Commanders vs. Eagles Start 'Em, Sit 'Em (NFC Championship) - Saquon Barkley, Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Zach Ertz

January 24, 2025

Fantasy football start em, sit em lineups advice for the Commanders vs. Eagles on Sunday, January 26 for the NFC Championship (2025). NFL matchups analysis and starts/sits.

With the 2024-25 NFL season wrapping up, only a trio of games remain in the quest to crown the Super Bowl LIX Champion. Below you can read our matchups analysis article for the Commanders vs. Eagles game to help make any fantasy lineup decisions for whatever contest, league, or tournament you are participating in.

The Commanders are the surprise of the weekend after taking down the Buccaneers and Lions to advance to the NFL's "final four." Meanwhile, the Eagles are riding high after a victory over the Los Angeles Rams and are surprise hosts of the NFC title game after Detroit was eliminated. It's always fun when two rivals square of during conference championship Sunday, so this should be a good one!

Read our fantasy football breakdowns for this game -- the recommended starts, sits, and matchups we love heading into the NFC Championship. Below, you'll see the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Saquon Barkley, Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Zach Ertz, and more.

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

Time: Sunday 3:00 PM ET

Spread: Eagles -6

Projected Point Total: 47.5

Matchups We Love

RB Saquon Barkley 

Saquon Barkley will be the best running back play this weekend. He has rushed for 324 yards and two touchdowns across the first two rounds of the playoffs and now gets a favorable matchup against the Commanders on Sunday. Washington has allowed almost 4.9 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season. Barkley also rushed for over 145 yards and two touchdowns in both games against this front seven this year.

The definition of electric⚡️@saquon

📺: #LARvsPHI on NBC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/25wqGdgYjX

— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025

Matchups We Hate

RB Brian Robinson Jr. 

Expectations should be tempered for Brian Robinson Jr. this week against the Eagles. Even though Philadelphia has allowed an 80-plus yard rusher in three of the past four games, this front seven has allowed only five running backs to score above 13 PPR fantasy points since Week 4.

So, Robinson will be a risker play this weekend. He has scored under 12 PPR fantasy points in five of the past six games and only totaled 2.4 PPR fantasy points against this Eagles defense back in Week 16.

WR Terry McLaurin 

Terry McLaurin will face this Eagles secondary for the third time this season. In his first meeting, he caught just one pass for 10 yards, and in his second meeting, he caught five passes for 60 yards and one touchdown.

Although he had a much better game against this defense back in Week 16, it might be tough to rely on him in the NFC Championship game. Darius Slay Jr. and Quinyon Mitchell, assuming he plays due to a shoulder injury, present a tough matchup for McLaurin on the outside. The Eagles also allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing wideouts in the regular season.

COMMANDERS 86-YARD TOUCHDOWN WOW

📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/apaNEKNCkh

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024

WR Dyami Brown 

Dyami Brown has really stepped up for the Commanders over these last few weeks. He has totaled over 85 receiving yards in back-to-back playoff games while scoring above 15.5 PPR fantasy points in both of those contests.

However, this Eagles secondary is a tough matchup for Brown in this game. He'll likely be matched up against both Slay and Mitchell on Sunday, and both corners rank top-20 in catch rate allowed and passer rating allowed this season. Therefore, the Commanders wideout will be a riskier option in DFS contests this weekend.

Other Matchups

QB Jayden Daniels 

Jayden Daniels will have his hands full on Sunday against the Eagles. Philadelphia allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the regular season, and this secondary has allowed over 19 fantasy points to only five quarterbacks since Week 5.

However, Daniels will continue to be a solid start this week. He scored 36.4 fantasy points against this Eagles secondary the last time he faced them in Week 16, and the rookie quarterback has scored over 22 fantasy points in seven straight games that he started and finished.

Jayden Daniels making special plays 🔥

📺: #CLEvsWAS on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/RJ0o4vBQ6k

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024

QB Jalen Hurts 

Jalen Hurts has not thrown for a ton of yards over the past couple of weeks. He has thrown for less than 180 yards in five of his past six full games. However, Hurts will remain a solid quarterback option this weekend, thanks to his rushing upside. He has 13 rushing touchdowns over his last 12 games.

RB Austin Ekeler 

Austin Ekeler is an interesting play in DFS contests this weekend. He totaled 88 yards from scrimmage in last week's win and continues to be a major factor in the passing game. So, even though the Eagles have been one of the best teams against the run this season, they ranked middle of the pack in terms of receptions allowed to running backs in the regular season.

Given that Ekeler caught eight passes for 89 yards against this Philadelphia defense back in Week 11, he can be a value play in DFS contests this weekend.

WR Olamide Zaccheaus 

After a strong end to the regular season, Olamide Zaccheaus has been quiet in the receiving game in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Last week, Zaccheaus didn't catch a pass and played only 44% of the team's offensive snaps. As a result, he is going to be hard to trust in most DFS contests this weekend.

On top of that, he'll likely be matched up against Cooper DeJean on Sunday afternoon. DeJean ranked first in yards per reception allowed in the regular season.

WR A.J. Brown 

A.J. Brown hasn't really been involved in the passing game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, catching just three passes for 24 yards. So, it might be tough to rely on him in most contests this weekend, especially since he'll likely be matched up against Marshon Lattimore on the outside.

However, Brown dominated Lattimore the last time these two teams played back in Week 16. He caught eight passes for 97 yards and one touchdown in that game. Even though most of those stats came with Kenny Pickett under center, the Eagles wideout could be in for a bounce-back game in the NFC Championship.

WR DeVonta Smith 

With Jalen Hurts averaging just 159 passing yards over his last six full games, DeVonta Smith has struggled to put up solid fantasy numbers. Smith has averaged just 7.8 PPR fantasy points in the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs. As a result, he won't be a top fantasy option for most people this weekend. 

Smith will also likely go up against slot cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, and Igbinoghene ranks top-20 in catch rate allowed, passer rating allowed, and yards per target allowed this season. Even though Amon-Ra St. Brown had a dominant game in the slot against this Washington secondary last week, Hurts' recent passing numbers do not bode well for the Eagles wideout on Sunday.

TE Zach Ertz

Zach Ertz had a solid fantasy day last week against a tough Lions secondary. So, he isn't necessarily a must-sit this weekend. Even though Philadelphia allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in the regular season, Ertz does have some potential on Sunday.

He scored 18.7 PPR fantasy points against this secondary earlier this year, and this Eagles defense allowed Tyler Higbee to catch seven passes for 54 yards and one touchdown last week in the Divisional Round.

TE Dallas Goedert 

Dallas Goedert has put up solid fantasy numbers in the first two rounds of the NFL playoffs. He has caught four passes in both games while finishing with at least 9.5 PPR fantasy points in each of those contests. So, he'll be a solid option in the NFC Conference Championship game against the Commanders.

Sam LaPorta just totaled 17.1 PPR fantasy points last week against this Washington secondary, and Goedert totaled 11.1 PPR fantasy points the last time he faced the Commanders back in Week 11.

Notable Fantasy-Relevant Injuries

• Jalen Hurts (knee)

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