Sunday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Football Team vs. Eagles

The final playoff spot will be decided Sunday night, as the Football Team just needs to beat the Eagles to win the NFC East and host their opening-round postseason game. With a win, Washington will finish the regular season 7-9, while the best outcome for the Eagles will be a 5-10-1 record.

Because they have so much on the line, Football Team is a 3.5-point road favorite in a game with a 43.5-point total on DraftKings Sportsbook. However, they are likely to be without a few key contributors, and a close game certainly doesn't seem to indicate many fantasy players will be stacking the favored side anyway.

QUARTERBACKS

Quarterback play has been a big reason the two teams have lost a combined 19 games, and we Washington's Alex Smith ($9,800 DK, $14,500 FD) is officially questionable to because of a calf injury. If he's unable to go, Taylor Heinicke ($6,000 DK, $14,000 FD) will get the start after completing 12-of-19 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown last week against Carolina. Heinicke came on at halftime to replace Dwayne Haskins, who was cut earlier this week, and while he won't start if Smith is good to go, fantasy players probably don't see much difference between the two, or if they do then maybe they prefer Heinicke for a bit of an unknown about him, not to mention his previous rushing success (he rushed for 22 yards on three attempts last week).

The matchup is pretty good, as the Eagles have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, and a lot of that production has come recently, as each of the last four have thrown multiple touchdown passes, including three with at least three, and all threw for more than 290 yards. Of course, that run was against Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Kyler Murray and Andy Dalton, so maybe we shouldn't get super excited about Smith or Heinicke based on the matchup. Haskins was pretty bad in Week 1 against Philadelphia, completing 17-of-31 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown while also rushing seven times for 17 yards, but again, he isn't in the NFL anymore.

The Eagles' Jalen Hurts ($11,400 DK, $16,500 FD) is likely to be much more popular despite being the most expensive player on both sites and facing a defense that's allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Only one of the last six quarterbacks they've faced threw more than one touchdown pass, and only two threw for more than 240 passing yards. One thing we can find a positive with is that Russell Wilson rushed for 52 yards against them, which certainly fits Hurts, who rushed for 106, 63 and 69 yards in each of the last three games, respectively. Hurts' rushing volume gives him an excellent fantasy floor, and he could be on the run quite a bit against a Washington defense that is very good at getting to the quarterback, registering at least four sacks in seven games.

Mobile quarterbacks have had success against Football Team, which will certainly provide enough optimism that Hurts will be popular, both as a flex play and captain/MVP despite his price, possibly because there is an overall lack of high-impact players that many will think they have to have.

RUNNING BACKS

There are also a number of running back injuries clouding the backfields of both teams, as Antonio Gibson ($9,000 DK, $13,500 FD) is questionable to play because of a toe injury that held him out of practice all week, while Miles Sanders ($10,200 DK,$14,500 FD) has already been ruled out because of a knee injury. Gibson returned last week after missing two games due to the injury, rushing 10 times for 61 yards and catching three of four targets for eight receiving yards on 21 snaps, and while the lack of practice is a bit concerning, he is expected to play.

Gibson's lower usage last week reportedly was more about having to abandon the run early (Football Team trailed 20-3 at the half), which is why J.D. McKissic ($8,800 DK, $12,000 FD) played 69 percent of snaps versus Gibson's 30, catching eight of 10 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown while also rushing four times for 15 yards. It was McKissic's second consecutive game with at least 10 targets (and third in his last four), but the expected game script based on the spread and total likely indicates more opportunities for Gibson and less need for McKissic to be so heavily used.

The Eagles have been fairly good against running backs this season, allowing the 11th-fewest fantasy points to the position, though that includes 13 rushing touchdowns, which are more than all but seven teams in the NFL. Ignoring those, their 3.73 yards per carry allowed is the third-lowest in the league, and only seven teams have allowed fewer receptions and receiving yards. Washington is one of two teams to have running backs score multiple times against Philadelphia this season, though that was back in Week 1, and they allowed only four in their last six games.

The positive with the Football Team running backs is that you could theoretically roster both Gibson and McKissic because the latter is almost like a wide receiver with how much Smith targets him in the passing game, and it all but solidifies you get all the running back opportunities.

Sanders' absence means Boston Scott ($1,400 DK, $6,500 FD) will likely get the start for the Eagles, and he figures to be extremely popular on both sites because of the expected workload and price. He averaged 12.0 carries for 50.3 yards and 2.3 catches for 24.7 yards in three starts earlier this season when Sanders was out, and while he could lose a few touches to Corey Clement ($200 DK, $5,500 FD) or Jason Huntley ($200 DK, $5,000 FD), he is likely to get enough touches to more than justify his low price.

