Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season kicks off and we’re treated to some Friday Night Football DFS action on DraftKings and FanDuel. The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles head to Brazil for a potential playoff preview in Sao Paulo. This game obviously can open a lot of doors with the NFL extending its reach. The league has already played in other international locations such as Mexico City, London, and Munich.

 

 

 

The Packers and Eagles both boasted offenses that ranked top 10 in terms of points and total yards. This game should be a great one in South America and potentially higher scoring than the Thursday Night Football game featuring the Ravens and Chiefs. Let’s take a peek at some strategies and FNF DFS picks for this NFC showdown.

Packers vs. Eagles DFS Picks & Preview: Friday Night Football, 9/6

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles have been a formidable offense for a few seasons now and they’ve got some starters on offense that make for some great Packers vs. Eagles DFS picks. With that said, they did have some personnel turnover. Jason Kelce retired which is a hit to the offensive line. But they still have All-Pro caliber players working in the trenches.

The offense might find more explosiveness with Kellen Moore taking the reins as the new offensive coordinator. Moreover, Saquon Barkley came over from the New York Giants and the team traded for Jahan Dotson late in training camp. 

The Green Bay Packers will look slightly different in this matchup, but good luck navigating that receiving room in search of the optimal pass catcher for your FNF DFS picks. Jordan Love cashed in during the offseason with a massive contract. And to improve upon the run game they allowed Aaron Jones to test free agency and join the Minnesota Vikings. To replace him, the team signed Josh Jacobs to shoulder the large workload. 

This is the first Friday Night Football DFS slate since last year’s Black Friday game following Thanksgiving. But the process remains the same. We love quarterbacks that can run (I’ve heard Jalen Hurts is good at that) and we find the proper correlations and plus-value plays.

 

 

 

Packers vs. Eagles FNF Odds At DraftKings & FanDuel

DraftKings Sportsbook

  • Spread: Eagles -2.5 (-112)
  • Money Line:
    • Packers (+114)
    • Eagles (-135)
  • Game Total: Over 48.5 (-110) / Under 48.5 (-110)

FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Spread: Eagles -2.5 (-115)
  • Money Line:
    • Packers (+120)
    • Eagles (-142)
  • Game Total: Over 48.5 (-118) / Under 48.5 (-104)

 

 

 

NFL Weather: Packers vs. Eagles FNF, September 6th

As of this writing, it looks like it’ll be a pretty calm evening for this match-up. It will be around 92% humidity, but temperatures will be around 60-63 degrees with winds unlikely to exceed 10 mph. It’s shaping up to be a beautiful evening as the NFL looks to make a footprint in Brazil.

Packers vs. Eagles Injuries: Friday Night Football Week 1

Marshawn Lloyd missed the team’s final practice on Tuesday prior to the Packers traveling to Brazil. The rookie out of USC has been battling a hamstring injury and largely spent the session on a stationary bike. For our Packers vs. Eagles DFS picks, we should operate as if Emanuel Wilson will serve as the backup to Josh Jacobs, but Wilson (hip) was also limited in addition to Romeo Doubs (hand).

For the Eagles, there are no real injuries to monitor. A.J. Brown was listed with a “rest” designation, but he’ll be a full go come Friday.

 

 

 

NFL Friday Night Football DFS Picks: MVP/Captain

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $10,600 | FanDuel: $17,000

Obviously, we lead things off with Jalen Hurts. He has plenty of rushing upside and anytime he’s on a Showdown slate, even for Packers vs. Eagles DFS contests. Last year he rushed for 15 touchdowns on the ground and he threw for 23 more through the air.

Now he does have the benefit of the Eagles leaning heavily on the tush push once they get to the goal line. He is likely going to be the most popular option among the FNF DFS picks. And if this game does turn into a bit of a barn burner then he could potentially reach the 300-yard threshold on DraftKings for a bonus.

The Eagles stumbled and fumbled last season away once the calendar turned to December. A dominant win in foreign territory would be a great way to kick off the 2024 campaign.

