. Bengals odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 46.5. Before making any Bengals vs. Commanders picks or predictions, you need to see what proven SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein has to say, given his mastery of picks involving the Commanders.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. Hartstein tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS. Larry’s weekly Vegas contest selections form the basis of his NFL best bets column, which is 79-48-2 (62.2%, +25.95 units) since its inception in 2022. Entering the 2024 season, Hartstein is 739-599 all-time on NFL sides and props (plus $4,860 for $100 players, every bet 1 unit) at SportsLine, including 547-452 ATS (55% long-term).
In addition, Hartstein has gone an incredible 30-13-1 on his last 44 NFL picks involving the Commanders, returning $1,546. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hartstein has locked in on Commanders vs. Bengals from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds on the spread, over/under and money line for NFL betting on Commanders vs. Bengals:
Commanders vs. Bengals spread: Cincinnati -7.5 Commanders vs. Bengals over/under: 46.5 points Commanders vs. Bengals money line: Washington +283, Cincinnati -357 WAS: Commanders have covered the third-quarter spread in 12 of their last 17 games (+6.95 units) CIN: Bengals have scored first in five of their last six games at home (+3.95 units) Commanders vs. Bengals picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Bengals can cover Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase continues to be among the best receivers in the NFL. He will look for his fourth game in a row with four-plus catches. He has 1,441 receiving yards (102.9 per game) and 14 receiving touchdowns in 14 career games against an NFC opponent. He has 23 catches for 290 yards (145 per game) and a receiving touchdown in two career games on Monday Night Football.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson has been a bright spot on the Bengals’ defense. He led Cincinnati with two sacks last week, his 11th game with two or more sacks since 2020, tied for the second-most in the NFL over that span. He has a half-sack or more in 10 of his past 11 games, and has 8.5 sacks in seven career games on Monday Night Football, with half a sack or more in each game. Hendrickson has six solo tackles on the season. See which team to back here.
Why the Commanders can cover Running back Austin Ekeler is off to a fast start to his season. He is the Commanders’ leading receiver with seven catches for 99 yards (14.1 average), with two explosive plays, including a long of 27 yards. He also has carried 10 times for 48 yards. He is in his first season with Washington after spending his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He has 1,000 carries for 4,403 yards and 39 touchdowns in his career.
Linebacker Bobby Wagner is also in his first season with Washington. He leads the Commanders in tackles with 19, including 10 solo, with four tackles for loss. He has also broken up one pass. He is in his 13th season in the NFL. In 187 career games, he has 1,725 tackles, including 1,006 solo, with 33 sacks, six forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 69 pass breakups and 13 interceptions. See which team to pick here.
How to make Commanders vs. Bengals picks Hatstein has analyzed Commanders vs. Bengals from every possible angle and while we can tell you he’s leaning Over the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Daily Fantasy football players will need to change up their NFL DFS strategy for Monday Night Football with two games on the docket for Week 3. The Buffalo Bills will host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. ET in a matchup of two teams with playoff aspirations, while the Cincinnati Bengals will host the Washington Commanders at 8:15 p.m. ET as the Bengals are still seeking their first victory of the season. Should daily Fantasy football players expect Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to run more this week when making Monday Night Football NFL DFS picks? Are you better off with an established quarterback like Josh Allen or Joe Burrow in Week 3 Monday Night Football NFL DFS lineups?
Bills running back James Cook had three total touchdowns last week, so how should he factor into your NFL DFS stacks? Before making any Monday Night Football NFL DFS lineups on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, strategy, and stacks from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends, and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine. His methodology has led to enormous cashes on FanDuel and DraftKings, including. Last year, he won the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million once. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to Bills vs. Jaguars and Commanders vs. Bengals on Monday Night Football and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Monday Night Football One of McClure’s top NFL DFS picks for Monday Night Football is Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. The 25-year-old has scored a touchdown in each of Jacksonville’s first two games and he had 13 of the 18 running back carries last week. Backup running back Tank Bigsby didn’t have a carry in Week 2 after suffering a shoulder injury on a kickoff return in the second quarter and he’s been limited at practice this week. Etienne has at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,400 yards from scrimmage in each of his first two NFL seasons as he’s been a high-volume running back for Jacksonville since being selected No. 25 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and working back from a season-ending foot injury he suffered that preseason.
The Bills are allowing the second-most Fantasy football points to opposing running backs this season. They entered Week 3 allowing the second-most receptions and receiving yards to opposing running backs this season and Etienne is an efficient pass-catcher. He had 58 receptions, the sixth-most for a running back last season, for 476 yards, the fifth-most at the position. Etienne had a huge performance against Buffalo last season, rushing for 156 yards on 26 carries (5.2 yards per rush) with two touchdowns and added three receptions for 28 yards.
Part of McClure’s optimal NFL DFS strategy is Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. It’s been a slow start to the season for Chase, who has just 10 receptions for 97 yards over his first two games, but he’s undeniably one of the top talents in the NFL. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft had at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, averaging 1,239 receiving yards per year.
A matchup with the Commanders could be exactly what Chase needs to put together a huge performance. Washington ranks 29th in scoring defense (27.5 ppg) and yards allowed per play this season. The opposing teams’ top wide receivers have been a major reason for those results. Giants WR1 Malik Nabers had 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown last week against the Commanders. In Week 1, Mike Evans had two touchdowns and Chris Godwin had eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. McClure expects a huge performance like these from Chase for Monday Night Football NFL DFS lineups. See who else McClure likes right here.
How to set Monday Night Football NFL DFS lineups McClure is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Monday Night Football. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of McClure’s NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
