The NFL DFS Grind Down: Sunday Night Football - Eagles vs. Rams
In this article, we will take a look at the top DraftKings and FanDuel picks for the Eagles vs. Rams, go over potential NFL DFS sleepers, and even take a look at some picks we can target on Fantasy Pick’em sites like Sleeper Fantasy ahead of this Sunday Night Football matchup. As always, you can visit our NFL lineup optimizer, LineupHQ, to help you with your lineup-building process.
NFL DFS Showdown DraftKings Picks and Sleepers — Eagles vs. Rams
We have another Sunday Night Football game to attack tonight, this one between the Eagles and Rams. The Eagles are 8-2 with their sights set on the NFC East division title, while the Rams are looking to make a push in the surprisingly wide-open NFC West. This game features explosive offenses, so we should see some fireworks tonight. The Eagles are listed as 3-point favorites, and the total is set at 48.5 points.
Key Injuries
DeVonta Smith – Out
Philadelphia Eagles Preview
The Eagles have been a cheat code for DFS this season. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley have combined to average just under 50 fantasy points per game. Hurts didn’t run the ball as much last season, but he was nursing an injury that limited his mobility. This season, he has averaged over 10 rushing attempts per game. He’s more than capable of throwing for 300 yards and he always has the tush push in his back pocket (he’s scored 11 rushing touchdowns on the season). He’s one of the top plays on the board and is firmly in play at both MVP and CPT.
Barkley has been one of the most talented running backs in the league and now gets to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s having a monster season. This doesn’t seem possible for a running back in this NFL, but he has topped 30 fantasy points in half of his games this season. He draws a mediocre matchup against the Rams, who are 14th in EPA against the run and 11th in fantasy points allowed to running backs. Similar to Hurts, Barkley is one of the top options at MVP and CPT.
With DeVonta Smith out tonight, we should see a very concentrated target tree for Hurts. A.J. Brown already has massive usage metrics this season- 29% target share, 49% air yards share, and a 36% first-read rate. With Smith out, Brown is a great bet for double-digit targets against a Rams’ defense that is 22nd in EPA against the pass and fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. Jahan Dotson will likely step into the WR2 role, while we should also see snaps from Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith, and Britain Covey. Rather than taking chances on the cheap receivers, I would rather target tight ends Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra. We should see a lot of two tight end sets from the Eagles.
The Eagles’ defense has been terrific over the last 6 games and can get plenty of pressure on the quarterback. I think the Rams will put up points in this one, but I don’t mind getting exposure to Philly’s defense in large-field tournaments. Kicker Jake Elliott is a strong value play in all formats.
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Los Angeles Rams Preview
The Rams are finally healthy and are playing some great football. With a win here, they will put themselves in a good position to contend for the NFC West. Matthew Stafford doesn’t offer rushing upside at this stage of his career but has topped 25 fantasy points in 2 of his last 4 games. It’s hard to envision the Eagles not putting up points in this, one and the Rams are playing at home, so we can expect a heavy dose of throws from Stafford. He’s not on my radar at MVP and CPT, but he’s one of the top AnyFLEX/UTIL plays on the board.
Let’s take a look at the wideout usage for the Rams in games where Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have both been active:
Cooper Kupp: 87% target share, 30% air yards share, 28% first-read rate
Puka Nacua: 57% target share, 20% air yards share, 27% first-read rate
Demarcus Robinson: 78% target share, 13% air yards share, 24% first-read rate
Davis Allen: 40% target share, 5% air yards share, 3% first-read rate
While it looks like Kupp has gotten more work than Nacua in games where they have both been active, it’s worth noting that Nacua was hurt early in one of those games and was ejected in another one of those games. When you look at snaps when they are both on the field, Nacua has been the better target earner. Both are viable tonight, but I am siding with Nacua. Demarcus Robinson is sneaky, as most will opt for a stars-and-scrubs roster construction. Davis Allen is one of my favorite plays at CPT on DraftKings. He has taken over as the TE1 for the Rams and allows you to stack the rest of your roster.
Kyren Williams leads all running backs in snap share (88%) this season. He’s had at least 20 touches in 7 of his last 8 games, so the workload is never a concern. I know there are more mouths to feed in this offense with Nacua and Kupp both healthy, but I see it as a boost for the whole offense. If the Rams are scoring more points, that creates more scoring opportunities for Williams. The Eagles have been tough against the run, but Williams is firmly in play tonight given his role and modest ownership projection.
