NFL Week 8 features a Sunday Night Football showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys starting at 8:20 p.m. ET.
If you’re unfamiliar with the single-game NFL DFS format, it differs a bit on DraftKings and FanDuel. On DraftKings, you have one “captain” spot and five flexes. The captain will score 1.5x fantasy points, but he also costs 1.5x salary. That means if you want to roster Carson Wentz at captain and take advantage of the scoring boost, you’ll have to pay $17,700 as opposed to $11,800.
FanDuel’s single-game format features one “MVP” spot and four flexes. The MVP also scores 1.5x fantasy points, but he doesn’t cost any additional salary. That takes away a bit of the strategy and makes the goal simple: get your highest-scoring player in the MVP spot.
New NFL DFS Trial Offer: Try our new football subscription for $4.95 and get access to our industry-leading tools and projections.
Studs
This is an interesting slate from a fantasy perspective. The Cowboys have been a fantasy goldmine for opposing offenses this season, but they are a bit of an unknown today. The total sits at just 43.0 points, and the Eagles are massive 10.5-point favorites at home.
The big reason for uncertainty with the Cowboys is that they will be starting Ben DiNucci at quarterback. DiNucci is a rookie seventh-round draft pick from James Madison University. He started his college career at Pittsburgh after winning the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year award for the state of Pennsylvania but transferred after failing to win the job following his sophomore season.
DiNucci will have a talented group of pass-catchers to work with in Dallas, but it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be able to take full advantage of them. The Cowboys have struggled in pass blocking for most of the season thanks to a host of injuries along their offensive line. Dak Prescott made it work behind that unit, but Andy Dalton failed miserably. Consider me skeptical that a rookie seventh-rounder is going to perform closer to Prescott than Dalton.
Still, DiNucci is very cheap for a QB in the single-game format. He’s just the fifth-most expensive option on DraftKings at $8,600 and the fourth-most expensive option at $13.500 on FanDuel. He owns the second-highest ceiling projection in our NFL Models, making him a boom-or-bust option.
Most of the studs in this contest are going to be found on the Eagles’ side, starting with Wentz. He leads the slate in a variety of projections, including projected Plus/Minus on FanDuel.
The Cowboys have been crushed by opposing QBs this season, giving Wentz an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.00 on DraftKings. His receiving corps will also be as healthy as it’s been all season, which bodes well for his success in this matchup.
Finally, Wentz has historically performed well in comparable situations. He’s played in 10 games when favored by at least a touchdown at home, and he’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +3.95 in those contests (per the Trends tool). He should be the most popular Captain choice on today’s slate.
Travis Fulgham has emerged as Wentz’ favorite target recently. He’s logged at least 10 targets in each of his past three games, and he’s responded with at least 12.3 DraftKings points in each of them. There was some concern that he would lose some opportunities with DeSean Jackson rejoining the rotation last week, but Fulgham actually played on a season-high 96% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps. Now that Jackson is back out of the picture — he will miss the next six-to-eight weeks with an ankle injury — the coast is clear for Fulgham to continue to command a massive target share.
Miles Sanders is one member of the Eagles who will remain out this week. That means Boston Scott should draw another start, and he thrived in that role last week against the Giants. He led the way for the Eagles’ backfield with a 69% snap share and finished with 12 carries and five targets. He’s an absolute steal at just $10,500 on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 92%.
Ezekiel Elliott rounds out the stud group, and he should draw significant ownership based on name value alone. That said, his production has fallen off a cliff with Prescott out of the lineup. He’s finished with 14.0 and 6.1 DraftKings points in his past two games, and he’s logged just 12 carries in each contest. The Cowboys would likely love to get him to 20+ carries today, but they will have to avoid falling behind early to accomplish that. The current point spread suggests that’s far from a guarantee.
Midrange
Many of the Cowboys’ receivers would likely be considered studs with Prescott under center, but they have to be downgraded with DiNucci at QB. That starts with Amari Cooper, who got off to a fantastic start this season. He has been able to keep his fantasy stock afloat with Dalton — he averaged 18.2 DraftKings points over his past two games — but who knows if he’ll be able to replicate that with DiNucci.
