Eagles vs. Bucs: Daily Fantasy Sleepers, Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings
The NFC wild-card clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the least desirable game on Monday's two-game slate from a daily fantasy football perspective.
Jalen Hurts is dealing with a finger injury he suffered in Week 18 and he will not have A.J. Brown available due to a knee issue.
Baker Mayfield is listed as questionable with ankle and ribs injuries, but he is expected to play inside Raymond James Stadium.
Mayfield has fewer questions within his offense because he will target Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at a high rate and rely on Rachaad White in the ground game.
The Eagles will probably rely on a heavy dose of DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert to make up for Brown's absence.
Quez Watkins and Julio Jones are slated for larger roles on Monday, but there is no guarantee either will produce stat lines worthy of DFS roster selection in FanDuel and DraftKings contests.
Baker Mayfield Is Better Quarterback Choice Than Jalen Hurts
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Baker Mayfield is better equipped to achieve success on Monday.
Mayfield's injuries will not directly affect his throwing motion, while Hurts' finger issue could be problematic for the Eagles offense.
The Tampa Bay quarterback can also take advantage of a subpar Eagles defense with his two top targets at his disposal.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have the potential to torch an Eagles defense that has somehow gotten worse by the week.
Philadelphia allowed over 400 total yards in each of the last two weeks and in four of its last seven contests.
Tampa Bay's wide outs should have plenty of room to operate in. That makes Evans, Godwin and Mayfield the perfect lineup stack combination for a single-game contest, or a two-game contest that also features the Pittsburgh Steelers-Buffalo Bills game.
Trust Philadelphia's Ball Carriers
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D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell have to play massive roles inside the Philadelphia offense with Hurts banged up and Brown out injured.
The Eagles ran for 201 yards on the Bucs defense in Week 3, so there should be some confidence within the team that it can achieve success on Monday.
Swift will earn the bulk of the carries, while Gainwell is utilized in more passing situations.
Gainwell is still a decent DFS value play because he spells Swift on occasion and could catch a few more passes on Monday.
Swift should be the No. 1 running back target from the Eagles-Bucs game, while Hurts may be targeted because of his ground-game skills as well.
Philadelphia's path to victory without Brown requires a ground-heavy approach, so that should result in a high point total for Swift.
Sleepers Will Be Hard to Find
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The Eagles-Bucs matchup lacks true sleepers because of the injury situation.
Julio Jones and Quez Watkins will have much higher roster percentages than at any point in the regular season because of Brown's injury.
The assumption is Jones receives a higher target share than Watkins because of his experience and his two-touchdown Week 17 performance.
Watkins is used more as a deep threat by the Eagles. He will likely work out of the slot with Jones and DeVonta Smith on the outside.
Tampa Bay's offense will run through Mayfield, Evans, Godwin and Rachaad White. Cade Otton will receive some targets, but not enough to be deemed a top sleeper pick.
With Brown in the Eagles lineup, Jones or Watkins would have been perfect to shoehorn into a roster, but now they will feel like popular picks because of the big absence for the Eagles.
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