Finally, the NFL season has arrived! Thursday Night Football is always hit-or-miss from a fantasy perspective, you can either make or break your week in the first game of the slate. Let’s highlight my start/sit fantasy football picks for Eagles vs. Cowboys on TNF.
Check out my full Week 1 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
TNF Must-Starts
- Saquon Barkley
- CeeDee Lamb
- Jalen Hurts
- Eagles D/ST
Sit ‘Em: George Pickens
This “sit” pick isn’t indicative of my season-long fantasy projections for Pickens. In fact, I think signs are pointing towards this potentially being his best NFL season. Dak Prescott is the most talented quarterback he’s caught passes from by a considerable margin, and the Cowboys run a rampant passing attack.
That said, it’s worth noting that Pickens and Prescott haven’t been on the same page for a decent chunk of preseason. The flashes have been present, but the rapport is still in need of fine-tuning. That’s something that will come with time, but you probably have better options at receiver than the 24-year-old, especially considering the matchup. Philly allowed the second-fewest passing yards per contest last year and appear set to dominate opposing wideouts once again.
Start ‘Em: DeVonta Smith
Following a year of highs and lows thanks to injuries and inconsistent target shares, look for Philly’s No. 2 receiver to start the 2025 campaign strong. Smith is a fascinating fantasy vs. real-life receiver, as he’s immensely talented and almost certainly capable of serving as most other teams’ WR1. However, the Eagles’ system and the presence of A.J. Brown has relegated him to a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option on a week-to-week basis.
Smith racked up at least 14.9 PPR points in five of the first six contests he suited up for last year. It’s fair to assume that Dallas will sell out to stop the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in Saquon Barkley, which will leave Smith plenty of room to operate 1-on-1 on the outside and over the middle. We know Smith is capable of getting open at a highly efficient rate, the question is always whether Jalen Hurts will throw him the ball enough. On Thursday, I expect that to be the case.
Check out my full Week 1 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Sit ‘Em: Dak Prescott
I’m actually quite high on Dak’s fantasy prospects for the 2025 season, with a return to form almost certainly looming. However, I don’t expect that return to form to occur against the NFL’s best defense.
This Eagles squad doesn’t feel like your typical Super Bowl hangover situation. Philly enters the year as one of the favorites to lift the Lombardi once again, and that starts on the defensive side of the ball.
Prescott and the Cowboys are going to air the ball out on offense this year, profiling as one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the league. Unfortunately for them, Philly excels against the pass, allowing just 186.9 yards to opposing QBs last season. Dak should return to your lineup after this matchup, but there are better options at QB in Week 1.
Sit ‘Em: Jake Ferguson
Ferguson profiles as a weekly plug-and-play option with low-end TE1 upside if the Cowboys offense returns to form after a down year. That said, there’s just no justification for starting Ferguson against the Eagles. No team held opposing tight ends to fewer fantasy points than Philly last year, and there’s no reason to expect that to change until further notice.
Ferguson will have fantasy value down the line, but there are almost certainly other better alternatives on the waiver wire this week.
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em TNF fantasy picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice later this week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