Another factor working against Cooper is his likely matchup against Darius Slay. He still has the edge, according to Pro Football Focus, but Slay has been easily the Eagles’ top cornerback this season.
CeeDee Lamb has a better individual matchup as the Cowboys’ slot receiver. He’s taking on Nickell Robey-Coleman, who has struggled to a PFF-grade of just 46.9 to start the year.
That said, Lamb is coming off easily the worst game of his young career in his last outing. He finished without a catch on five targets, and his only fantasy production came from a one-yard run. He could be an interesting buy-low target, but we simply don’t know which of the Cowboys’ receivers DiNucci will lean on.
On the Eagles’ side, Dallas Goedert will make his return to the lineup after missing each of the past four games with an ankle injury. Goedert was highly involved to start the year — he logged at least eight targets in each of his two full games — and that was with Zach Ertz also available at the tight end position. He’s an excellent target in this price range, especially on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 91%.
The return of Goedert likely makes Richard Rodgers unplayable at his current salary. Rodgers was solid last week as the Eagles’ lone tight end, logging six catches for 85 yards. But he hasn’t cracked 5.0 FanDuel points in any other contest this season. He simply doesn’t offer much upside as the No. 2 option at the position.
Greg Ward could end up being the odd man out in the Eagles’ receiving corps in the long run, but his presence on the field is safe for the time being. Rookie first-rounder Jalen Reagor will be back in the lineup, but he has played almost exclusively on the outside to start his NFL career. Ward plays virtually all of his snaps from the slot, so they shouldn’t be in direct competition with each other for playing time.
Ward played on 95% of the Eagles’ snaps last week, so he looks like a strong option at his current salary.
Finally, the Eagles defense is priced in this range on DraftKings, and they have to be considered given the Cowboys’ recent play. Dallas has scored just three points in back-to-back weeks, and the Eagles’ pass rush should be able to wreak havoc on the Cowboys’ decimated offensive line. The fact that they are facing a rookie seventh-rounder is just the cherry on top.
[Play NFL DFS? Access Our Industry-Leading Tools & Projections For Just $4.95]
Quick Hits
- Kickers & Cowboys Defense – These options are always in play in the single-game format. They typically offer more value on lower-scoring slates, so they could be useful options this week.
- Jalen Reagor: $4,400 on DraftKings, $8,500 on FanDuel — Reagor could be limited in his first game back from an injury, but he has the potential to step right into a large snap count. He led the team with an 85% snap share in his last contest, and he has the talent to make the most of his opportunities.
- Dalton Schultz: $3,600 on DraftKings, $9,000 on FanDuel — Schultz is priced very fairly on DraftKings, and he played on 80% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps last week. He hasn’t fared well without Prescott at QB, but perhaps that will change with DiNucci under center.
- Michael Gallup: $3,400 on DraftKings, $11,000 on FanDuel — He features one of the largest price discrepancies between the two sites today. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in just one of his first seven games, so maybe the QB change will actually work in his favor. He also played every single snap for the Cowboys last week.
- Corey Clement: $1,800 on DraftKings, $5,000 on FanDuel — Clement has a similar skill set to Scott, which doesn’t really work in his favor. Still, he was on the field for 22% of the Eagles’ snaps last week and has the potential to contribute as a receiver out of the backfield.
- Tony Pollard: $1,600 on DraftKings, $6,000 on FanDuel — Pollard is an interesting target if you think the Cowboys are going to get blown out. He’s seen a nice spike in playing time over the past two weeks and is another RB who can contribute in the passing game.
- Cedrick Wilson: $400 on DraftKings, $7,000 on FanDuel — Wilson could make some sense if you’re looking for a pure punt play on DraftKings. He’s seen at least three targets in four of the past five weeks and has the ability to turn any touch into a touchdown.
