Fantasy Football Friday: Eagles at Tampa Bay

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Making it’s series debut on Philly Sports Network on this fine September evening, Fantasy Football Friday is a weekly series that will help you figure out which Eagles to fave or fade in your fantasy lineups. I decided to introduce this series in Week 2 since the Eagles opened the season on a Thursday and debuting a series called ?Fantasy Football Friday ?the Wednesday prior to the opener would’ve been…odd- to say the least. Nevertheless, I am here and ready to help you guys set your lineups and win some cash. Let’s jump right in with a few names to fave or fade in the Eagles showdown against the Buccaneers:

Fave

TE Zach Ertz
 This may seem like an obvious selection, as Ertz is a well regarded tight end both in fantasy and reality, but some people may be wary of putting him in their lineups as he suffered through a night of drops in the against the Falcons. Fear not, my fellow fantasy players, and put Ertz in your lineup with confidence this week. The Bucs defense, as you’ll see discover throughout this piece, is incredibly exploitable- allowing even the 38-year old journeyman Ben Watson to have a respectable fantasy night last week. With Alshon Jeffery still out with injury, Ertz should have an absolute field day against a Bucs defense that allowed 432 passing yards in Week 1.

For the DFS crowd, there are definitely cheaper tight end options I like a bit more- George Kittle and Jared Cook for example- but if you’re willing to pay up for him, Ertz should make good on his premium price.

 

WR Nelson Agholor
Last week, Agholor put on a somewhat polarizing performance. On one hand, the former USC Trojan displayed impressive hands, catching 8 of his 10 targets. Conversely, however, those eight receptions netted just 33 yards. I’d expect Agholor to enjoy a much more productive evening against the Bucs leaky secondary. If you are in a season long league, I think Agholor is worth a flex spot. I also think Agholor could be a sneaky DFS value if you are looking to save a bit of salary for bigger name players.

 

QB Nick Foles
The season opener against Atlanta certainly wasn’t Foles’ strongest performance, but don’t let that trick you into believing that reflects who he is as a player. Foles is a damn good quarterback that faces little resistance to fantasy glory against the porous Tampa defense. Saints QB Drew Brees absolutely shredded their defense in Week 1, and although 432 passing yards may not be in the cards for the reigning Super Bowl MVP, I’d expect him to shine down in Florida this Sunday.

 

Eagles D/ST
There has been a ton of chatter about the Bucs offense following their 48 point explosion against the Saints. Many analysts even suggested that the performance is repeatable and that fantasy players should avoid the Eagles defense in Week 2. While I do love a good underdog story, I simply don’t envision Tampa being remotely as productive as last week. In fact, I doubt the Bucs score more than 17 points this week. If you have the Eagles D/ST on your roster, make sure you ignore the hype and get them in your starting lineups this week.

 

RB Jay Ajayi- The Jay Train exploded last week against the Falcons, scoring the Eagles’ first two touchdowns of the season. He has been highly efficient since joining the Birds and I think Pederson will unleash him once again this week. Fire him up in season long and DFS.

 

Fade

WR Mike Wallace
Sitting Wallace is more so a lack of trust in the rapport between he and Foles than it is an indictment that he is a poor player. He has a favorable matchup in Tampa, but I’d wait to see some semblance of chemistry between the duo before I thrust him in my starting lineup.

RB Darren Sproles
With the anticipated blowout of the Buccaneers, game script will likely keep Sproles on the sideline for much of the second

half as the Eagles chew clock with Ajayi and Clement. You can find better options than Sproles this week.

**Update** After missing practice, Darren Sproles will be sidelined during week two, so definitely fade him!