The NFL has done a nice job of putting some solid games on Thursday Night Football and that streak continues with a matchup of NFC East foes!
Neither the Philadelphia Eagles or the New York Giants have played up to snuff yet and this Thursday Night Football game is very important to both teams. Someone needs to take hold of the division and this game might be a chance to turn the corner for both teams. There’s a lot of star power in this game so let’s break down what to expect for fantasy from each team.
Philadelphia Eagles
Let’s start with the easy portion of the Eagles offense to break down. The passing game is probably what’s going to make the Eagles go in this one, despite the Giants being very solid against passing attacks so far. For now, the Eagles passing game is relatively concentrated through a few players. Zach Ertz is a no brainer as he’s still fourth in the NFL in targets. He and Carson Wentz have really been on the same page since he’s come back from injury. Ertz is the number one tight end in PPR formats and has at least 10 receptions and 100+ yards in the two games he’s played with Wentz. Alshon Jefferey would be up next as he’s seen an average of 8.5 targets in his two games. Nelson Agholor is still seeing a very nice target share but his production has bottomed out. He really can’t be started with any confidence. It’s the trio of Wentz, Ertz and Jeffery for this one.
The running game is much harder to figure out with the injury to Jay Ajayi. With him being done for the season, it’s now going to be some mix of Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood and potentially Josh Adams. Clement hasn’t played a snap in two weeks and might not be healthy for this game since it’s a short week. He was active last week but it was clearly in case of emergencies. Smallwood played nearly 50 percent of the snaps but only saw six touches. Depending on what kind of news we get on Clement, I would bet Smallwood is going to get the bulk of the work in this spot. Adams is basically an unknown with just seven carries in his career to date. I don’t think any of them are going to be a good stat this week unless it gets down to just two players in the mix. The Philly D/ST is a very solid start just due to the sack and turnover upside with the state of the Giants offensive line. Good luck finding defenses to start that don’t give up points.
Eagles Options
Starters – Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery, Eagles D/ST
Possible Starts – The running back situation needs to shake out before we decide
New York Giants
The Giants aren’t terribly difficult to break down either. This offense runs through Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley. Beckham has a great opportunity in from of him as he’s third in the league in targets and the Eagles have been vulnerable against the pass.
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They’ve gotten ripped up by at least one pass catcher every single week so far and it’s hard to think Beckham won’t join that club, regardles of how you may feel about Eli Manning. Only the Colts have not had at least one 100 yard receiver so far this year against the Eagles. Barkley gave the Giants and fantasy owners a scare last week when it looked like he may have suffered a knee injury but he appears to have avoided any type of injury. Barkley ranks ninth in rushing attempts and has kicked in 31 receptions on top of that. Philly is likely not going to give up much on the ground but Barkley can pay off in the passing game. There’s no questions about these two.
The big question is the secondary receivers. Sterling Shepard really stepped up in the absence of Evan Engram and the Eagles have given up the third most fantasy points to receivers. I really want to start Shepard but the problem is Engram and Shepard went back and forth sharing the lead in targets behind Beckham when they were both healthy. I still think Shepard is a worthwhile start but I’m not as gung-ho about him if Engram is healthy and back in action. The good news is Shepard has never seen fewer than five targets all season and the Giants won’t be able to run the ball. If Engram is back in, you’re likely playing him unless we know his snaps will be severely limited.
Giants Options
Starters – Odell Beckham, Saquon Barkley
Possible Starters – Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram
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