Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 28 at 1:00 PM ET
Location: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
Betting Odds: JAX +1, 46.5 Total on Oddshark
Network: FOX
Writer: Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware on Twitter)
Philadelphia Eagles
QUARTERBACKS
Jalen Hurts (Start)
The New York Giants defense has given up 275 passing yards or more in each of their last three games. Since Week 8, during that same span, Jalen Hurts has been the overall QB4 in terms of fantasy points scored per game, trailing only Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, and the incomparable Jimmy Garoppolo. Hurts offers a high floor every week thanks to his propensity to rack up points in the ground game. The second year player has compiled over 50 yards rushing in each of his last five games, win or lose. He leads all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns (8 in 11 games) this season, more than all but four running backs: Jonathan Taylor, James Conner, Derrick Henry, or Joe Mixon.
We’re not saying Hurts is the next Lamar Jackson or anything, but some are making that exact comparison:
First 15 career starts:
Lamar Jackson
4,120 yards total offense
26 touchdowns
12 turnovers
213 first downsJalen Hurts
4,115 yards total offense
29 touchdowns
11 turnovers
209 first downs— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) November 22, 2021
We do, however, concur that it would be foolish to bench Hurts unless you’re also rostering another bonafide Top 5 fantasy quarterback.
RUNNING BACKS
Miles Sanders (Start, RB2), Boston Scott (Sit), Kenny Gainwell (Sit), Jordan Howard (Sit)
Snap share
The once-flexworthy Kenny Gainwell has seen only one target since the Week 8 kickoff, and Jordan Howard is not expected to play after sustaining a mild-to-moderate knee injury last week against the New Orleans Saints. Boston Scott has been the recipient of five of the last seven targets thrown to Eagles running backs, but the low volume (no more than two in any week so far this season) is causing us to fade him now that Miles Sanders is back in the fold.
Despite playing only 46 percent of his team’s snaps, Sanders logged 16 touches in his first game back from injury, the third-highest total of any Eagles running back this season. Only Howard (17 in Week 9) and Sanders himself (19 in Week 1) have logged more in any game so far for first-year head coach Nick Sirianni. Now that Sirianni has rediscovered the importance of running the ball, we expect Sanders to play a larger role than most think going forward; he’ll likely win a few titles for any contending fantasy football managers who’ve been able to stash or acquire him. Start him with confidence as a RB2 this week.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
DeVonta Smith (Start, WR2), Quez Watkins (Sit), Jalen Reagor (Sit), J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (Sit), Dallas Goedert (Start)
DeVonta Smith has led or tied for the team lead in targets in each of the past five weeks. However, he’s seen more than six targets only once in his last six games, and that was in Week 7. Even though he’s been remarkably efficient, the tactful route runner hasn’t seen enough volume to merit consideration as a Top 20 wide receiver.
We expect things to improve in this department as Smith and Hurts continue to build on their previously-established rapport while both master their new offense. Brighter days lie ahead, and we love Smith as a mid-to-low-end WR2 in redraft leagues right now. We’re tempering our expectations somewhat, but we won’t be surprised to see him post WR1 numbers as soon as this week against a questionable Giants secondary.
Quez Watkins didn’t record a single catch last week, the first time all season where he didn’t haul in multiple passes. The super-speedy deep threat makes a great cheap DFS flyer for tournament enthusiasts, but we can’t trust him to carry the mail in traditional 12 team PPR formats at this time. Jalen Reagor is…how do we say this nicely…not good. You know it’s bad when J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has outplayed Reagor over the course of a month, despite recording only one catch:
Jalen Reagor’s last 4 games:
4 rec 5 yds 0 TDJJ Arcega-Whiteside, yesterday:
1 rec 23 yds 0 TDIf you’re still rostering Reagor…why?
Disclaimer: Intended for a #FantasyFootball audience. Not a Philadelphia Eagles Tweet (Reagor can at least return punts & kicks 🙄).
— Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware) November 22, 2021
Dallas Goedert is the second option in the passing game, and will serve as one of only a handful of tight ends who’ll lead the team in targets from time to time down the stretch. He is a weekly, lock-and-load, set-it-and-forget it starter in any fantasy league that requires a starting tight end. Consider him a Top Five option at the position from here on out.
