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Happy Monday, RotoBallers! We're back with another Monday Night Football showdown article of the year! How exciting of a time is it? I hope your team saw great success yesterday, as we all want to kick back, relax, and enjoy this "battle of the unbeaten" as the reigning NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) head down to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0).
We have been pretty successful so far with these showdown slates and hopefully, that trend continues from last year into this year. Most of us started our fantasy journeys with football, so it's always nice when it comes around and it's always a shame for it to come to an end. Thanks to the advanced analytics of today, I'll do my best to provide you with as much in-depth analysis as possible regarding positional matchups and the like to help put some lunch money in your pocket. Let's make some coin this season gang, and let's get right to it.
I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Eagles vs. Buccaneers NFL DFS showdown slate on September 25. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If you have any questions, you can follow me on Twitter/X @LucidMediaDFS and fire away, or sign up for a premium RotoBaller NFL package and chat with me and other NFL DFS analysts at any time you'd like!
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MVP/Captain Plays
Jalen Hurts - QB, $17,400 (DK), $16,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 363 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one interception, 21 carries, 72 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns.
- Projected Offensive Pass DVOA: -31.9%
I'll start things off on this slate with Jalen Hurts. There have been a lot of questions regarding this Philadelphia offense, the passing game in particular, through the first two weeks of the season. This is shown through the poor projected passing DVOA for the Eagles, but I think Hurts will be multi-dimensional in this one. My model has Hurts throwing for 219.08 yards and 1.43 touchdowns here while adding 45 yards and 0.54 touchdowns on the ground. Hurts certainly does not forget the 2021 Wild Card loss to the Bucs, and I think he's coming into this game with revenge on his mind.
Chris Godwin - WR, $11,100 (DK), $10,500 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 14 targets, 10 receptions, 109 receiving yards.
While Mike Evans has been the guy to come out firing on all cylinders through Tampa's first two wins, I think it's Godwin who has the big night on Monday Night Football. The way to beat the Eagles defensive front so far this season has been with the short passing game, which is right in the pocket (no pun intended) for Godwin here. My model projects Godwin to catch 5.66 of his 7.13 targets here for 58.56 yards and 0.37 touchdowns.
Other Captains/MVPs: A.J. Brown, Jake Elliott, Baker Mayfield
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DFS Flex Plays
A.J. Brown - WR, $10,600 (DK), $12,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 16 targets, 11 receptions, 108 receiving yards.
The talk in Philly for the last week and a half was the "spat" for lack of better words between A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts on the Eagles sideline in their Week 2 matchup against the Vikings. Following that "spat", A.J. got two deep targets in the end zone. I think that trend continues today, not because of the issues last week but because of the matchup. The Bucs lend a 55.73% DVOA against top wide receivers this season. My model projects Brown for 6.59 receptions on 8.25 targets for 97.7 receiving yards and 0.59 touchdowns.
Baker Mayfield - QB, $8,800 (DK), $14,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 490 passing yards, three touchdowns, 14 carries, 28 yards.
- Projected Offensive Pass DVOA: 18.36%
Who would've thought that we'd be playing Baker Mayfield in DFS lineups in 2023? Here we are, as the Buccaneers are 2-0 and looking to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2005. Here's the thing with Tampa Bay in this matchup: their path to victory goes through the passing game. That is unless their defense puts on a complete masterclass. Nevertheless, my model projects Baker to throw for 242.32 passing yards in this one, as well as 1.34 touchdowns. It'll be interesting to see if Baker's first two weeks were "for real" or not. I guess we'll find out!
Other Flex Options: Mike Evans, DeVonta Smith, D'Andre Swift
DFS Value Plays
Philadelphia Eagles - D/ST, $5,600 (DK), $9,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: 24 points allowed per game, four sacks, one interception, five fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown.
As previously mentioned, the success of Tampa Bay's offense rolls through the passing game. This is in large part thanks to the Eagles' defense being ferocious against the run early on in 2023. This puts the ball in Baker Mayfield's hands. While he's been protective of the ball so far, it'll be a tough ask to do the same against the Eagles' ball-hawking defense. That defense will be welcoming back James Bradberry and Reed Blankenship, giving the secondary a nice boost.
Olamide Zaccheaus - WR, $200 (DK), $7,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2023 Stats: None
I'll wrap things up with the Eagles' number-three receiver for the evening, Olamide Zaccheaus. Zaccheaus will fill in for the injured Quez Watkins. My model isn't expecting much from OZ in this one, having him catch just 1.05 of his 2.33 targets for 12.55 receiving yards and 0.07 touchdowns. However, the Eagles' coaching staff thinks very highly of him. I would be surprised if he doesn't see a few targets tomorrow night.
Other Value Plays: Jake Elliott, Cade Otton, Chase McLaughlin
Enjoy your week and good luck, everyone!
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