The New York Giants‘ outlook attempts to gauge the fantasy football value of Saquon Barkley, while the Philadelphia Eagles‘ fantasy preview looks to place D’Andre Swift in the ranks in this plus-matchup.
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
- Spread: Eagles -10.5
- Total: 43
- Giants implied points: 16.3
- Eagles implied points: 26.8
Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts: Monday night wasn’t exactly a Jordan Flu game for Hurts, but it should serve as a reminder as to why Hurts is nothing short of an elite fantasy asset.
In a game in which he completed just 17 of his 31 passes and didn’t have a 20-yard completion for the first time since Halloween of 2021 — he still finished the week as the fifth-highest-scoring quarterback in the game.
Josh Allen and Hurts are alone in my top tier at the position in similarly favorable spots as heavy favorites.
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley: That’s now twice in three games in which Barkley handled 13 or fewer touches, putting his primary path to fantasy production in this brutal offense in question entering a matchup with a strong run defense.
His average finish this season in Giants losses is outside of the top 25 at the position, and I fear that we could see that average prove accurate in this spot. Due to the extended week and single-play upside, Barkley remains an RB2 for me, but your expectations for him now certainly don’t match what they were when you drafted him this summer.
D’Andre Swift: The Giants are the third-worst per-carry run defense in the NFL, which is why you’re playing Swift. You’re betting on this Eagles offense as a whole and that Swift is the RB1 (41-28 snap edge over Kenneth Gainwell last Monday night).
You’re betting on a spot and a role more than a player. Swift has four straight weekly finishes outside of the top 25 fantasy running backs, with his longest gain in December being a mere 11 yards.
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His role in the passing game is trending in the wrong direction, and I’m not sure we see that change down the stretch of the regular season. That said, he continues to be featured on the ground (75% of RB carries last week in Seattle), and that’s enough in this spot, with Philadelphia being a heavy favorite.
Kenneth Gainwell: He’s annoying to Swift managers, but don’t mistake that usage as something that holds fantasy value by itself. Gainwell has scored twice on his 92 touches this season and hasn’t cleared eight touches in a game since Week 2.
He ran one more route than Swift last week and is going to take food off his plate but not nearly enough to justify being rostered with any expectations beyond that of a handcuff that you’re using as depth.
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton: The burner saw a season-high eight targets with Darren Waller back in the mix, potentially a sign of things to come now that the Giants have multiple threats in the short passing game.
Or maybe not. Slayton doesn’t have a 70-yard game on his resume this season, per the Week 16 Cheat Sheet, and has scored just eight touchdowns in 59 games since scoring eight times in 14 games as a rookie. He’s my highest-ranked Giants WR this week, and if he is the answer to the questions you’re asking, you’re asking the wrong questions.
A.J. Brown: I don’t care that Brown hasn’t been a top-20 receiver in four of five games since the bye. He’s seen double-digit targets in a career-best three straight games and faces a bottom-10 red-zone defense that blitzes at the second-highest rate in the league.
Need I say more? That matchup profile gives him elite scoring equity along with big splash play potential when New York leaves a corner on an island with him in an effort to speed up Hurts. Brown is my top-ranked receiver this week — lock him in and watch the points pile up!
DeVonta Smith: He came up short last week, along with the rest of Philadelphia’s offense, but he had been trending up (70+ yards in four straight games prior to Week 15) since the bye, closing the production between he and Brown.
I still prefer Brown to Smith this week, but you’re playing both with the utmost confidence. Is there a world in which the Eagles dominate from start to finish, similar to what the Bills did last week to the Cowboys, and offer little value through the air?
Of course that could happen, but if your primary concern is how a given offense is going to score rather than if they are going to score, you’re dealing with the problems of a rich roster. Must be nice!
The last time the G-Men faced a player who has spent much of this season in the MVP conversation was Week 10 in Dallas.
- CeeDee Lamb: 11 receptions for 151 yards and a TD (31.8% target share)
- Brandin Cooks: 9 receptions for 173 yards and a TD (22.7% target share)
I’m not saying that Brown and Smith combine for that level of production as much as I’m highlighting that a truly elite performance through the air is certainly possible in this spot.
Tight Ends
Darren Waller: After missing five straight games, Waller essentially split the routes with Daniel Bellinger, and he finished participating on 46.8% of New York dropbacks. Earning a target on 27.3% of his routes was good to see and makes him a low-end streaming option against a vulnerable Eagles secondary that will be on short rest if you’re in a bind.
MORE: Tate’s ROS Tight End Rankings
That said, he’s a blobber, one with a lot of talent and in a good spot, but also one that comes with little overall offensive upside and no motivation to extend a veteran TE who is signed through 2026 (unless the Giants opt to swallow the dead cap hit after this season).
Dallas Goedert: In his two games back from missing over a month, Goedert has shown some signs of the potential that had him labeled as a Tier 3 tight end entering the season.
He caught all four of his targets in his return to action in Week 14 against the Cowboys and posted a 30% target share on Monday night in Seattle.
We’ve seen a pair of TEs establish themselves late in the season in Isaiah Likely and David Njoku, a development that has knocked Goedert just outside of my top 10 at the position this week.
Should You Start Saquon Barkley or James Conner?
Both are RB2s for me this week, and I actually prefer Conner. Kyler Murray gives the Cardinals a path to offensive upside and scoring opportunities that simply isn’t present in New York these days.
It’s been over a month since the last time Barkley had a 10-yard run and catch in the same game — the home-run-hitting potential just hasn’t been there in the same way it has in years past.
Barkley gets stuck in a tough matchup against the Eagles, where production on the ground will be difficult to come by, and the overall play count doesn’t project favorably.
Both backs have a floor that is worrisome, so I’d rather play the option with the edge in overall offensive potential.
Should You Start DeVonta Smith or DJ Moore?
In a perfect world, you’re not benching either. Smith’s role is moving in the right direction at the perfect time, but Moore has something in his profile that Smith doesn’t.
Need.
The Bears need Moore to produce if they are going to move the ball, whereas the Eagles can put points on the board without Smith having a big day (remember when they scored 28 points against the Cowboys, and Smith saw just three targets?).
Moore has seen at least eight targets in five straight games, and I see no reason for that to change. If you have both of these receivers, I prefer Moore, but I’d be looking to Flex Smith and bench a player with lesser upside.
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