A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $11,000 | FanDuel: $14,000

Brown got off to a slow start last year with just 98 receiving yards through two games. I don’t anticipate that kind of beginning in 2024. Brown is a bully. He’s big and physical. He loves contested catches and he wins them most of the time.

It shouldn’t surprise anybody if Brown sees double-digit targets in this game. And his end zone usage is relatively off the charts with a 48% target share since joining the Eagles a couple years ago. So if Hurts isn’t getting pushed in for a touchdown, there’s a good chance the ball is going to Brown.

There is some rumored talk of Brown getting usage in the slot with Kellen Moore’s offense. I do anticipate Smith lining up more in the slot, but either way, Brown should get his share and can pop off for a score and the 100-yard bonus.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $8,200 | FanDuel: $12,500

Jacobs is the kind of player we know can handle a large workload. Just two years ago he had 340 carries for 1,600+ rushing yards and he added 53 receptions the same year. For 2024, he moves over to Green Bay. He gets an offensive line upgrade and just gets to be part of a better offense in general.

With Marshawn Lloyd still nursing a hamstring injury, that likely means the Packers lean even more on Jacobs. 15+ carries seems like the absolute floor for him and we shouldn’t be surprised if he gets a few receptions as well. The Eagles were tough to run on last year, but volume is on Jacobs’ side.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $5,400 | FanDuel: $6,500

Trying to find the optimal Packers wideout for our FNF DFS picks is no easy task. And if you’ve followed along all training camp, you’ll know a few of our analysts much prefer Christian Watson. So, whether you’re a supporter of Watson, Jayden Reed, or Romeo Doubs, by all means stick to your guns!

I’m partial to Wicks. At the time of this writing, the pricing and slates aren’t open yet for this game. But I imagine Wicks will be on the cheaper end of the spectrum. When he is on the field, he’s incredibly efficient and he usually does well to get volume. Last year he had a 22.8% target share and 29.8% air yards share when he was on the field. He also touted a 20% red zone target share as well.

Now the difficult task is just making sure he’s on the field. The Packers have four very strong wide receivers. They also have two decent tight ends, and we just touched on Josh Jacobs’ pass catching ability. But if you land on the right receiver that goes off, you’re in great shape. I’m taking Wicks.

 

 

 

NFL Friday Night Football DFS Picks: Core Plays

Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $9,800 | FanDuel: $15,500

Love isn’t a huge runner like Hurts. Very few are. But to his credit, he did collect four touchdowns with his legs a year ago. Love wasn’t even huge in terms of passing volume and he didn’t even throw for 4,200 yards. However, he did throw 32 touchdowns including 11 games with multiple touchdowns.

Love is a relatively safe option among our FNF DFS picks. I don’t necessarily think there’s slate-breaking upside. I’d say one of his many receivers is more likely to reach that apex if they catch multiple touchdowns. Love also isn’t easy to get to the ground as he had a 15.6% sack per pressure rate which was seventh-best in the league in 2023.

If playing a Packers wideout as your Captain, then you don’t really need me to tell you to correlate that play with Love in the Flex, but I’ll do it anyway.

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $11,000

Now if there’s one player who gives me some pause about not being included as a MVP/Captain candidate, it might be Watson. Now I love me some Dontayvion Wicks. But Watson is probably my second favorite pass catcher on Green Bay.

Watson is big at 6’4” so his frame makes him a good bet to win contested catches. He had seven end zone targets in 14 games in 2022. That number increased to 14 in just nine games a year ago. Per Jacobs Gibbs of CBS Sports, Watson shared the field with Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed for 159 routes in 2023. Watson led the three with 35 targets, 547 air yards, and 335 receiving yards. By comparison the splits for Reed were 29/278/200 and for Doubs they were 24/246/158.

I may have just talked myself more into Watson, but he’s likely pricey. Either way, Watson and Wicks are my favorite wide receiver targets for Green Bay.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $9,000 | FanDuel: $12,000

I’m not sure how motivated or ticked off he might be after not being named a team captain. But I’m expecting a strong season from Smith in 2024. A lot has been made of Kellen Moore utilizing Smith more in the pre-snap motion slot role that led to a strong season for Keenan Allen last year… And CeeDee Lamb the year before… Do you see where we’re going?

