As the NFL playoffs quickly approach, the broader picture of the 2024 season is coming into shape. We know which teams fashion themselves to be Super Bowl contenders and which teams have an eye on their draft boards already. We also have a sense of which players are breaking out and which players are struggling through disappointing seasons.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb ($7,300 Millionaire) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans ($7,100 Millionaire) are two veterans who fall into the latter category. However, even despite their up-and-down seasons, the two are still among the most reliable targets in the league. Which should DFS players be targeting on Sunday?
Lamb has not quite lived up to the lofty standards he set when he finished third in AP Offensive Player of the Year voting last season, but he has still played in all 13 of the Cowboys’ games while hauling in 85 catches for 973 yards and five touchdowns, which would be a tremendous season for virtually any other player. Pro Football Focus grades him as the 37th-best receiver in football.
Meanwhile, Evans missed three games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury and is in jeopardy of not extending his record streak of 10 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his career. When he has been healthy, he has been effective, but because of all the missed time, he sits at just 590 yards and seven scores with four games remaining in the Buccaneers’ season. PFF is more bullish on him, though, grading him 14th at the position.
On Sunday, Lamb will have an extremely favorable matchup against a Carolina Panthers secondary that has been among the worst in football by several metrics. The Panthers have given up 24 touchdowns through the air so far this season, tied for the third-most in football, and have allowed 56.5% of receptions by opposing players to go for first downs, the third-highest rate in the league. Lamb should have no problem feasting against Carolina, which has been virtually eliminated from playoff contention and has little to play for.
Meanwhile, Evans will face a much bigger challenge against the Los Angeles Chargers, who allow first downs on the lowest percentage of receptions and have top-ten ranks in several other statistical categories. Los Angeles has allowed just 15.9 points per game, by far the lowest of any team. Expect defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to spend all week dialing up a plan to slow down Evans, especially with the Chargers currently occupying the sixth seed in the AFC.
Given their talent and recent form — especially that of Evans, who finally looks healthy — either is a strong play in DFS lineups for Week 15. However, given the Cowboys’ extremely favorable matchup, I like Lamb just a little bit more on Sunday.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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