Let’s close out Week 14 with another NFL DFS Monday Night Football Playbook as the Philadelphia Eagles flock West to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in SoFi Stadium! Both teams enter this matchup at 8-4 but if you ask Philadelphia’s fanbase, they’d probably tell you their season was already over. Both teams are firmly entrenched in their conference’s respective playoff hunt so I’m hoping we get a good game to close out another week. We have some key injuries to monitor up to roster lock so let’s take a look at this week’s NFL DFS Monday Night Football Playbook between the Eagles and Chargers!

 

 

 

NFL DFS Monday Night Football Playbook; Eagles vs. Chargers Game Preview

You really have to wonder what the mindset is for the Philadelphia Eagles coming into this game. They dropped back-to-back conference matchup in Weeks 12 and 13. They have significant injuries on the offensive and defensive lines. The play calling has been heavily criticized and this feels eerily similar to the collapse they experienced in the 2023 season where they lost five of their last six regular season games and got bounced in the Wild Card round of the playoffs that year.

But we are talking about the defending Super Bowl champions after all. The frustration with the fans largely stems from the fact that this team doesn’t make adjustments to the strategies that aren’t working. Kevin Patullo has been overly reliant on the running game, which has had its struggles without Lane Johnson. Saquon Barkley has also lacked the explosiveness we saw a year ago. There have been an uncharacteristically high numbers of three & outs, and they only possessed the ball for 20:42 against the Chicago Bears. A win probably quells some of the concerns in the short-term. A third straight loss is a bad look with the playoffs looming.

The Los Angeles Chargers have once again had to face a litany of injuries but they’re still entering Week 14 with an 8-4 record and they’re winners of four of their last five games. It seems like every year this team just cannot shake the injury bug. They’ve already lost their elite offensive tackle duo of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. And while Omarion Hampton is set to return for this matchup, we haven’t seen him in over two months.

A loss for either team isn’t hazardous for their playoff chances. A win allows Philadelphia to maintain their lead on the NFC East after Dallas lost in primetime last Thursday night. A win for Los Angeles allows them to keep pace in the AFC West and they can stay alive in the AFC Wild Card hunt. This is an awfully tough game to preview from a DFS angle because the offenses match up poorly against the defenses. But let’s check out the latest NFL DFS Monday Night Football Showdown Playbook!

 

 

 

Eagles vs. Chargers Notable Injuries & Inactives

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be without some key pieces on both the offensive and defensive fronts. The defense will not have Jalen Carter for this game, which is a bit of a hit to their run defense. On the other side of the ball the offensive line won’t have Lane Johnson and we’ll note below Saquon Barkley’s struggles without Lane Johnson’s presence on the offensive line. 

The Los Angeles Chargers received some good news this week as the hand injury for Justin Herbert likely won’t cost him the start in this game. He was limited in practice all week, but he is trending towards suiting up for this game. Additionally, they’ll get rookie running back, Omarion Hampton, back from injury. He hasn’t played since Week 5 and he was in the middle of a nice rookie breakout prior to the injury.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Showdown MVP/Captain for Monday Night Football, 12/8

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles – DraftKings: $10,600 | FanDuel: $13,200

The rushing upside will always make him a strong consideration to use at Captain. And this year’s struggles of Saquon Barkley are well documented. So if the Eagles can’t effectively run the ball, then they need to generate offense on the ground with Hurts, or he needs to distribute the ball to his pass catchers.

This offense has been horrible to watch. There is so much talent and it’s like pulling teeth to get this offense to produce. Kevin Patullo has taken some well-deserved criticism in the media and from fans, but maybe we can spare his house from being egged?

I’ll be building a few lineups focused solely on the aerial attack for Philadelphia, because it’s what has worked of slate. On the season Hurts ranks 12th among qualified starting quarterbacks in EPA/Play (0.12), he’s 6th in completion percentage over expected (4.3%), he’s 2nd in turnover-worthy play rate (1.2%), and he’s 2nd among current starters in average depth of target (9.1). Hopefully Philly can figure this out quickly because I’ve never seen a fanbase more upset with an 8-4 division-leading football team.

A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles – DraftKings: $9,000 | FanDuel: $11,400

Brown has caught a lot of flack for being so vocal about his role in the offense throughout the year. But can you really blame him? As we’ve watched things unfold, he’s kind of been right. The Birds have been too reliant on the run when Barkley hasn’t been as efficient as he was last year, and the offense hasn’t been willing to make adjustments.

There has been a shift back towards the passing attack, however. In his last three games, Brown is averaging 11 targets per game and he’s found the end zone three times in Philly’s last two games while going for over 100+ receiving yards in both contests. But Philadelphia’s also lost those two games strangely enough.