Unfortunately, Football Team has been excellent against running backs, allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to the position, including the fourth-lowest YPC (3.93), third-fewest rushing touchdowns (eight), as well as the the third-fewest receptions (57) and receiving yards (358). Hurts' ability to run may open up some lanes for Scott, who rushed nine times for 35 yards and caught both of his targets for 19 receiving yards against Washington in Week 1, and while the matchup isn't great, his price is low enough where plenty of people will use him as a flex play, though he's unlikely to be popular as captain/MVP.

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS

Football Team isn't without issues with their wide receivers too, as top wideout Terry McLaurin ($10,000 DK, $13,000 FD) is questionable to play because of an ankle injury that held him out of last week's game and practice this week. Head coach Ron Rivera reportedly thinks McLaurin could be okay to play, though it's obvious he isn't going to be 100 percent if he's active. His absence would be a tough blow as they face an Eagles defense that allowed at least 194 receiving yards to wide receivers in five straight games, including multiple touchdowns thrice in that span. A matchup against Darius Slay doesn't help, though McLaurin is good enough to make something happen if he's healthy enough.

McLaurin being limited, or out, likely means more opportunities for tight end Logan Thomas ($7,800 DK, $10,500 FD), who was targeted 15 and 12 times in the past two games, respectively, racking up 20 catches for 164 yards. He still figures to be used heavily even if McLaurin returns, and with that kind of catch volume he could be popular on DraftKings given the full point per reception. Otherwise, fantasy players are left with Cam Sims ($4,800 DK, $9,000 FD) and Steven Sims ($2,400 DK, $7,000 FD), who combined for 105 yards on 15 targets last week. You most likely don't want to roster both, and Cam figures to be more popular after getting 17 targets in the past two games versus Steven's eight, but you obviously have to pay up a little more.

There are other players on the depth chart who play plenty of offensive snaps, but it's tough to get excited about any of them given how tight the target tree is, plus the fact you have to rely on Smith getting them the ball. Thomas seems like an interesting captain/MVP option in a game that might not have many points, and he could be the most popular Football Team pass catcher if McLaurin doesn't play.

The Eagles' pass-catching situation is much cloudier, though we do know that Dallas Goedert won't play because of a calf injury, which means Zach Ertz ($4,600 DK, $8,000 FD) is back in the fantasy picture. Ertz was targeted seven times in each of the past two games, catching five for 102, and he is fairly cheap on both sites considering the potential usage. He and wideout Jalen Reagor ($6,200 DK, $10,000 FD) were the only Eagles with more than three targets last week against Dallas, and they could be popular options even though Washington has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers and ninth-fewest to tight ends.

Greg Ward ($5,800 DK, $9,000 FD), Travis Fulgham ($5,000 DK, $6,500 FD) and Alshon Jeffery ($4,400 DK, $7,500 FD) round out the other options for Hurts, though none have had enough volume recently to think Hurts will prioritize them. If anything, fantasy players may just take a flier on Quez Watkins ($1,600 DK, $5,000 FD) after he caught five of seven targets for 97 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. Of course, he only played 40 offensive snaps, but when you're paying thousands less you can't expect a whole lot more.

It's obviously a situation ideal for those who make plenty of lineups because you can plug and play any of these guys, but those who don't are likely to take the savings and then potentially pay up for the Washington pass catchers or running backs.

KICKERS

A game that's expected to be lower scoring should surely put Dustin Hopkins ($3,600 DK, $8,500 FD) and Jake Elliott ($3,400 DK, $8,000 FD) in play. Neither offense is particularly good, and given that Washington's defense actually is, there is surely a path where the teams are able to move the ball but not get in the end zone, leaving plenty of opportunities for the kickers.

Scott is probably the only skill position player with a higher floor than the guys priced around the kickers on both sites, but that doesn't mean he needs to be prioritized over them; in fact, you can play both (or all three!) and just hope for a grind-out type game that has plenty of field goals. The upside is obviously not as high with the kickers, but in a game that doesn't project to have a ton of points, upside may not be quite as important. 

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

Washington ($4,200 DK) has been very good at getting to quarterbacks this season, and a rookie under center against them should surely have fantasy players considering their defense, even at a somewhat elevated price. The Eagles ($3,800 DK) have been decent too, with eight sacks and six turnovers in the past three games, and lower-scoring affairs will have fantasy players considering both defenses. 

The variance at the position surely makes them viable, and given their touchdown upside (they have combined for six DST touchdowns this season), they should surely be in consideration for those who make a lot or a few lineups.