Sunday Night Football is bringing in one of the favorite pairings as the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys head into Philadelphia to take on the undefeated Eagles. First place in the NFC East is at stake, so this should be a spirited affair.
Heading into NFL Week 6 Sunday Night Football, Stokastic is bringing plenty of NFL DFS tools and information for all of the different slates, game formats and sites.
This column will provide a free analysis of the single-slate action on DraftKings and FanDuel. It includes team capsules, player rankings, comments and NFL DFS picks. There is loads of information and NFL DFS Showdown analysis to get into for both DraftKings and FanDuel on this Week 6 Sunday Night Football slate featuring the Dallas Cowboys at the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Week 6 Sunday Night Football
Dallas added WR CeeDee Lamb (hip) on the injury report Friday, and he should be considered a game-time decision. Quarterback Dak Prescott is still dealing with a thumb issue, and while he is getting closer to returning, he is not expected to play tonight. Former Eagle Jason Peters is dealing with a chest issue, though the long-time offensive lineman is expected to be rotating in at guard. Simi Fehoko (shoulder) was placed on the injured reserve this weekend, which thins out the wide receiver depth.
Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott (ankle) was able to practice in full on Friday, so he could be close to resuming his usual role. Surprisingly, CB Josh Jobe was the only player listed as a limited practice participant in the final injury report for the week.
Dallas Cowboys: 17.75 Points
Quarterback
The Stokastic fantasy projections have Cooper Rush ahead of only P.J. Walker in the quarterback rankings this week. For as much fun as the “talking heads” and owner Jerry Jones have had discussing a potential quarterback controversy, Dak Prescott will be back under center as soon as he is ready. While the Cowboys have run off four consecutive wins, most of that is courtesy of their defense, which has allowed less than 20 points in each game this season and ranks third ceding 14.4 points on average.
Rush continues to be a caretaker, and while he has not suffered an interception yet, he also has not topped 235 passing yards in any of his four starts. Last week he saw a season-low 16 attempts, which was just over half of what his passing workload had been in the preceding three games. Tonight he will likely be closer to 30 attempts since the Eagles should be able to put points on the board, as they rank in the top seven for both rushing and passing DVOA per Football Outsiders.
Running Back
Ezekiel Elliott is still seeing the field on two-thirds of the snaps, courtesy of his enormous contract. The 27-year-old is coming off a season-high 78 yards, though it took him 22 carries to get there and he has just one touchdown on the year. By comparison, Tony Pollard rolled up 86 yards and a score on just eight totes last week, and he also had a 105-yard rushing game on 13 carries in Week 3. Neither back saw a target last week, though with the limited volume that is not much of a surprise. DraftKings is making things very interesting with Elliott ($8,200) and Pollard ($8,000) separated by just $200. On FanDuel Pollard ($9,000) has a significant discount over Elliott ($11,500), though that also has him with a slight lead in the projected popularity for both the MVP and utility slot.
Both of these players are strong options in all formats tonight. Rico Dowdle is the only other running back to step on the field in an offensive capacity this season, and he was recently placed on the injured reserve. Undrafted rookie Malik Davis will likely serve as the third running back tonight.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb has plated on 95% of the snaps this season, and he dominates the team with 50 targets for a 35% share. If he is out, there would be quite a trickledown effect. Third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert has played in only one game this season, so if he is active tonight, we should be worried about the health and effectiveness of Lamb.
Michael Gallup has eight targets in his two games, which has been equaled by Noah Brown. This duo makes for solid secondary options, though neither would be able to fill any void left by Lamb, by themselves. KaVontae Turpin is in the mix as a dart throws after Simi Fehoko (shoulder) was placed on the injured reserve.
Tight End
Dalton Schultz (knee) tweaked his already sprained PCL last week and he was only able to play 10 snaps. On a positive note, he was not listed on the final injury reports, so he is expected to start, though he has an elevated in-game injury risk in an already brutal sport. Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot split the workload after Schultz left the game, though neither saw a target. When Schultz was injured in Week 3, each saw three targets, with Ferguson also getting one in Week 4. There is not much to see here, unfortunately, and this will be the case until Prescott is able to return to action.
Defense/Special Teams
The Cowboys have racked up 20 sacks, which is only one behind league leading San Francisco. However, Philadelphia is averaging only two sacks allowed per tilt. Dallas is in the middle of the pack with 11 takeaways this season, though the Eagles have suffered only two interceptions and have yet to lose a fumble.
Philadelphia Eagles: 24.25 Points
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts rates out as a top-three quarterback most weeks, and he easily is the top option in the player pool tonight. While the third-year signal-caller has only four touchdown passes, he does have a pair of 330-yard-plus passing performances. Hurts also has six rushing touchdowns and another 266 yards on the ground. Philadelphia has been so dominant this season that nearly 80% of Hurts’ production has come in the first half of games, and the team is content to just run the ball and keep the clock moving in the second half. It is hard to argue with this strategy, as the team is undefeated; of course, fantasy gamers are a fickle crowd.
