The Philadelphia Eagles are set to face off with the Atlanta Falcons for the final matchup of Week 2. The bright lights of primetime are set to shine on Kirk Cousins as he plays in Philadelphia’s home opener.
The most notable injury news comes on the Eagles’ side. All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown was ruled out yesterday due to a hamstring injury. Brown tallied 119 yards receiving in the opening week and has eclipsed 1,400 receiving yards in both years with the Eagles. Philadelphia will need to make up for his production to reach its standard of offense, but this also leaves some value in the player prop markets.
With the Philadelphia crowd behind them, the Eagles enter as 5.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Falcons are +195 underdogs on the moneyline and the over/under for the game is set at 45.5 points. While we have plenty of breakdowns regarding Pick6, DFS and Fantasy Football expectations, here is a breakdown of my favorite player props ahead of Week 2 of Monday Night Football.
DeVonta Smith Over 72.5 Receiving Yards (-120)
Look no further than DeVonta Smith as the biggest beneficiary of the absence of A.J. Brown. Smith has the talent level of a number one wide receiver but has taken a backseat to Brown over the past two seasons. Even still, the former 10th overall pick has tallied over 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back years. Smith also started the year with seven receptions for 84 yards in the season opener.
While I like the over for receptions at 5.5, the -155 odds brought me to the receiving yards prop. Smith had 73 or more yards in eight of the 16 games in each of the past two seasons while Brown led the team in targets. Without the star wide receiver sharing the field with him, expect Smith to see an uptick in targets and for him to deliver on this opportunity. While the Falcons will have him circled in the game plan, Smith is an advanced route runner who can line up all over the field. Expect the Eagles to put the ball in his hands often and I wouldn’t argue with taking a bigger swing on some alternate lines. Smith to tally 100+ receiving yards at +250 odds particularly stands out to me. For the sake of the article, we will keep it to over 72.5 receiving yards, but expect a big night from Smith.
Dallas Goedert Anytime TD (+225)
Another Eagles pass catcher who will step up in Brown’s absence is Dallas Goedert. Once looked at as one of the premier pass catchers at the tight end position, Goedert has seen his production regress in three consecutive seasons. There are a variety of reasons why this is the case, but the simplest is the number of offensive weapons that have passed him in the pecking order.
The red zone will be the biggest area where the Eagles feel Brown’s absence. The three-time Pro Bowler has recorded 18 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons and started off this year with a touchdown in the opening week as well. At 6-foot-5, Goedert has a wide catch radius and has tallied at least three touchdowns every season of his career. Grant Calcaterra is equipped to take on some of his blocking responsibility as the backup tight end, which should free Goedert up for more pass catching opportunities. The Eagles will need the production from someone, so look for Goedert to deliver in the red zone on Monday night.
Bijan Robinson Over 4.5 Receptions (-110)
One of the driving forces in the belief of the Falcons offense has been Bijan Robinson. After being selected with the eighth overall pick in last year’s NFL draft, expectations have been for Robinson to establish himself as one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL. The Texas standout managed to tally 1,463 yards from scrimmage in his first season, finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. He will now look to build off this in his second season, getting it started with 68 yards on the ground and five receptions for 43 yards in Week 1.
The more notable storyline from the Falcons in the opening week was the struggles of QB Kirk Cousins. The 36-year-old struggled to move in the pocket and still looked to be shaking off the effects of last year’s Achilles tear. For the Falcons to reach their peak as a team, they will need Cousins to play like the quarterback they paid him to be. Look for Atlanta to attempt to get him going by utilizing Robinson in the screen game and putting the ball in their playmaker’s hands. While he only eclipsed over 4.5 receptions six times as a rookie, he had five or more targets in 10 games. Expect the Falcons to lean on Robinson’s versatility and utilize him as a pass catcher frequently in this matchup.
Saquon Barkley Over 101.5 Rushing & Receiving Yards (-115)
The Eagles debut of Saquon Barkley went about as well as it could have. The former Giants star made three separate trips to the end zone in the season-opening victory and tallied 132 total yards from scrimmage. What was most notable was the takeaway that the Eagles will not be shy about the number of touches they want Barkley to get. The Penn State product tallied 24 carries and a pair of receptions in the Week 1 victory.
Heading into Week 2, expect a similar workload for Barkley. He holds big-play potential on every touch and should have some more luck in the open field this week after slipping multiple times on the surface in Brazil. This is a line that I expect will continue to rise in the coming weeks as Barkley continues to outperform it. Atlanta ranked 20th in rushing yards allowed last year and allowed 137 rushing yards to the Steelers in the opening week. Don’t expect Barkley to have much trouble clearing this margin and don’t be shocked if he rips off a chunk of it on a long touchdown.
Saquon Barkley & Bijan Robinson Anytime TD Parlay (+172)
Speaking of touchdowns, Saquon Barkley leads all players with -190 odds of scoring six points for his team. With several ways he can produce the score and the three touchdowns from last week still in our minds, count on him to produce again this week. Rather than taking the -190 juice, we are parlaying it with Bijan Robinson, who leads all Falcons players in touchdown odds with -130 odds to score.
As a rookie, Robinson scored just eight total touchdowns. This had far more to do with the offense as a whole, as Atlanta tallied just 32 total touchdowns last year, which was the seventh-worst rate in the league. As the Falcons look to take a stride forward in production as a team, look for Robinson to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He will be their most dangerous weapon around the goal line and if Cousins can get it together, they will have more frequent trips as a team.
Expect Robinson to take a notable stride forward in touchdown production this season and for it to start tonight. Barkley and Robinson are each in the conversation for the most dynamic running backs in the NFL and are necessary for their team’s success. Expect both to deliver on Monday Night Football with touchdowns and take advantage of the +172 odds for this to be the case.
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