Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 10th, 8:20 PM EST
Location: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, TX
Betting Odds: DAL -3.5, O/U 52 via OddsShark
Network: NBC
Writer: Nick Beaudoin
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts (Start, QB1)
Dallas’ defense has been great this season, but if you spent the draft capital on Jalen Hurts, you should be starting him as an automatic QB1 every week. There will be ups and downs with any player, but Hurts is the QB2 overall on the season, and is very much in MVP consideration. That is someone you keep rolling with, despite whatever ex-journeyman David Carr is preaching.
“Marcus Mariota would be better and more productive right now for the Eagles than Jalen Hurts” – David Carr
as accurate a take as a Derek Carr red zone passpic.twitter.com/8bFj2Cg5P8
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 6, 2023
In real life football, Jalen Hurts is 24-3 as the Eagles starting QB over the past two seasons. In fantasy football, he is the QB2 in PPG. Last week, despite his team only scoring 19 points, he was the QB6 on the week, and in Week 9, when these two teams last met, he was QB3 on the week. His floor and ceiling are both high on a weekly basis, and nothing about that changes against the Cowboys this week. Although Dallas has been stout against the run, they come in just 14th in PPG allowed to QBs, and are just one week removed from getting torn up by a struggling Geno Smith to the tune of 334 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles have a team-implied total of 24 this week, and as -3.5 underdogs, we can expect the team to rely on a huge performance from their All-Pro QB this week.
Don’t overthink it. Always start Jalen Hurts.
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift (Start, RB2), Kenneth Gainwell (Sit, FLEX)
D’Andre Swift had his worst performance of the season against the 49ers last week, converting eight touches into just 20 total yards. This honestly doesn’t concern me too much against the second-ranked defense in PPG to RBs, especially with six targets on the day, but what is most concerning was the hit he took late in the game that sent him to the locker room. Since then, we have received no information from the Eagles, but it is positive news that he was not listed on the team’s injury report.
Swift has been trending downward as of late, failing to hit double-digit (PPR) points in three of the last four games, including a nine-point performance last time against the Cowboys, and this week isn’t a promising matchup either. Although Head Coach Nick Sirianni has made a point to let reporters know that the team “Has to establish the run game,” I’m not convinced that this will result in a better day for Swift. Backup Kenneth Gainwell is not electric, but is a very competent option and has performed well at times in this offense. He scored a touchdown the last time these two teams met, and I would not be surprised to see his snap share increase over the final few weeks to keep both RBs healthy as they enter the playoffs. The Cowboys are 6th in PPG to RBs, and with Hurts vulturing so many goal-line touches, Swift’s ceiling remains low in a tough matchup. He is a low-end RB2 this week against the Cowboys.
#Eagles RB D’Andre Swift got absolutely ROCKED on this clean hit by #49ers DB Deommodore Lenoir
pic.twitter.com/z2apud5UQn— Trey (@notttrey) December 4, 2023
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
A.J. Brown (Start, WR1), DeVonta Smith (Start, WR2), Quez Watkins (Sit), Olamide Zaccheaus (Sit), Julio Jones (Sit), Dallas Goedert (Start, TE1)
Just like Jalen Hurts, if you drafted A.J. Brown, he should be in your lineup every week. He is the WR4 on the year and WR6 in PPG. In Week 9 against the Cowboys, he converted seven receptions (9 targets) for 66 yards and one touchdown. CB DaRon Bland has set the world on fire with five interceptions returned for touchdowns this season, but this level of aggressiveness can also come at a cost, which was on display last week when he was routinely torched by the Seahawks WRs. Brown is the unquestioned WR1 on this team, is averaging 9.8 targets/game, and should be started as a WR1 week-in and week-out, regardless of matchup.
DeVonta Smith has returned to form as well, averaging nine targets, 100 yards, and has scored twice over the past three games. This uptick in volume has directly correlated with the absence of Dallas Goedert (forearm), who is expected to return this week, but it’s encouraging to see his connection with Hurts revived. Smith only saw three targets when these teams faced in Week 9, but was able to convert all three of those into 51 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have a tough matchup against CB Stephon Gilmore, who is PFF’s 40th-ranked coverage CB, but with DaRon Bland forced to focus on A.J. Brown, this should give him a safe 5-7 target floor in a positive game script. Fire up DeVonta as a WR2 in a high-scoring matchup with the division on the line.
Quez Watkins led the remaining receiving group in snap share last week, turning three receptions (four targets) into 28 yards. He is always a threat for a big play but is far too inconsistent to bank on in any given week.
