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While the New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts rivalry wasn't as close a contest as football fans had hoped for last Thursday night, many players returned productive numbers for fantasy owners.
Tom Brady and Andrew Luck both managed to eclipse the 300-passing yard mark and throw for an identical 3:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, allowing for multiple pass-catchers to be involved including James White (10 receptions, 77 yards, one touchdown), Rob Gronkowski (six receptions, 75 yards), and Eric Ebron (nine receptions, 110 yards, two touchdowns).
The Philadelphia Eagles currently have a 1-2 record with Carson Wentz under center while the New York Giants have struggled to take flight as an offensive unit, but that doesn't mean Week 6's Thursday Night Football game won't have some explosive plays. With plenty of startable fantasy assets ready to be slotted into your lineups, let's dive into another Thursday Night Football matchup analysis article!
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Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
Date and Start Time: Thursday, October 11 at 8:00 PM ET
Notable Injuries and Status:
- Jay Ajayi (RB, PHI) - Knee - Placed on Injured Reserve
- Corey Clement (RB, PHI) - Quadricep - Active
- Darren Sproles (RB, PHI) - Hamstring) - Doubtful
- Evan Engram (TE, NYG) - Knee - Inactive
Offensive and Defensive Rankings:
| Eagles | Giants | |
| Passing Yards | 19th | 17th |
| Rushing Yards | 16th | 28th |
| Pass Defense | 22nd | 8th |
| Run Defense | 2nd | 27th |
Must Starts
Top Performers That Have To Be In Your Lineup
Zach Ertz (TE, PHI)
With quarterback Carson Wentz back in the lineup, Ertz's dominance is all but guaranteed to continue as the focal point of Philadelphia's offense over the middle. The sixth-year tight end enters Week 6 with no less than five receptions in a game this season and is coming off of back to back 10-reception, 100-receiving yard performances. While the New York Giants haven't been particularly susceptible to tight ends, Ertz is sure to reverse that conception.
Saquon Barkley (RB, NYG)
Although the New York Giants rank in the bottom half of the league through the air and on the ground, Barkley managed to find ways to put up solid fantasy numbers as a rookie. Offensive coordinator Mike Shula has given Barkley no less than 16 touches per game and will undoubtedly continue to be fed against the Philadelphia Eagles so long as he is on the field. Fantasy owners shouldn't be worried about the "random back spasm" he suffered late in Week 5.
Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, NYG)
Beckham Jr. saw his most productive day of the 2018 season last week against the Carolina Panthers. Aside from his 57-yard touchdown pass to running back Saquon Barkley, he enjoyed exceptional receiving numbers that fantasy owners were hoping for in eight receptions for 131 yards and his first touchdown of the year. The Philadelphia Eagles' highly vulnerable secondary has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing No. 1 wideouts to open this season and should allow Beckham Jr. to continue to generate yardage.
Consider Sitting
Players To Avoid Putting In Your Lineup If Possible
Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor (WRs, PHI)
The New York Giants currently boast the eighth-best pass defense in the NFL, which is bad news for Jeffery and Agholor heading into Thursday night. Jeffery will have all that he can handle when taking on cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who has managed to keep DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, and Devin Funchess outside of the top-30 wide receivers over the past three weeks. On the other hand, Agholor has put up 45 yards or less in four of the five games and been noticeably less involved in the passing attack with Jeffery's return.
Eli Manning (QB, NYG)
While Manning has had some success against the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing as a top-12 scoring quarterback in three of the four meetings with the Philadelphia defense under Jim Schwartz, he has only managed to throw for over 300-passing yards in one game this season and still threw two interceptions in the lone contest that he did. Fantasy owners could turn to Manning as a potential streaming option, but be wary of other quarterbacks on Sunday and Monday who could fill that role better.
Other Notable Sit Candidates: Wayne Gallman (RBs, NYG), Darren Sproles (RB, PHI)
Solid Options/Sleepers
Which Players Will Have Solid Games and Which Could Surprise?
Solid Option: Carson Wentz (QB, PHI)
Wentz has been progressively improving as a fantasy football quarterback since his return, finishing as the QB22, QB15, and QB8 over his three games. While the New York Giants defense has managed to limit the success of Drew Brees and Cam Newton already this season, their surprising effectiveness against the pass shouldn't be so great a deterrent to avoid starting a quarterback who is coming off of consecutive 300-passing yard, two touchdown games.
Solid Options: Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood (RBs, PHI)
The New York Giants have been an exceptionally porous run defense, leaving the door open for Philadelphia's newly elevated lead rusher Corey Clement and spell-back Wendell Smallwood to get plenty of opportunities to break off some big runs. Head coach Doug Pederson will likely rotate the two in a committee absent Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles, meaning enough volume will be there for both Clement and Smallwood to have solid fantasy outings.
Solid Option: Sterling Shepard (WR, NYG)
With news that tight end Evan Engram is ruled out, Shepard should be a reliable WR3 play with upside on Thursday. He has 22.4-percent of the New York Giants targets over the past three weeks and has scored a touchdown in all four meetings versus the Eagles in his career.