And it’s not that Smith will exclusively line up in the slot. A.J. Brown will get some love in that regard as well. But Brown can win lining up anywhere. The slot is where Smith could excel that could give Philadelphia potentially a pair of top 12 receivers for fantasy football.

For our Packers vs. Eagles DFS picks, Smith will go under-rostered at Captain compared to most of the field, but we should aim to be in on Smith before everyone else.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $9,400 | FanDuel: $13,500

Saquon is a lot like Jacobs. He’s getting a nice offensive line upgrade and he’s going to a far better offense than the one he’s suffered with the last couple years. I’m not sure what to make of Philadelphia bringing in Barkley. Sure, he’s definitely an upgrade over D’Andre Swift. But he still shares the field with Jalen Hurts and Eagles running backs tend to play second fiddle to Hurts.

But Barkley isn’t just any old running back. When healthy he’s clearly one of the best in the game. But we do need touchdown equity. A lot of Swift’s runs fell just short of the goal line in 2023. Barkley may have better odds at punching it in. Or maybe the Eagles don’t want to be too reliant on the tush push and instead hand it off to Barkley.

It still feels like the kind of game where Barkley gets 15+ carries and some receptions. After all, Green Bay allowed 127.1 rushing yards per game to opposing offenses last year which ranked bottom five in the NFL.

 

 

 

NFL Friday Night Football DFS Picks: Mid-Tier Plays

Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $5,800 | FanDuel: $9,500

It’s not that Goedert’s a bad tight end. It’s quite the opposite, he’s well above average. But three touchdowns last year? Sure, he basically missed four games last year, but he couldn’t even eclipse 600 receiving yards. So where do we find some positives to justify him as one of our FNF DFS picks?

When Goedert was on the field in 2023 he had a 33% red zone target share which was second to only Mark Andrews, who had an absurd 44% clip. Moreover, Goedert has averaged 6.6 yards after the catch dating back to 2021. 

I wouldn’t be excited about playing him at Captain because it just feels like he’s due to be outshined by Brown, Smith, or even Hurts. But as a flex play? I think he’s perfectly adequate.

Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $6,400 | $10,000

For what it’s worth I could be dead wrong on which Packers receiver goes off Friday night. But I’m just looking at the numbers and seeing that Watson appears to be a better option. And my own bias is high on Wicks.

Reed is still viable and had a 76.0 receiving grade last year according to Pro Football Focus. By comparison, Wicks was at 77.8 (didn’t see the field as much as the other three), Watson was at 70.6, and Romeo Doubs received a score of 68.9 so Reed did pretty well in his rookie season. Reed didn’t make much of a splash in the playoffs, which is a shame because he did catch eight touchdowns a year ago. But he is a nice affordable option with an impressive ceiling.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $6,800 | FanDuel: $9,000

There’s certainly the possibility that Doubs can go out and catch a lot of passes. He’s hard to bring off the field given his experience and knowledge of the offense. But I just think he’s the least impressive of the whole group.

Last year he actually saw 33 targets through the team’s first four games. But then he sort of lived in a range of five or six targets per game the rest of the way. But in the playoffs he did grab 10 catches on 12 targets for 234 yards and a score.

Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $4,600 | FanDuel: $9,000

This one is tough, but I’m partial to Musgrave over Kraft. Musgrave did have a 64.2 receiving grade last year according to PFF while Tucker Kraft was at 67.4 but I still like Musgrave. He was getting more of the routes early last season prior to getting hurt.

Both Musgrave and Kraft come from the same draft class and Musgrave was the earlier selection between the two. Kraft is coming off a torn pec in the offseason. He says he’s 100% but I do imagine the Packers may lean on Musgrave a bit more as he’s a little bit bigger and got the early run a year ago.

