The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Detroit Lions at 1 p.m. ET on Fox. The Eagles are coming off a bye week looking to continue their hot start, and have one of their biggest offensive weapons returning to the team.
Zach Ertz
Ertz is a must start here and I’ll tell you why. The Lions have given up six touchdowns to opposing tight ends in four games, which is the most in the entire NFL. Eagles rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz, already looked to have chemistry with Ertz right off the bat during the team’s week one victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Ertz was Wentz’s most efficient pass-catcher during that matchup, hauling six of his seven targets, furthermore proving he’s the young quarterback’s security blanket. There’s questions if Ertz will be rusty for this game, which is fair to ask since he missed the team’s last two games, but remember he played with his injury throughout the Browns game and was still effective.
Carson Wentz
Your fantasy team’s quarterback could be on a bye, injured, or underwhelming this season, so Wentz would be a good play for you today. The Lions are 21st in pass-defense, while giving up the 2nd most passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks and the highest passer ratings as well (120.2).
This is a favorable matchup for Wentz as the Lions defense has only forced one turnover on defense in the first four games of the 2016 season.
Wendell Smallwood
This is a risky play and should only be used as a flex starter. Smallwood looks to build upon his 17 carries for 79 rushing yards and one touchdown performance versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were a top team versus run defense and limited their first two opponents to 101 yards rushing (Redskins: 55; Bengals: 46).
The Lions have the 23rd ranked run defense this season. They’ve only given up two rushing touchdowns in four games, but let Chicago Bears rookie running back, Jordan Howard, run all over them this past Sunday for 111 rushing yards.
Ryan Mathews is dealing with an ankle injury, which apparently is good to go for today’s game, but he was pulled after two carries versus the Steelers with stiffness, which led the way for Smallwood’s big game. The Eagles will use Smallwood in a more increasingly role moving forward and he has a chance to build upon his breakout game today.
