While we’re all focused on NFL Wild Card Weekend, let’s not forget we’ve got one of the games taking place on Monday Night Football. If you are playing the full Wild Card DFS slate then it is very much a part of it, or you can dive into the Monday action either with the Sunday-Monday slate DraftKings and FanDuel are offering or even just a Showdown contest on its own. Baker Mayfield did a fantastic job leading the Tamp Bay Buccaneers to an NFC South title and now they get to host a playoff game in a season no one was expecting to see them playing meaningful games in January. They’ll take on Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that seems to be in a tailspin, having lost five-straight to close out the season. Is it doom and gloom for the Birds at the hands of the Bucs or do they rally? Either way, we’ve got some great DFS plays to consider from this game. 

 

 

Eagles vs. Buccaneers Prediction: Eagles Skid Continues in Playoffs

While the Philadelphia faithful believe the Eagles will pull themselves out of this late-season tailspin and end this horrendous skid, it looks like it could be more doom and gloom for the Birds. They should be at full-strength on paper, but a finger issue for Jalen Hurts, a knee issue for A.J. Brown and an ankle issue for DeVonta Smith could slow them down even against a suspect Tampa Bay pass defense. They've also struggled on defense as they've given up plenty of rushing yards during this 1-5 run over their last six games and they could still be without Darius Slay. Not that the Eagles secondary was playing well with him, but to potentially not have their top corner on Mike Evans, it could be a problem. I see Tampa leading with a strong ground approach with Rachaad White and lean on keeping Hurts and the offense off the field. That will allow Baker Mayfield to find his downfield targets. Philadelphia is just too reliant on their passing attack and we know playoff match-ups can be won or lost on the ground. This is where the Eagles lose it.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds

  • Spread: Eagles -3
  • Moneyline:
    • Eagles (-160)
    • Buccaneers (+135)
  • Total: 43.5
  • Weather: Chance of rain

Eagles vs. Buccaneers Injury Report:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Philadelphia Eagles

Best DFS Picks For Eagles vs. Buccaneers:

Jalen Hurts, QB Philadelphia Eagles

The finger issue doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a factor here, as x-rays came back negative, so we can comfortably move forward with using Hurts in DFS contests. Obviously, the tailspin the Eagles are in is a bit worrisome, but it’s difficult to imagine they don’t do everything they can to pull themselves out of it. We know how explosive this offense can be and the ol’ tush-push touchdowns always make Hurts a strong play in DFS. We’ve targeted against the Tampa secondary throughout the season and there doesn’t seem to be a need to deviate from that path. There might be other quarterbacks you can use on the full-slate, but on short-slate contests, he could be a solid low-owned pick.

Baker Mayfield, QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

We always turn to our resident QB guru, Jon Impemba, when it comes to Baker Mayfield and the recent QB Coach has him listed, so we’re ready to build some lineups with him. Not that we needed Jon’s permission, but I always love having his stamp of approval when Baker is involved. But statistically, we knew we were interested as the Eagles rank 29th in DVOA against the pass, allow the second-most passing yards per game and have allowed a whopping 35 touchdowns through the air. On top of that, the efficiency marks are off-the-charts as opposing quarterbacks have posted a 97.6 passer-rating against the Eagles. Let’s get it! 

Rachaad White, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Once a top-rated run defense, the Eagles have dropped all the way down to 22nd in DVOA against the run and have allowed the 10th-most rushing yards per game with 13 rushing touchdowns allowed on the season. These numbers have diminished largely due to this five-game losing streak, but the wheels were falling off the wagon even before that. White is a featured asset in this offense, his work in the passing game boosts his floor and he’s finished the season as a top-five running back in fantasy. No reason to stop using him now.