The Eagles will happily welcome the return of Dallas Goedert this week, who took three receptions (four targets) for 50 yards in Week 9 before suffering his injury. Goedert will return in a projected difficult matchup against LB Markquese Bell, who comes in as PFF’s third-ranked LB in coverage this season (out of 79 qualified players), but even knowing this, the Cowboys still come in 23rd in PPG to TEs this season. Goedert is a low-end TE1 because of talent and opportunity on one of the league’s premier offenses and should see 4-6 targets in the game of the week.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott (Start, QB1)
When these two teams met in Week 9, Dak Prescott completed 29 of 44 pass attempts for 374 yards with three touchdowns (no interceptions), and almost had a fourth with CeeDee Lamb stopped at the one-yard line to end the game. He has been a QB1 in six of the last seven games, and there is no reason to doubt him against the league’s worst-ranked secondary in PPG to QBs. The Eagles just allowed 314 passing yards and four touchdowns to Brock Purdy, and will have to play significantly better to have a chance against a Dallas offense averaging 39.8 points/game over the last six weeks. With a team-implied point total of 28, Dak has QB1 overall upside this week.
Running Backs
Tony Pollard (Start, RB2), Rico Dowdle (Sit, FLEX)
Although the Eagles are currently the top-ranked defense in PPG to opposing RBs, they did show vulnerability last week, allowing 146 yards and two touchdowns to Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers. Now, Tony Pollard is not Christian McCaffrey, but this Dallas rushing attack has shown improvement, and Pollard is still the unquestioned lead option. Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer credits their recent success to the offensive line getting healthy, and finally starting to play their best football together as a unit. Over the past three games, Pollard is averaging 19.3 touches, 88.7 all-purpose yards, and has scored one touchdown each week. He’s also been highly involved in the passing game, seeing between 4-6 targets/game during that span, giving him a safe weekly floor. Although this matchup is not ideal, Pollard’s volume in the league’s highest-scoring offense cannot be ignored. Pollard is a high-end RB2 this week against the Eagles.
https://twitter.com/yoennalcides/status/1730430106793869330
Rico Dowdle remains second fiddle in the backfield, tending to an ankle injury (limited Wednesday) and averaging just 6.7 touches/game over the past three weeks. Although he did find the end zone two weeks ago against Washington, he’s only amassed 68 combined yards over the past three weeks, making him an unreliable option against the Eagles.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
CeeDee Lamb (Start, WR1), Brandin Cooks (Start, WR3), Michael Gallup (Sit, FLEX), Jake Ferguson (Start, TE1)
CeeDee Lamb is the WR3 on the season, finishing their Week 9 meeting as WR2 overall on the week, with 11 receptions (16 targets) for 191 yards, and just one yard away from the game-winning touchdown. Regardless of who lines up against him, PFF projects extremely favorable in every matchup, and the Eagles’ secondary will need to do everything in their power to slow down one of the league’s most dominant receivers.
In his last three games against Philadelphia, CeeDee Lamb has averaged 24.1 PPG and has had a WR1 Overall and WR2 Overall Weekly Finish.
Philadelphia and Dallas’ team total is 53 – the highest total of the week.
Welcome to CeeDee Lamb Smash Week. pic.twitter.com/jf1vKHx3pJ
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) December 6, 2023
Brandin Cooks has become an extremely efficient WR2 in the Cowboys offense. His snap percentage has increased steadily, playing 90% of snaps last week against the Seahawks, and he has scored touchdowns in three of the past four games. Touchdown streaks are tough to depend on, but also hard to ignore in the league’s highest-scoring offense. We would love to see a correlation in volume with his playing time, as he’s still only averaging 4.7 targets/game, however, he has reached at least 42 yards receiving in five of the past six games, giving him a solid floor in this matchup. Cooks will be a fringe WR2/WR3 in a projected high-scoring affair versus the Eagles.
Michael Gallup and Jalen Tolbert have become distant options with the emergence of Cooks. They both have big-play ability but are both playing less than 50% of snaps and should not be in consideration this week.
Jake Ferguson bounced back from a two-game slump last week with 77 yards and one touchdown on six receptions (eight targets) last week against the Seahawks. When these two teams met in Week 9, he was TE4 on the week with seven receptions (10 targets) for 91 yards and one touchdown, and looks to be in another blowup spot again this week. PFF projects him extremely favorably against LB Christian Elliss, who ranks well in pass rush, but has been terrible in coverage this season. Ferguson has the reddest zone targets of any TE in the league and is the true second-receiving option on this offense. He is TE9 on the year, and you can feel comfortable firing him up as a TE1 again this week.
Thank you for being here, and best of luck to your teams this week!
– Nick Beaudoin