The Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants have had very different seasons. Tommy DeVito’s reign as the new king of New York (or Rutherford New Jersey anyway) crashed and burned against the Saints. The Seahawks showed that if you can turn the game into a good old, low scoring, slugfest then the Eagles can struggle to cut loose. But that plan makes it pretty difficult to pick any Giants players on this DraftKings DFS slate. And the Eagles’ offense is a very concentrated system, it’s to find bargains when only 5 players have caught more than 10 passes this season. But here goes.
DraftKings DFS Bargains Christmas Day Special
The Fresh Running Back Option DraftKings DFS Pick – Boston Scott
Kenneth Gainwell and D’Andre Swift are the Eagles’ most-used running backs. And with Jalen Hurts happy to use his legs to gain first downs there hasn’t been much opportunity for Scott. But after a pretty lackluster display in a soggy Seattle, it’s time for Philly to mix it up a bit.
Scott is averaging 6.5 yards per touch in 2023 but he’s only had 20 touches. He should have a bit more pop than the guy who has been carrying the load for the last 14 games. Scott was an important part of the Eagles’ playoff run last season. He scored 2 touchdowns, averaging 4.1 yards on the ground and 9 yards per reception.
Losing both of their coordinators seems to have had more impact on the Eagles’ season than they could have imagined. Maybe Sirianni can remind them that Scott was a part of what worked so well last season.
The Seriously Underused Receiving Option – Olamide Zaccheaus
Zaccheaus is averaging 18 yards per touch this season. But he’s only had 8 touches! The Eagles’ “big 3” or AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goeddert have accounted for a mindblowing 81% of the Eagles’ receiving yards this season. It’s no wonder they’re starting to flag. They combined for 197 receiving yards in Week 14 and just 136 yards in Seattle last week. Philly needs to mix it up a bit and using Zaccheaus more would be a good start.
Even though he’s only had 8 touches he has still scored 2 touchdowns. This week he’ll probably line up opposite Darnay Holmes (the Giants have a few injured DBs though so it could be anyone). Holmes is allowing 75% of the passes thrown his way to be completed. And he’s allowing 12.7 yards per catch!
Zaccheaus will be the seventh most expensive receiving option on this DraftKings DFS slate. If he gets any chance to catch the ball it’s difficult to see him not making some big plays.
The Eagles Underused Slot Receiver DraftKings DFS Pick – Quez Watkins
Watkins falls into the same category as Zaccheaus, but he’s not catching the ball as effectively this season. Watkins is averaging just 7 yards per touch in 2023, but he is catching 70% of his targets. Devonta Smith is the only Eagles’ wideout with a better catch rate this year.
Watkins should line up opposite Cordale Flott (provided he’s healthy). Flott is allowing 12 yards per reception this season and he’s conceded 2 touchdowns. Watkins should be the seventh most expensive receiver on the DraftKings DFS slate. But he could be even cheaper as he hasn’t caught a pass in either of the Eagles’ last 2 games.
The “Not Darren Waller” DraftKings DFS Pick – Daniel Bellinger
The Giants tight end is a very big man. He’s also caught 13 of the 14 passes that have been thrown to him since the start of November. If the Giants can involve him in their red zone offense he’ll be worth his weight in gold. Bellinger is yet to catch a touchdown in 2023, but he is averaging 10.2 yards per touch!
Only 4 teams have conceded more touchdowns to the tight end position than the Eagles. And they allow an average of 12.5 DraftKings DFS points per game. Bellinger will be cheaper than Darren Waller and Dallas Goeddert in this DraftKings DFS game.
The “We’re All Waiting For Him To Go Off” Pick – WanDale Robinson
Robinson is reportedly dealing with an injured thigh, but that didn’t stop him from catching all 4 of his targets last week. He’s caught 82.1% of his targets this season and he’s had 8 rushing attempts too. There’s more than a bit of the Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s about Robinson and he hauled in 4 catches for 48 yards and a TD against a dinged-up Eagles defensive backfield. If Darius Slay’s knee is still an issue Robinson could have a big game. He’ll be the most expensive Giants receiver in this DraftKings DFS slate. But the Seahawks averaged 9.5 yards per catch against the patchwork Eagles defense.
Main Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
