Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 19th at 1:00 PM ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Betting Odds: PHI -4.5, 44 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke (Sit, High-end QB2)
These past three weeks have been rough on Taylor Heinicke‘s fantasy production. Heinicke was on somewhat of a hot streak, with six top-12 weekly finishes in nine starts prior to these last three where he has struggled to reach QB2 scoring. However, this week, Taylor has a chance for a bounce-back game and could actually be s sneaky fantasy option, under normal circumstances. It is a risky proposition though, and most fantasy managers will want to avoid a juicy matchup, Washington is dealing with injuries at receiver and tight end and it will be best to avoid him unless you are in desperate need.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson (Start, RB2), Jaret Patterson (Sit), Jonathan Williams (Sit)
Antonio Gibson had his worst fantasy day of the season last week, but prior to his third-quarter fumble, the second-year ball carrier was operating as a bell cow. Before that play Gibson handled 100% of the team’s carries and ran a route on 77% of dropbacks, exactly the opportunity fantasy managers hoped for heading into the season. After his fumble, he hardly saw the field again and Jaret Patterson and Jonathan Williams picked up the slack. Williams scored a short touchdown and Patterson looked good with his touches. J.D. McKissic is expected to miss another game this week and Gibson should have his high volume role back again this week. Gibson should have no trouble returning RB2 value this week, with plenty of upside.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Terry McLaurin (Sit, Concussion), Adam Humphries (Sit), DeAndre Carter (Sit), Cam Sims (Sit), Ricky Seals-Jones (Sit)
Washington receiver Terry McLaurin exited last week’s game with a concussion, and the hit he took looked quite brutal. Fantasy managers may need to plan for Scary Terry missing this game, as the team errs on the side of caution. If he plays, McLaurin is a solid WR2 start but pay attention to the practice reports to be sure.
With McLaurin out for most of the game, the Football Team spread the targets around to Adam Humphries, DeAndre Carter, and Cam Sims, and Curtis Samuel hardly played (21% of snaps). Humphries lead the team in targets but did little with them, while Sims did get free on a spectacular 43-yard touchdown grab. Tight-end Ricky Seals-Jones returned to the lineup after missing a few games due to injury but he was quiet in a part-time role. Fantasy managers will find it difficult to predict who will benefit should McLaurin miss this game, and the smart move would be to avoid them all.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts (Start, QB1)
The Eagles were on bye last week and that gave Jalen Hurts another week to recover from an ankle injury. The Eagles have said that Hurts is the unquestioned starter, despite Gardner Minshew‘s solid performance in relief. Before the injury, Hurts was on a tear, leading all quarterbacks in fantasy scoring, with three weeks of 30+ points, and finishing as a weekly fantasy QB1 in 67% of his starts. With Hurts back in the lineup, Hurts should be in yours.
Running Backs
Miles Sanders (Start, Flex), Kenny Gainwell (Sit), Jordan Howard (Sit)
Pay close attention to practice reports this week on Miles Sanders, who is hoping to return from an ankle injury he suffered in Week 13. Prior to his injury, Sanders dominated backfield opportunity. Despite a down season, splitting time with several other backs throughout the season, Sanders was Rb31 before his injury. He is a solid flex play, if he goes.
Once Sanders exited in Week 13, Kenny Gainwell picked up much of the work but Jordan Howard is also expected to return this week. No one quite knows how Philly will split the work between the others in this committee and both should be avoided.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
DeVonta Smith (Start, Low-end Flex), Quez Watkins (Sit), Jalen Reagor (Sit), Dallas Goedert (Start, TE1)
DeVonta Smith has flashed at points this season but he has also had clear growing pains in his rookie year. Smith was touted as an elite route runner coming out of college, and while that could still prove to be true, his lack of size has hurt him. Smith is struggling against man coverage with just an 18% win rate, and last week he saw just one target in eight opportunities last week against single-man. Thankfully Hurts should be returning and the duo has found success in extended plays and on scramble drills. Smith is a decent flex option this week but he could also be replaced with a better option if you have one.
Quez Watkins and Jalen Reagor are playing about 70% of the snaps and seeing a target volume of less than 13%. With such little volume, neither can be trusted in a critical fantasy playoff week. Tight end Dallas Goedart, however, is a must-start this week. Since Zach Ertz was traded and Hurts was in the lineup, Goedart was seeing 24% of the target volume, an elite level for a tight end.
-Marc Salazar (@oldsnake77)