Vikings vs Eagles DFS Lineup Builder
Vikings vs Eagles DFS Lineup Builder
Week 1 Recap
Week 1 is in the books, and what a wild week of football it was. Starting with the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs getting knocked off by the up-and-coming Detroit Lions and closing out with a heartbreaking injury on the fourth offensive snap for Aaron Rodgers and the hopeful Jets on Monday Night Football. (Apologies to all PrizePicks bettors who had the over on 0.5 passing yards for Rodgers.) There were some upsets, some surprises, and some GIANT losses (pun intended). But there is no time for rest as we are back for more football with Week 2 kicking off Thursday night with the Minnesota Vikings traveling to Philadelphia to take on the reigning NFC Champion Eagles.
The Vikings opened up the season at home with a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the 17 points is not exciting, the Vikings performed well from a fantasy perspective. They moved the ball efficiently, racking up 369 total yards, but turned the ball over three times. If you drafted Justin Jefferson, you were not disappointed. The superstar wide receiver had nine catches on 12 targets for 150 yards. Cousins threw 44 passes, completing 33 for 344 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Jordan Addison caught his first career touchdown in his NFL debut and finished with four catches on six targets for 61 yards. TJ Hockenson had eight catches on 9 targets for 35 yards. Alexander Mattison was not particularly efficient, but he caught a touchdown pass to save his fantasy week.
Related: Week 2 Thursday Night Showdown on DraftKings
The Eagles traveled to Foxborough and beat the Patriots 25-20 on Tom Brady Night. The Pats had a chance to win the game in the final minute, but the Eagles were able to force a turnover on downs to squash the upset. Jalen Hurts had a disappointing fantasy opener, going 22/33 for 170 yards and a touchdown, including a fumble. DeVonta Smith caught seven passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, while AJ Brown had seven catches for 79 yards. There were two surprises in the Eagles first game: Kenneth Gainwell was RB1 (18 touches, 62% snap share) and Dallas Goedert had zero targets.
Let’s look more into the matchup and what players to attack for your DFS lineup.
DFS Lineup Captain Options
To win these DFS tournaments you have to think different. It would be incredibly easy to pick Justin Jefferson, Jalen Hurts, or AJ Brown. You’ll still want to get one or two of those guys in your lineup, but here is why Smith and Addison will separate you from the pack as captains:
DeVonta Smith ($12,500 FanDuel):
Last year Minnesota ranked 31st in fantasy points allowed vs. WR (25.2 PPG). That carried over into 2023 as the Vikings allowed 25.5 points to the Buccaneers WR group. Here is why DeVonta is an exciting play vs the Vikings secondary:
- The Vikings allowed the second most explosive plays to WR in 2022 (any pass of 20 or more yards). DeVonta Smith ranked #19 in the NFL with 22 deep targets in 2022.
- Smith should see plenty of Akayleb Evans, who ranked 220th in coverage in 2022.
- In the Eagles 24-7 win over the Vikings in 2022, Smith had seven catches for 80 yards, including three catches of 15+ yards in the 1st half, before the game was out of hand and the Eagles turned to a more conservative approach in the 2nd half.
- The Eagles will be without RB Kenneth Gainwell, but also without S Reed Blankenship and CB James Bradberry, which could allow more scoring to keep the Vikings in the game.
Jordan Addison ($10,500 FD):
Justin Jefferson requires a lot of defensive attention, and even though he still produces, this will open the door for other Vikings offensive weapons to get opportunity. As mentioned before, Addison looked great in his first game with the Vikings, snagging his first NFL touchdown and averaging 2.9 yards of separation per route run in Week 1. Here is why that is enticing for this matchup:
- The Eagles CB James Bradberry has been ruled out. Darius Slay, presumably, will shadow Jefferson as he did when the team’s met last year. This will leave Josh Jobe to cover Jordan Addison. Jobe has only played twenty snaps, and inexperience on defense is exploitable.
- Addison ran 31 routes Week 1 and played only 56% of snaps. This number should only increase weekly as the rookie settles into the NFL.
- Kendrick Bourne had six catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns Week 1 running majority on the right side of the formation, which is where Addison primarily lined up in Week 1.
- S Reed Blankenship will also be out, leaving rookie Sydney Brown as the next man up. There is potential for Addison to get behind the defense a few times.
More: Fantasy Football Trades You Need To Make Before Week 2
Rounding out your lineup:
T.J. Hockenson ($10,000 FD):
- Hockenson has played in 11 games since being traded to the Vikings and has averaged 8.6 targets with Kirk Cousins as his QB.
- The Eagles were solid in 2022 against the TE position, only allowing 5.9 PPG, but allowed the most points to TE in Week 1 (23.2). Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki combined for eight catches on nine targets, 92 yards, and a touchdown.
- In the 2022 matchup against the Eagles (Hockenson had not yet been traded to the Vikings), TE Irv Smith had five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.
Jalen Hurts ($17,500 FD):
- The Vikings allowed 17.8 fantasy points to Baker Mayfield in Week 1, who threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
- In 2022, the Vikings were 29th with 23.7 PPG allowed to QB.
- Expect Hurts to bounce back in a big way after an ugly performance in Week 1, going 22-33 for 170 yards and one touchdown.
- In the 2022 matchup, Hurts was 26/31 with 333 yards and one touchdown, but he also ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns on 11 attempts.
Kirk Cousins ($15,000 FD):
- Kirko Chains had a solid game against Tampa Bay, going 33/44 for 344 yards and two touchdowns, but did have two costly turnovers. A similar volume is expected here in a game with an over/under of 49 and the Vikings are expected to be chasing as seven-point underdogs.
- The Eagles allowed 29.3 points to Mac Jones, who threw for three touchdowns, in Week 1.
D’Andre Swift ($8,000 FD)
- Kenneth Gainwell controlled the backfield in Week 1, seeing 62% of the snaps to Swift’s 29%. Gainwell was ruled out, leaving an opportunity for Swift.
- D’Andre Swift will likely be RB1 with some combination of Boston Scott and Rashaad Penny mixing in. Swift is the far superior back to that duo, and his explosiveness pairs up better with the Eagles fast-paced offense.
- Swift averaged 8.1 yards per reception (#10) in 2022, going against a Vikings defense that was 23rd in receptions allowed to RB’s.
- It is a cheap cost for a player in a potentially high scoring game that is able to score points in bunches.
Teaser Pleaser:
If you are looking for a little action in this Thursday Night Football game, a teaser may be a fun way to go as the spread (Eagles -7) and the over/under (49) both seem about right on. My favorite bet for this game is teasing Eagles -0.5 / Over 43.
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