NFL PrizePicks: Eagles vs. Vikings Player Predictions for Thursday Night Football
After a tough Week 1 of the NFL season, we’re back for Week 2 of NFL Prizepicks predictions for a Eagles vs. Vikings Thursday Night Football matchup. The Eagles are 6.5-point favorites in this one and will be without Kenneth Gainwell, who was the feature back in their offense for Week 1. We will have some guessing to do on what will go down with the Eagles backfield, however, as big favorites in this one who I expect to cover, I like the entire backfield. Tonight’s predictions have two things in common. All three selections are projected to succeed in both the Rotogrinders and Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ projections. Additionally, they all correlate with an Eagles blowout or victory. To finalize your DFS Pick’Em ticket with a Vikings player, I like most of the Unders tonight as I expect the Eagles to win fairly easily.
Each week, I’ll deliver my top NFL PrizePicks predictions for Thursday, Sunday and Monday Night Football. Use the PrizePicks referral code GRINDERS to receive a $100 deposit match to prep you for the NFL season.
PrizePicks Plays: Eagles vs. Vikings
- Jalen Hurts More than 251.5 Passing Yards
- Rashaad Penny More than 29.5 Rushing Yards
- D’Andre Swift More than 54.5 Rushing/Receiving Yards
Jalen Hurts – 251.5 Passing Yards
The Eagles are a run-first team and will likely continue to be tonight against the Vikings. However, this line is still too low for Hurts. The Vikings are one of the worst pass defenses in football and although Hurts only projects to slightly eclipse this mark in the RotoGrinders projection, he smashes it based on THE BLITZ projections. I like to average out the two of these alongside my own projections before considering picks, and Hurts easily goes beyond the 251.5 mark with that model.
Hurts has a plethora of dangerous weapons in Brown, Smith and Goedert and the Vikings don’t have much chance of stopping them. If Hurts is below this total in this one, it’s likely due to a blow out happening a little too early and them mostly running the ball in the second half. However, if that’s the case, I still don’t hate his chances of getting there off a few deep bombs to Brown and Smith early on.
Play: Hurts More than 251.5 Passing Yards
Rashaad Penny – 29.5 Rushing Yards
Kenneth Gainwell was the main back for the Eagles’ offense last game and now will be sitting out due to injury. Penny was a healthy scratch last game, however, the free agent acquisition will likely be more involved with Gainwell sidelined. I expect Swift to be the back who receives the most touches and Boston Scott to still be involved. However, expecting an Eagles onslaught has me thinking all three Eagles backs will be involved tonight.
The more the Eagles score, the more Penny should be involved tonight. Luckily, he will probably be involved in the running game even if this one stays close. For whatever reason, teams don’t seem to want to use D’Andre Swift in a bell cow role and Boston Scott is more of a 3rd down back anyway. 30 yards should be an easy task for Penny against a weak Vikings defense.
Play: Penny More Than 29.5 Rushing Yards
D’Andre Swift – 54.5 Rushing/Receiving Yards
The Eagles barely used Swift last week, deciding to go with a full-on Kenneth Gainwell approach instead. With Gainwell now missing from this offense, Swift should be the feature back. I expect them to use much more of a committee in Week 2 compared to the last game, however, Swift should still be the primary option.
The 54.5 line is too low, and I could see him eclipsing that just in rushing yards tonight. However, the addition of receiving yards to the DFS Pick’Em selection covers our bases even if Penny is heavily involved in the run game and Swift is reserved more for 3rd downs and passing situations. He’s an incredibly electric player who could total 50+ yards on a single touch, he just needs to be on the field. Tonight, without Gainwell, he should have that opportunity for the Eagles.