If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.
We take this adage to heart when it comes to playing NFL DFS. The Fantasy Alarm Playbook isn’t just about handing you a list of players and a lineup to use each week. It is designed to help you learn to be a better DFS player. It’s about teaching you the process used in selecting which players to scout and, eventually, which ones to use.
Therefore, we will begin each week with the Weekly NFL DFS Watch List. We’ll still have our Weekly DFS Rankings, but the Watch List is designed to keep tabs on marquee names, chalk plays and, of course, the weekly bargains who may not see the same coverage and exposure. This piece will be continuously updated based on the most recent news and injuries which means you may see a name or two removed as we get closer to kick-off. You may also see a few late-week additions who pique our interest for some reason too, and by the end of the week, this watch list will eventually become your Playbook. Again, it’s about teaching you the process.
With Week 5 data in the books, it's time to start looking ahead to Week 6 and see who looks good.
PLAYERS ADDED -- 10/11 (see below for breakdown)
Thursday Night Thoughts
Defensive Rankings (according to DVOA):
Giants: Run -- 25th Pass -- 22nd
Eagles: Run -- 6th Pass -- 15th
Passing:
Considering how much Eli Manning and the Giants offensive line have struggled this season, it's pretty tough to put your faith in him in a tight, divisional game against the rival Eagles. Yes, they've had some injuries on defense and Jalen Mills is a bit of a problem, but putting your DFS trust in Eli is a very tough thing to do. Now Carson Wentz , on the other hand, isn't a bad option at all. He's got all his weapons at his disposal in the passsing game and while the rushing attack took a big hit with the loss of Jay Ajayi , it is still strong enough to lend support to the offense and not leave Wentz out to dry.
Rushing:
For the Giants, Saquon Barkley is a given. You start him in seasonal no matter what and if you're looking at him for DFS, you should probably stay with Draft Kings for the full-point PPR scoring. The Eagles have a fantastic run defense, but they do rank 16th against running back pass plays this season. Manning uses Barkley extensively with the check-downs, as evidenced by his average of just over seven targets per game this season and he did manage to pounch two of them into the end zone last week. He did tweak his back a little but it doesn't appear as if that will hinder him this week. On the Eagles side, we'll be treated to more of the ol' running-back-by-committee with Ajayi out. Corey Clement has returned to practice and should probably see the bulk of the work, but Wendell Small should continue to see his 6-to-8 carries and half a dozen targets as well. The wild card is Josh Adams . The Eagles haven't said too much about him, but there's a reason he was signed off the practice squad even before Ajayi's injury.
Receiving:
Given the strength of the Eagles run defense, you can't help but think Odell Backham and Sterling Shepard will see some significant targets in this contest. In fact, Beckham vs Jalen Mills should be a huge treat. You can take a look at some of the DVOA coverage numbers which definitely support this as Philadelphia is allowing over 120 yards per game to opposing WR1s while they rank 31st in the league against the opposing WR2. Fpor the Eagles, again, Wentz has the full complement of wideouts here. He also has Zach Ertz who now has three 10-catch games this season. But the real holes in the Giants coverage should be evident with Alshon Jeffry and Nelson Agholor . Big Blue ranks just 27th against the opposing WR1 while also ranking 31st against the slot. If this turns into a passing slugfest, both guys should produce well for you.
Stacks
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