 

 

 

NFL Friday Night Football DFS Picks: Value Plays

Jahan Dotson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $3,200 | FanDuel: $7,500

I’m not sure how excited we can get over Dotson. The Eagles traded for him a couple weeks ago after the Washington Commanders gave up on their former first round pick. How up-to-speed is he with Kellen Moore’s playbook? It remains to be seen. But for a value play, we should keep him on our radar and see what he can do in three-wide receiver sets.

Emanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $2,400 | FanDuel: $7,500

As we noted in the injury section, Wilson is nursing a mild hip injury. However, Marshawn Lloyd has a hamstring injury. There have been some rumors that the Packers are operating as if Wilson is the backup for this game over Lloyd. But as of Tuesday night, anything can happen between now and kickoff on Friday. So with that said, keep an ear to the ground for injury news and we’ll update the Packers vs. Eagles DFS picks if need be.

Johnny Wilson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $1,600 | FanDuel: $5,500

If you don’t know who Johnny Wilson is, I can assure you that Florida State fans do. And after losing to Georgia Tech and Boston College, I’m sure they miss Wilson and many others that bolted after last season.

Wilson is a BIG, young pass catcher at 6’6” and 227 pounds. Wilson actually logged more targets than Keon Coleman (68-to-48) at FSU when the two shared the field together and Wilson had 584 receiving yards to Coleman’s 304. Again, that’s just when the two shared the field together.

Wilson did log some first-team reps early in camp and the Jahan Dotson trade might turn some people off of this play. I’m still on board as he actually has more familiarity with the Playbook and he’s an athletic freak at an affordable price.

 

 

 

FNF DFS Picks: Kickers & D/ST

The new NFL kickoff rules will certainly add a little spice to the Packers vs. Eagles DFS picks. In general, the new rules should allow for more special teams touchdowns. There are going to be teams that scheme up the right run plays and break through past the kicking team and take it to the house.

Both Matt LaFleur and Nick Sirianni are certainly capable of doing just that. And while we can’t predict touchdowns on defense or special teams, they do make these teams a little more interesting even as paydown options. These new rules arguably give both D/ST’s (Packers - DraftKings: $3,600 | FanDuel: $8,500, Eagles - DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $8,500  ) a higher ceiling. 

Both teams were rather pedestrian in terms of pressure and sacks, and for this game both feature good offensive lines. Vegas is giving this a fairly high total at 48.5 points and both offenses could very well go over 28 points.

Kickers are great correlation plays. I almost never recommend playing a kicker in your MVP or Captain spot. But other players can certainly do as they please. I want a player that can get a bonus or multiple scores in my lineup at Captain. If you play a quarterback at Captain, you should almost lock in his respective kicker at the flex.

Jake Elliott (DraftKings: $4,400 | FanDuel: $8,000) went 30-for-32 on field goals in the regular season last year while going 45-for-46 on extra point attempts. Elliott even went 14-for-15 on attempts from 40+ yards out. The downside is that the Eagles are a very efficient offense and they don’t stall too often in the red zone. It’s also worth mentioning that over half of Elliott’s field goal attempts last year came in Weeks 1-5. After that sample size he had nine games where he either attempted one or zero field goals.

Brayden Narveson (DraftKings: $4,400 | FanDuel: $8,000) is a rookie kicker for the Green Bay Packers, and he wraps up our FNF DFS picks. Obviously, he has no NFL experience, but he turns 25 later this month which does make him a slightly older rookie. And now he makes his NFL debut in Brazil in primetime? That’s a pretty tall ask, but he’s a former two-time All-Conference USA kicker but spent last year at North Carolina State where he went 16-for-20 on field goal attempts but was 1-for-3 on attempts of 50+ yards. Play this kid at your own risk. This is a big stage to make a debut.

 

 

 

Packers vs. Eagles DFS Player Pool: FNF, 9/6

As you wrap up your FNF DFS picks for the Packers vs. Eagles game, keep an eye on the key players from both squads. Striking a balance between big-name scorers and affordable picks is crucial for maximizing your winning potential in this thrilling Friday night showdown. Good luck!

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-