Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 3rd at 1:00 PM ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Betting Odds: PHI +7, 54.5 Total on Oddshark
Network: FOX
Kansas City Chiefs
QUARTERBACK
Patrick Mahomes (Start)
If Patrick Mahomes has a pulse, you play him. It’s that simple, but we’ll outline the obvious, anyway. First, even though it feels like a down year for Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs sitting at (1-2), he’s currently the QB3 in fantasy football this season. Top targets Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are both healthy and primed for big games this Sunday.
Second, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of only four teams that have failed to record an interception through the first three weeks of the 2021 NFL season. In Week 2, the Eagles lost Brandon Graham, one of the franchise’s all-time great defensive ends, for the season; his absence was painfully felt in an embarrassing blowout loss on Monday night. Coming off a short week, we shudder to think about how poorly the Eagles’ defense will fare against the Chiefs after coughing up 41 points to the Dallas Cowboys.
RUNNING BACKS
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Start, Flex), Darrel Williams (Sit), Jerick McKinnon (Sit)
QBList’s Drew DeLuca took some heat for recommending Clyde Edwards-Helaire as an RB2 “Start” last week but received even more vitriol for ranking Edwards-Helaire above both David Montgomery and Joe Mixon in Week 3 in his rankings on FantasyPros. This week, he has both Mixon and Montgomery ranked ahead of CEH, yet the former LSU standout draws an Eagles run defense that was absolutely bullied by Ezekiel Elliott on national television. CEH definitely lacks Elliott’s between-the-tackles power, but he’s still a high-end RB2 play this week.
Darrel Williams is a candidate for a goal-line carry or two, and Jerick McKinnon waits in the wings if the Chiefs elect to give CEH a breather on third downs. Neither is a viable start in 12 team leagues this week, however.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Tyreek Hill (Start, WR1), Mecole Hardman (Sit), Demarcus Robinson (Sit), Byron Pringle (Sit), Travis Kelce (Start)
Tyreek Hill had a very quiet Week 3, and that only makes us like him more in Week 4 in a plus matchup against the Eagles. We expect the Chiefs to move Hill around and limit his exposure to Darius Slay. Hill has played more than half of his snaps in the slot so far, meaning he’s likely to line up against the very beatable slot corner Avonte Maddox from time to time.
We can’t recommend anyone from the trio of Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, or Byron Pringle; the team’s lack of confidence in this trio was likely a factor in their decision to ink the much-maligned, highly-talented Josh Gordon earlier this week. However, Travis Kelce remains a must-start, and while you don’t need us to tell you why, we will anyway: Kelce is an absolute stud in his prime. Also, only six teams have given up more receptions to tight ends so far this season, and only two of them have allowed more tight end touchdowns.
Philadelphia Eagles
QUARTERBACKS
Jalen Hurts (Start)
Few players were more divisive than Jalen Hurts in fantasy football circles prior to the kickoff of Week 1. The same could be said after three weeks, yet Hurts finds himself among the Top Five fantasy quarterbacks:
That’s some impressive company. Hurts has struggled to lead his speedy receivers on deep balls during training camp, but his rushing prowess ensures a safe, high floor. With few exceptions, he has made good decisions with the football, as well. We expect Hurts to continue his productive ways against a porous Kansas City Chiefs defense that ranks 31st in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
RUNNING BACKS
Miles Sanders (Start, RB2), Kenny Gainwell (Sit)
After years of pass-happy offenses under Andy Reid and Doug Pederson, many Eagles fans were excited by the hiring of Nick Sirianni, who worked as Frank Reich’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis. Reich employs a run-heavy approach that features a lead back, a pass-catching specialist, and a jack-of-all-trades capable of spelling either. Many were especially bullish on Miles Sanders and pointed to the success enjoyed by Jonathan Taylor over the second half of last season under Sirianni.
My, how things have changed.
Last week, Sanders received a whopping TWO carries. Yes, you read that right: TWO. Ideally, we’d love to operate under the assumption that Sirianni sees and understands the error of his ways and feeds Sanders a steady diet of carries and targets. We have zero confidence in that happening, however. Sanders is a low-end RB2 until we see his usage finally become commensurate with his talent, and we only rank him that high because we’re not overjoyed by the depth at the position this week; there are tough matchups all around.
Kenny Gainwell appears to be in control of the next position on the depth chart, but that’s not a role we’re looking to for major fantasy production anytime soon. The rookie will likely have a few splash weeks, but we’re not interested in playing the dangerous game of trying to bet on when they are.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
DeVonta Smith (Start, WR3), Quez Watkins (Sit), Jalen Reagor (Sit ), Dallas Goedert (Start), Zach Ertz (Sit)
We’re recommending DeVonta Smith as a low-end WR3 option this week, but he’s actually on the cusp of being a flex start instead; we have several unanswered questions about the Eagles’ offense, but we believe in both Smith’s talent and his prospective target share this week.
The sooner the Eagles realize that Quez Watkins is more dependable than former first-round pick Jalen Reagor, the better for his fantasy football managers, not to mention the Eagles franchise itself. While we stop short of recommending Watkins as a start at the moment, this is a great week to stash the talented field stretcher if he’s available in regular 12 team PPR formats.
Finally, the tight ends: Dallas Goedert rates out as a Top 10 tight end this week, but we’re not quite as high on Zach Ertz. The presence of one lowers the ceiling of the other, but Goedert should see the field in just about all situations, while Ertz is more or less a pass-catching specialist who’ll come off the field more frequently.