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Welcome to the Thursday Night Showdown Slate for NFL Week 7!
When the schedule-makers put this one on the calendar there were a lot higher hopes for seeing a good game. But then Saquon Barkley went down, the Giants offensive line still stinks, all the Eagles receivers are hurt and their offensive line is just as bad right now. So goes life in the NFC Least. Doesn’t mean we still can’t play this game for DFS, though. Let’s get at it.
Before we start, please allow me to reiterate that while we all love having a little skin in the game, these showdown slates are basically lottery tickets. Sure, there are times when the chalk hits and everyone shares in the prizes, but more often than not, you need that random, differentiate yourself from the herd dart-throw to hit in order to claim that top prize. As a result, we encourage to play responsibly. Stick to the GPP contests (single-entry preferred), don’t blow your whole bankroll and understand that, unless you are a max-entry player, you should prioritize having fun.
OK, lecture over. Let’s get to tonight’s action.
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Spread: Eagles -4.5
O/U: 45
Betting Facts:
Money line: Eagles -235; Giants +200
Philadelphia is 20-18 against the spread in home games under coach Doug Pederson.
New York is 15-4 against the spread in road games since 2018 and 4-2 against the spread in their last six games against Philadelphia.
Weather:
High 60’s, partly cloudy with 10% chance of precipitation; winds ESE 3 mph
Last 5 Match-Ups:
Eagles lead 5-0
Average margin of victory of all games: 10.4
Last Match-Up: Eagles beat the Giants 34-17 in New York on 12/29/2019
Notable Injuries:
Eagles:
Miles Sanders (knee – out)
Alshon Jeffery (foot – out)
Zach Ertz (ankle – out)
Malik Jackson (quad – out)
Giants:
C.J. Board (concussion – out)
Defensive Rankings (Using DVOA):
Eagles:
vs Pass: 27th
vs Run: 12th
Giants:
vs Pass: 23rd
vs Run: 15th
Prop Bets to Watch:
The reason we are listing these here is to help you understand what the Vegas expectations are. If you aren’t routinely amazed by how accurate spreads and totals are, you haven’t been paying attention and you’re missing out on a valuable tool. Take a look at the list below and understand how to utilize for DFS. When you see the over and under have the same money line, that’s Vegas’ way of saying it can go either way. You have the base number and can determine whether you use a player or not based on that. But when there is a different money line on the over and unders (highlighted in green), Vegas is telling you what to expect. A negative money line means they feel it is more likely to happen which can help you make decisions regarding which players to play.
- Daniel Jones Passing Yards: 232.5 (over & under -112); TD Passes: 1.5 (over +145, under -182)
- Carson Wentz Passing Yards: 249.5 (over & under -112); TD Passes: 1.5 (over -108, under -115)
- Devonta Freeman Rushing Yards: 54.5 (over & under -112); Receiving Yards: 20.5 (over +107, under -134)
- Boston Scott Rushing Yards: 49.5 (over & under -112); Receiving Yards: 22.5 (over & under -112)
- Corey Clement Rushing Yards: 20.5 (over & under -112); Receiving Yards: 7.5 (over & under -112)
- Dion Lewis Receiving Yards: 10.5 (over & under -112)
- Darius Slay ton Receiving Yards: 49.5 (over & under -112)
- Golden Tate Receiving Yards: 38.5 (over & under -112)
- Travis Fulgham Receiving Yards: 58.5 (over & under -112)
- Greg Ward , Jr Receiving Yards: 34.5 (over & under -112)
- DeSean Jackson Receiving Yards: 34.5 (over & under -112)
- Evan Engram Receiving Yards: 39.5 (over & under -112)
- Kaden Smith Receiving Yards: 9.5 (over & under -112)
- Richard Rodgers Receiving Yards: 30.5 (over & under -112)
MVP/Captain
Carson Wentz , QB PHI – While the overall product hasn’t been what we had hoped in the preseason, Wentz has still managed to post 20-plus fantasy points in five of six games. The aerial work could stand some improvement for sure, but he’s posted a rushing touchdown in four of his last five games and has rushed for at least 35 yards in three of them. With no Miles Sanders we could see an increase in passing yards as well as watch him run in another.
Daniel Jones, WB NYG – He’s a contrarian play to Wentz if you want to keep a quarterback in your top spot. At some point, the passing touchdowns will come and that could be tonight as the Eagles have the sixth-worst coverage rating according to Pro Football Focus. What makes this an interesting choice also is the fact that the strength of the Eagles defense is their pass rush. Jones has rushed for at least 45 yards in three of his last four games and if the Eagles flush him out of the pocket, he should be able to pad those totals.
Evan Engram , TE NYG – At some point this has to work, right? The Eagles give up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to the tight end position, rank 31st in DVOA coverage against tight end and allow an average of 61.7 receiving yards per game to them. With Darius Slay likely shadowing Darius Slay ton, perhaps this is the time Engram comes through for us.
Mid-Tier
Boston Scott , RB PHI – While the Giants have only given up an average of 106.5 rushing yards per game, they’ve coughed up six rushing touchdowns and rank 28th in DVOA against running back pass-plays. In fact, the opposition is throwing just over seven passes per game to their running backs who are accruing an average of 50.1 yards per game.
Devonta Freeman , RB NYG – The Eagles run defense has been run all over this season and they’ve now allowed an average of 125.5 yards per game and 10 rushing touchdowns on the season. Freeman has also being seeing a handful of targets as well, so with the Eagles ranking 18th against RB pass-plays, it should add to his value.
Travis Fulgham, WR PHI – We haven’t seen anything yet about Fulgham being shadowed by James Bradberry , so don’t expect him to move around too much, especially with DeSean Jackson coming back. When Fulgham is away from Bradberry, the coverage is, by a country mile, softer. He could continue his assault on secondaries this week.
Darius Slayton, WR NYG -- Warrants a look with or without the Darius Slay shadow.
Dart Throws
DeSean Jackson , WR PHI – You can’t ignore him, right? First game back? Looking to make a splash? Let’s just hope he stays healthy for the entire game and Wentz gets to take some shots downfield.
Richard Rodgers , TE PHI – He’s everyone’s darling this week with Zach Ertz out and Dallas Goedert still on IR. The Giants don’t usually allow much to the tight end position, but with such limitations on weapons, Rodgers should be targeted fairly often.
Graham Gano , K NYG – Save some salary and bank on the Giants not being able to punch it into the green zone all the time. Gano should see ample opportunities in tonight’s game.
Player News
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Broncos signed third-round pick WR Pat Bryant to a four-year contract.
The deal includes $1.4 million guaranteed and is worth $6.6 million in total. Sean Payton compared aspects of Bryant’s game to those of Michael Thomas in his post-draft press conference and there are at least a few similarities in their profiles. Bryant stands at 6'2/204 and ran a 4.61-second Forty at the combine. Thomas measured in at 6'3/212 and clocked a 4.57-second Forty. Though the two have similar physical characteristics, Thomas was known for his proficiency from the slot while Bryant primarily played on the outside as a field-stretcher at Illinois. Bryant’s transition to slot duties may take some time, but third-round draft capital makes him worth a shot in dynasty leagues.
Colts EDGE Samson Ebukam (Achilles) said he is expected to be cleared for training camp.
Ebukam suffered a torn Achilles in training camp last year and did not play in the 2024 season. He broke out in 2023 with a career-high 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Colts. He now has one year left on his deal and will be looking for a rebound season as he stares down free agency in 2026