Just as the Eagles looked like they were going to set themselves apart in the lowly NFC East, a two-game losing streak has them right back in the mix with the rest of the division. Monday isn’t an encouraging matchup for Philly, sitting as a 6-point home dog. While we should get a good game for fantasy purposes with the total set at 49, there are some interesting reports that impact the QB position on both teams.
Set your DraftKings Showdown lineups here: NFL $2.25M Monday Night Millionaire [$1M to 1st + 2x Crowns!] (SEA vs PHI)
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Seattle Seahawks
Remember when we had props like Russell Wilson ($12,600) versus the field for MVP? The Seahawks were letting Russ air it out nearly every opportunity they got, and it was resulting in huge fantasy outings. Now Pete Carroll has essentially told us that he thinks the Seahawks are a better football team when they run the ball more, helping the defense and special teams. This is the type of news that would definitely get me off Wilson on a classic slate. But without too many places to go on a showdown, I think we can stick with paying up for him against the Eagles.
If you roster Wilson, you’re almost certainly pairing him with a top WR. DK Metcalf’s ($11,400) upside is tough to fade, but this might not be a spot to break the bank for him. A combo of Wilson and DK takes up nearly half your salary, and Metcalf doesn’t have all that great of a matchup. He’s finally come back down to reality the last two games, with just two receptions for 28 yards against the Rams and three grabs for 46 yards against the Cardinals. Now he matches up with Darius Slay. That should leave more opportunities for Tyler Lockett ($9,600), who saves you a couple grand.
David Moore ($4,600) and Freddie Swain ($200) are both listed as questionable, but Swain will play, while Moore’s status is trending more towards being ruled out. Moore wouldn’t be a play for me if he suits up. But if he does wind up ruled out, you can’t beat the value of Swain for $200 as the WR3, even if Seattle does throw less.
With Greg Olsen on IR, we can also look to a punt play at TE for Seattle if you need savings. Will Dissly ($3,600) and Jacob Hollister ($1,400) have had similar production this season, leading me to take the savings with Hollister if I’m going to play a Seahawks’ TE. The matchup does make sense here with Philly ranking 28th in DKFP allowed to TE. Hollister recently had five receptions for 60 yards against the Bills.
Chris Carson ($8,800) has missed the last four games with a foot sprain, but has no designation this week. He should step back into a full workload, and it sounds like the Seahawks may lean on the run in this game. Even with the Eagles ranking fourth in DKFP allowed to RB, this could be a spot to play Carson and hope Carroll is being truthful. Prior to the game he was injured, Carson was averaging nearly 20 DKFP. The rest of Seattle’s RBs are priced way too high for the backup roles they’ll be returning to.
Philadelphia Eagles
What to do at QB with the Eagles is the big question on this showdown slate. If there’s a breakout matchup for Carson Wentz ($10,400), this is it. The Seahawks rank dead last in the NFL in DKFP allowed to QB, and Philly should look to air it out as an underdog. But reports indicate that the Eagles are going to look to use Jalen Hurts ($7,200) more on offense this week — and not just in gadget play packages. Hurts is reportedly going to be lining up at QB on plays with Wentz off the field. If you’re someone that builds multiple GPP lineups, you may want to consider making different lineups that feature Wentz or Hurts.
How many snaps Hurts takes also effects how we look at the WR position. Fortunately, all of these WR plays are pretty cheap, so you can mix and match them in to get each WR in your player pool paired with both QBs. Travis Fulgham ($6,800) has shown some serious regression the last two games, catching a pathetic two passes on 12 targets. Once priced at $10,200 in showdown, Fulgham is the cheapest we’ve seen him since Week 6. Given the matchup, it’s worth buying low here.
Jalen Reagor ($5,800) and Greg Ward ($5,200) both make for good value, as well. The poor play of the Eagles recently has salaries depressed, but normally we’d see a spike here given how bad Seattle’s secondary is. I’d lean to Reagor’s big-play ability if deciding between the two.
Alshon Jeffrey ($1,600) seems to be the odd man out, but is potentially worth a GPP flyer if you believe in him. Jeffrey hasn’t played more than 18 snaps in a game since coming off IR, and has failed to catch all three of his targets.
Dallas Goedert ($6,400) is as safe as any WR play as well, even though the numbers tell you TE isn’t as good of a matchup. Goedert finally went off again for the first time since Week 1, finishing with a 5-77-1 line against the Browns in Week 11. He should be locked in for six-plus targets.
Miles Sanders ($9,200) is the safest play on the Eagles’ side of this showdown. He’s averaging 15.5 carries and five targets per game since returning from injury, and probably carries the safest floor in the game outside of Wilson.
Can’t trust either of these defenses, but both kickers are fine options since we should see some points.
THE OUTCOME
The Eagles just aren’t good enough to keep up with Seattle offensively, even if the Seahawks run the ball more. I think Seattle will be true to its word, which could make this one a little lower scoring. I’d captain the RB of the team you like most, since the WR position as questions linked to the QB reports we have surrounding this game.
Final Score: Seattle 27, Philadelphia 17
Set your DraftKings Showdown lineups here: NFL $2.25M Monday Night Millionaire [$1M to 1st + 2x Crowns!] (SEA vs PHI)
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