Mike Evans, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you’ve been listening to the shows over the last few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of bragging about the correct calls made by me and the rest of the Fantasy Alarm analysts. But I’ve also been very vocal of my miss on Evans this year. I genuinely thought the passing game would be shortened up in Dave Canales scheme, but Baker has locked onto Evans all year long, whether it’s to move the chains or take a deep shot downfield. The result is Evans’ 10th-straight 1,000-yard season and another 13 touchdowns. Matching him up against anyone in this secondary is going to tip the advantage his way, especially when the Eagles are allowing an average of 83.8 receiving yards per game to the opposing No. 1 receiver.

A.J. Brown, WR Philadelphia Eagles

We’ll keep an eye on the health of Brown’s knee, but the latest report from Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network is that the injury is deemed as minor and we should expect to see Brown on the field Monday without any limitations. The Bucs have struggled in coverage all year and they rank 25th in DVOA against the opposing WR1, allowing an average of nearly 80 yards per game to them. They’ll try to make things difficult with both Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean off the injury list, but Brown is one of the best at coming down with contested catches and should be used if he is 100-percent healthy. Update: As of Saturday morning, A.J. Brown has been ruled out for Monday night's game.

Other DFS Picks For Wild Card Weekend:

Chris Godwin, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite the recent drop in targets over the final two games of the season, Godwin has very much been an active part of this passing game, averaging nine targets per game over his last five. He’s a solid play in full-point PPR formats and has a solid floor. We’d like to see him get more red zone looks, if possible, to raise his ceiling for GPP tournaments, but we’re still very interested given the Eagles’ struggles in pass coverage. Currently, they rank 26th in DVOA against the opposing WR2, so there’s more than just a glimmer of hope here.

D’Andre Swift, RB Philadelphia Eagles

He’s a tough one to trust given how many touchdowns carries Hurts takes away with the tush push, but as a contrarian DFS play on a short-slate, he may be worthy of your attention. The Bucs are notoriously tough against the run, but we just watched the Saints put up over 100 on the ground against them in Week 17. This is probably more of a way to be different than the other lineups than it is a high-ceiling play.

DeVonta Smith, WR Philadelphia Eagles

It’s been a tough close to the 2023 season for Smith as an ankle injury has hampered him to the point where he’s found the end zone just once over his last four games and hasn’t sniffed 100-yard game since Week 12. The extra time off should be a huge benefit to him and with how this Eagles secondary gives up the most fantasy points per game to the wide receiver position, he should be in a good spot here in a win-or-go-home scenario.

Dallas Goedert, TE Philadelphia Eagles

The Bucs may rank 13th in DVOA against the tight end, but they are giving up an average of 63.3 receiving yards per game to the position and have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends all season. Goedert hasn’t seen a ton of red zone work but has definitely seen an uptick in targets down the stretch. What I like the most is that people will fade him due to just one touchdown since Week 7, but this is really a prime spot to get him more involved.

DFS NFL Value Plays:

Cade Otton, TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kevin Byard has been doing a great job fixing the Eagles troubles with covering the tight end but they still rank 28th in DVOA against the position, allowing an average of 51.6 receiving yards per game. Otton plays a ton of snaps and has seen red zone targets in bunches this season. Once they get inside the red zone, he should get a few looks from Mayfield in this match-up.

Julio Jones, WR Philadelphia Eagles

Yeah, we’re all still wondering what year this is after watching Jones catch two touchdowns in Week 18, but while that’s all well and good, we do have to remember that he is not the featured target and won’t see a huge target-share if both Brown and Smith are at full-health. Still, he’s got enough left in the tank to be considered the team’s third-best receiver and he should continue to see a strong snap count with a target-share worthy of a dart-throw here.

Trey Palmer, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yes, David Moore and Deven Thompkins continue to see some extra snaps down the stretch, but if I’m throwing a dart on Monday, I’m using Palmer as the No. 3 receiver on this Bucs roster. He’s seen a 50-60-percent snap-share throughout the season and he’s seen 17 targets over the last three games. I the Eagles secondary is focused on Evans and Godwin, Chilly Palmer could find himself open in one-on-one coverage during the contest.

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