New York Giants
QUARTERBACKS
Daniel Jones (Sit)
The much-maligned Daniel Jones was actually a legitimate fantasy contributor this season before suffering from a concussion. Through the first four weeks of the season, Jones was the overall QB6 in fantasy points per game, outperforming the likes of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Dak Prescott, among others.
Since then, tentativeness in the pocket, subpar offensive line play, unimaginative playcalling, and a myriad of injuries to his skill position players have reduced Jones to an emergency bye-week fill-in. Since Week 5 began, Jones is (gulp) QB35 among all NFL quarterbacks who have played two or more games. Here’s how bad things have gotten for the former first round pick:
Notable Giants players with as many or fewer rec TD than Andrew Thomas (1) this season:
Saquon Barkley (1)
Sterling Shepard (1)
Darius Slayton (1)
Kyle Rudolph (1)
John Ross (1)
Kenny Golladay (0)
Kadarius Toney (0) pic.twitter.com/Dl5WrdNGAR— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 23, 2021
We are intrigued for Jones’ possibilities under a new offensive coordinator, as Jason Garrett was shown the door on Tuesday. However, expectations should be tempered in the short term, as the firing came just five days before hosting an Eagles team that has won three of its last four games.
We think Jones should run a bit more than he has in recent weeks, and we do think he bounces back a bit as Saquon Barkley starts to get his wheels underneath him; his rushing floor actually rises a bit more with another backfield threat for defenses to worry about. Despite cause for optimism and the likelihood of significant garbage time production, we can’t recommend Jones as a start this week, unless you need a QB2 in a superflex/2 QB league due to bye weeks or injuries.
RUNNING BACKS
Saquon Barkley (Start, RB2), Devontae Booker (Sit), Gary Brightwell (Sit)
Finally, Saquon Barkley is back! Unfortunately, he runs into an Eagles defense that has asserted itself of late: only four teams have allowed fewer fantasy points per game to the running back position over the last three weeks. He was targeted six times in the passing game last week, but didn’t log a single touch in the red zone. We expect his red zone utilization to change for the better after Tuesday’s offensive coordinator switch, as we’re confident that Garrett didn’t endear himself to the front office by not using the Giants’ best player once inside the 20 yard line in a nationally televised game.
Barkley played over 60 percent of his team’s snaps in his first game back from a gruesome ankle injury, and we expect that number to rise into the 80 percent range, where it was before the injury, as soon as this weekend. Expect Barkley to produce high-end RB2 numbers this week, with obvious upside for more.
Devontae Booker is no longer rosterable, and we’re starting to wonder if Gary Brightwell is even real: we don’t think we’ve seen the unofficial Snuffleupagus of the New York Giants take the field all year. Brightwell’s opportunity to step up as a contributor came and went: if he couldn’t even steal snaps from Booker with Barkley out, don’t expect the rookie from the University of Arizona to ever become a thing.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Kadarius Toney (Start, Flex), Kenny Golladay (Sit), Sterling Shepard (Sit), Darius Slayton (Sit), Evan Engram (Sit), Kyle Rudolph (Sit)
There’s just way too much upheaval going on in New York right now for us to trust anyone from this wide receiving corps. Kadarius Toney led the team with 12 targets last week, but the electric rookie managed only seven receptions for 40 yards. Perhaps an offensive coordinator change can unlock the potential Toney flashed in Week 5, when he racked up 189 yards on 10 receptions. Start him this week as a flex, hope for the best, and enjoy the ride!
There was (finally) a Kenny Golladay sighting this week, as the disappointing offseason addition caught just his third pass since Week 4. Expect him to be a bigger part of the offense going forward, but we can’t trust him this weekend against Darius Slay and company. We similarly recommend sitting Sterling Shepard, even if he plays, and Darius Slayton.
The tight end position offers a glimmer of hope to those scrambling for options. Kyle Rudolph won’t see the volume to merit consideration in traditional leagues, but makes a sneaky, cheap DFS start in a lineup full of high-priced studs: quite a few backups have found paydirt at the expense of the Eagles’ defense, which ranks among the league’s worst at defending opposing tight ends. Despite catching a touchdown in each of his last two games, Evan Engram has been rightfully left for dead on many waiver wires. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues, but he falls just outside of our Top 12 this week at the position, therefore earning “Sit” status.