Running Back
Miles Sanders seemed to fall out of favor last year, but he is back with a vengeance and already has three touchdowns compared to just two last season. The last two games have seen him on the field for 70% of the snaps, with Kenneth Gainwell (38) being the main backup. The second-year running back out of Memphis is a capable contributor, but if the workload continues to be tipped towards Sanders, it is hard to project Gainwell for more than half a dozen opportunities outside of a major blowout or an in-game injury or butterfingers befalling Sanders. Boston Scott and Trey Sermon have 15 combined snaps over the last three weeks.
Wide Receiver
DeVonta Smith has played on 96% or more snaps in three games this season, though he is light years behind A.J. Brown in production department. This pair has dominated the team targets, with Brown (45) leading the squad and Smith (38) ranking second. Smith is definitely in play tonight, particularly on DraftKings, where he has a whopping $3,200 discount compared to Brown, who checks in with a lofty $10,600 salary. Quez Watkins is relatively secure as the third wide receiver, and former Indianapolis Colt Zach Pascal rounds out the rest of the crew.
Tight End
Dallas Goedert has at least six targets in three games this year, and the rest of the tight ends have combined for a grand total of four. Goedert continues to impress, and he is in the talent tier just below Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.
Defense/Special Teams
Philadelphia leads the league with 11 takeaways, but Dallas also leads the league with just two turnovers. The Eagles are averaging 3.4 sacks per game, which is the fourth most in the league, and the Cowboys are likely to allow them to add a few to this total.
Sunday Night Football Single-Game NFL DFS Strategy
The rankings below are best utilized for building out single-entry and three-max lineups, and for head-to-head and three-man formats. They provide a nice barometer for player value. However, those taking the MME approach should remember that correlation is key. This means matching a receiver or two with a quarterback in the Captain/MVP slot. That also works conversely, pairing a Captain/MVP pass catcher with their quarterback.
Week 6 Sunday Night Football NFL DFS Rankings
Top 10 NFL DFS Showdown Picks
- Jalen Hurts: “Hurts so good.” ~ John Mellencamp
- Miles Sanders: Workload has been there all season, which is a stark departure from last year.
- Cooper Rush: Second-worst fantasy projection among quarterbacks this week turns into the second best in the Sunday Night Football player pool. #Phrasing
- A.J. Brown: Fourth-most expensive option on FanDuel, second most on DraftKings, with a five-figure salary rarely seen by receivers aside from Cooper Kupp.
- CeeDee Lamb: Keep an eye out for news about his hip, though we also saw him pop up late last week on the injury report with a groin issue and he was just fine.
- Jake Elliott: Missed Week 5 with an ankle injury, should be a full go tonight. Made the Pro Bowl last year after making 30 of 33 field goal attempts and being perfect on 44 PATs.
- Brett Maher: We need the salary savings; keep in mind that Maher is still replacement level at best, despite nailing 13 of 14 field goal attempts this season.
- Ezekiel Elliott: Should be on the field for two-thirds of the plays; no longer the dynamic option he was five years ago. Best utilized on DraftKings where he is just $200 more than Pollard.
- Tony Pollard: Makes the most of his touches from a fantasy perspective; on FanDuel he easily rates out ahead of the kickers with his similar salary.
- Dallas Goedert: Clearly the third-best pass catcher on his team, and that is by no means a slight.
Secondary NFL DFS Showdown Picks
- DeVonta Smith: Playing time is there; easily could have a 100-yard game if the Cowboys can keep this competitive into the fourth quarter.
- Michael Gallup and Noah Brown: Only in this section because of their quarterback.
- Philadelphia D/ST: Arguably the most well-rounded defense in the league.
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Lottery Ticket NFL DFS Showdown Picks
- Kenneth Gainwell: Could end up with a dozen or more opportunities in a runaway game.
- Quez Watkins: Meh, better option against a better offense that could push the Eagles.
- Dalton Schultz: Caveat Emptor!
- Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot: Minimum salary on DraftKings at $200; worth it even if they just see a target or two. Upside if Schultz reaggravates his sprained knee. This duo is best left to the 150-maxers on FanDuel if Schultz is starting.
- KaVontae Turpin: Moves up to the next section if Lamb is out; also returns punts and kickoffs.
- Dallas D/ST: No knock on this defense, but Hurts does not cede many fantasy opportunities.
- Jalen Tolbert: May actually be active with Fehoko on the injured reserve; disappointing season so far from the rookie.
- Boston Scott: Potentially the odd man out, but there is a path to production late in the game if the Eagles are rolling.
- Zach Pascal: Worthy of his own line at $2,000 on DraftKings, but clearly a long shot for more than a couple targets.
- Britain Covey: Rookie wide receiver is the full-time return man for Philadelphia; has not seen any action on offense.
- Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, Dennis Houston, Sean McKeon, Malik Davis, Trey Sermon and Noah Togiai: Just say no!
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