Daily Dr. Roto — October 11, 2018
Week 6 Thursday Night Football Preview
Quarterbacks
Carson Wentz — Wentz has played well the last two games, and I expect him to have another solid game on Thursday. The Giants have always struggled with mobile QBs, and Wentz has just enough mobility to keep plays alive and take his shots downfield. Now that Ajayi is out, I think that the Eagles will turn to more of a short passing game which should mean more attempts and passing yards for Wentz. Put him down for 300+ yards and 2 TDs in this big division contest.
Eli Manning — The Eagles are going to swarm Manning with their pass rush, so he will have to make precise reads and get the ball out of his hands quickly. Last week was the first week that Manning challenged opposing defenses by throwing it downfield and he will have to do that once again on Thursday. It is virtually impossible for the Giants to win this game by dinking and dunking. OC Mike Shula is going to have to open his offensive playbook if the Giants want any chance to win. I think the Eagles sack Eli five time in this game and hold him to about 250 yards and 1 TD.
Running Backs
Wendell Smallwood — With Jay Ajayi out for the season, look for Doug Pederson to split the carries evenly on Thursday night. Smallwood might be the better runner of the two, but he is rather small and can’t carry a 20-touch workload. He’s best used as a glorified change of pace back, so I think 12-15 carries and 2-3 receptions seems about right.
Corey Clement — Not only is Clement a better natural receiver than Smallwood, but he is also the better goal-line runner, so if the Eagles find themselves in a short yardage situation I would not be surprised to see him get the call. I think I like Clement more than Smallwood mainly due to his ability to catch the football, but I think that Fantasy owners should temper their expectations as Clement is sharing time and will end up around 14-16 Fantasy points.
Saquon Barkley — The Eagles run defense has been outstanding this season as they have not given up more than 55 yards to any opposing running back. Barkley, however, is clearly better than any other back that the Eagles defense has faced this season, so don’t be surprised if he breaks one or two carries for long gainers. That said, I think the Eagles will do whatever they can to contain Barkley and force Eli Manning to beat them.
Wide Receivers
Alshon Jeffery — The Giants have been incredibly stingy this season against opposing wide receivers, mainly due to the exceptional cover skills of CB Janoris Jenkins. I assume that Jenkins will be covering Jeffery for most of the game, so I would look for other options if you have any on your roster this week.
Nelson Agholor — The Giants have been the most generous to slot receivers thus far, so I think that Agholor or Jordan Matthews will benefit the most, depending on who gets most of the routes in the slot. I would probably lean towards starting Agholor, but once again, temper your expectations as the Giants have improved their pass defense overall.
Odell Beckham Jr. — The only way the Giants have a chance to win is if they exploit Beckham’s matchup against Mills and Darby. Neither CB can stay with Beckham in a one-on-one matchup, so I would expect to see the safety come and help as much as possible. If Eli has the time and the gumption to challenge the Eagles deep, Beckham could have a HUGE game. However, if the Eagles pass rush gets to Eli, Beckham may be once again crying for more targets during halftime.
Sterling Shepard — The Eagles have been slightly better covering WR2’s that WR1’s, but Shepard is not your ordinary WR2. If Beckham is double teamed as expected, Eli will be forced to find Shepard which could lend itself to him having a surprisingly productive Fantasy evening. Look for Shepard to get about 16-18 Fantasy points in a PPR format.
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Tight Ends
Zach Ertz — The Giants are ranked highly vs. the TE in 2018, but I think that is due more based on opponent than anything else. Both Houston and New Orleans shredded the Giants defense by throwing to their tight ends, and I would be shocked if Wentz did not do the same. Look for Ertz to have about eight catches for 80 yards and maybe much more.
Dallas Goedert — Expect Goedert to be involved a little more on Thursday as the Eagles go with some two-tight end sets. He’s still not a great play, but the Giants have always struggled covering the tight end in the red zone so it’s possible that Goedert might make a play.