I won’t be targeting the Rams’ defense or kicker Joshua Karty.
Lineup Construction Thoughts
On DraftKings, I want to get as much exposure to the studs as possible. My favorite way to do this is by using a punt at the CPT spot. I have my eye on Davis Allen (my favorite), Grant Calcaterra, Johnny Wilson, and Jahan Dotson. On FanDuel, I’m not getting too different with my builds. I will be using a lot of Jalen Hurts at MVP and a lot of Jake Elliott in the AnyFLEX spots.
Eagles vs. Rams DFS Salaries & Projections
| Player | Team | Pos | Proj | DK Sal | CPT Sal | DK/$ | FD Sal | FD/$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Hurts | PHI | QB | 22.37 | $10,800 | $16,200 | 2.07 | $14,500 | 1.54 |
| Saquon Barkley | PHI | RB | 21.49 | $11,200 | $16,800 | 1.92 | $16,000 | 1.34 |
| Puka Nacua | LAR | WR | 19.14 | $9,200 | $13,800 | 2.08 | $13,000 | 1.47 |
| Cooper Kupp | LAR | WR | 18.80 | $9,600 | $14,400 | 1.96 | $13,500 | 1.39 |
| A.J. Brown | PHI | WR | 18.04 | $9,800 | $14,700 | 1.84 | $12,500 | 1.44 |
| Kyren Williams | LAR | RB | 17.23 | $9,400 | $14,100 | 1.83 | $11,000 | 1.57 |
| Matthew Stafford | LAR | QB | 17.16 | $9,000 | $13,500 | 1.91 | $12,000 | 1.43 |
| Dallas Goedert | PHI | TE | 11.11 | $6,400 | $9,600 | 1.74 | $10,000 | 1.11 |
| Joshua Karty | LAR | K | 7.54 | $4,800 | $7,200 | 1.57 | $8,500 | 0.89 |
| Jake Elliott | PHI | K | 7.35 | $5,000 | $7,500 | 1.47 | $9,000 | 0.82 |
| Demarcus Robinson | LAR | WR | 6.73 | $4,400 | $6,600 | 1.53 | $9,500 | 0.71 |
| Eagles | PHI | DST | 6.20 | $4,000 | $6,000 | 1.55 | $9,000 | 0.69 |
| Davis Allen | LAR | TE | 5.42 | $1,600 | $2,400 | 3.39 | $6,500 | 0.83 |
| Rams | LAR | DST | 5.19 | $3,800 | $5,700 | 1.37 | $8,500 | 0.61 |
| Kenneth Gainwell | PHI | RB | 4.67 | $3,000 | $4,500 | 1.56 | $8,000 | 0.58 |
| Jahan Dotson | PHI | WR | 4.54 | $2,800 | $4,200 | 1.62 | $7,500 | 0.61 |
| Johnny Wilson | PHI | WR | 2.89 | $800 | $1,200 | 3.61 | $7,000 | 0.41 |
| Blake Corum | LAR | RB | 2.87 | $2,400 | $3,600 | 1.20 | $7,500 | 0.38 |
| Tutu Atwell | LAR | WR | 2.46 | $3,400 | $5,100 | 0.72 | $7,000 | 0.35 |
| Grant Calcaterra | PHI | TE | 2.36 | $1,200 | $1,800 | 1.97 | $5,500 | 0.43 |
| Colby Parkinson | LAR | TE | 2.29 | $2,000 | $3,000 | 1.15 | $8,000 | 0.29 |
Fantasy Sleepers
Dallas Goedert: $6,400 DK / $10,000 FD
Due to the nature of the slate and how many superstars there are to choose from tonight, the mid-range options are all going to get overlooked. On most slates, Dallas Goedert would garner a significant amount of ownership with DeVonta Smith out. He’s a good bet to be 2nd on the team in target share, and the Rams have allowed the 9th-most fantasy points to tight ends this season.
Eagles vs. Rams Fantasy Pick’em
Season Fantasy Pick’em Record: 25-14
Dallas Goedert more than 48.5 receiving yards (1.76x) – Sleeper Fantasy
We just missed out on the play from Thursday night, but we are still 25-14 overall this season. Tonight we are rolling with Dallas Goedert for more than 48.5 receiving yards. He’s likely going to see a larger target share with DeVonta Smith out, and the Rams have allowed the 8th-most receiving yards to tight ends this season.
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Image Credit: Getty Images
Stats credit: Fantasy Points Data and ProFootballFocus