For our NFL DFS Monday Night Football Playbook, we don’t care too much about the wins and losses. We just want to build the best lineups and Brown’s been spiking in recent weeks. Since Week 11 he leads the NFL in designed/first read targets (32) according to Ethan Kreager (@EthanKreagerFF). With a lot of uncertainty heading into this matchup, Brown’s really one of the few reliable pieces we can play with some confidence.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – DraftKings: $7,800 | FanDuel: $8,200

I’m taking a bit of a risk here because Hampton hasn’t played since Week 5 when he got injured. But he’s listed as questionable since the Bolts have until Monday afternoon to activate him off IR so they’ll likely take all the time they need.

Hampton was in the midst of an early-season rookie breakout when he got injured. In Weeks 3 and 4 he combined for 198 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 11 receptions for 96 receiving yards. Even when he got hurt in Week 5, he had 70 all-purpose yards with six receptions.

Kimani Vidal has played well enough to maintain a role but Hampton is the better running back and he’s the bigger investment for the team. Considering how the Chargers have leaned more on the run of late, this is a great opportunity to re-introduce himself against an Eagles run defense that won’t have Jalen Carter.

 

 

 

Mid-Tier & DFS Value Plays for Monday

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers – DraftKings: $10,000 | FanDuel: $12,200

Herbert had a minor procedure on his non-throwing hand this past week so while he’s listed as questionable, I’m operating as if he’ll be active. The Chargers have dealt with injuries all season. They’ve lost both their starting offensive tackles. They’ve missed Omarion Hampton for a significant portion of the year. And yet they’re still 8-4 and in the thick of it for the playoff hunt in the AFC.

I struggle recommending him as a Captain consideration because the Chargers have leaned more on the run game of late. Per Dataroma, the Chargers have only passed 30 pass attempts and 20 completions just once in their last five games. With Hampton likely returning for this matchup, and Herbert dealing with an injury, I’m assuming they continue to take a heavy approach on the ground.

But if there’s any moment where they fall behind, they almost have to abandon that game plan. We are attempting to preview two offenses that are struggling with their own identity in December despite both teams sitting at 8-4. Herbert’s still a great quarterback with weapons at his disposal, but he’s taken a beating of late due to the injuries to the offensive line.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles - DraftKings: $9,600 | FanDuel: $11,800

I’ve never been less interested in playing Saquon Barkley at Captain on a Showdown slate. And this isn’t even a play that needs to be in all our lineups even as a Flex play. Barkley has lacked a lot of the explosiveness we saw in 2024 and he hasn’t lived up to the RB1 billing in season-long fantasy football leagues. He’s a solid RB2 because he still gets volume, but he has been a bust relative to his ADP.

Now for this specific matchup for our NFL DFS Monday Night Football Playbook, I’m not overly optimistic. Per Liz Loza of ESPN, the Chargers have only given up five plays of 20+ rushing yards all season and they all came in Weeks 1-7. The Bolts also rank 8th in stuffed run rate (20.3%) and they’re 14th in defensive EPA/Rush (-0.08).

Barkley also severely needs Lane Johnson back. Johnson is out for this Week 14 primetime matchup but has a chance to return next week. But Barkley’s averaging 4.2 yards per carry with Johnson in the lineup and only 2.9 yards per carry without him. Barkley’s volume and involvement in the passing game keep him in play, but I have little interest rostering him as a Captain on this Showdown slate.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles – DraftKings: $8,400 | FanDuel: $9,600

I’m optimistic A.J. Brown can do well against the zone coverage the Chargers defense will deploy and I’m sure targets will be fed to DeVonta Smith as well. With that said, the Chargers have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. To go along with that, the Bolts have allowed the third-fewest receiving yards and only six touchdowns to opposing wide receivers.

The matchup is tough on paper for both Brown and Smith, but this passing game has been working for Philadelphia. Brown has re-established himself as the team’s WR1, but Smith is still averaging just under eight targets per game since the team’s Bye week.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – DraftKings: $7,400 | FanDuel: $8,800

Vidal has greatly exceeded the expectations of the coaching staff during the absence of Omarion Hampton. Since Week 6 he’s rushed for 100+ yards on three occasions and scored four touchdowns. They’ve trusted him enough to give him 23+ carries in three of his last five games.

Not every week has been an impressive showing. But he’s done enough to maintain a role in the offense even though Hampton is due to return. He could very well be the 1B to Hampton’s 1A, but I don’t anticipate Vidal being involved too much in the passing game. Similar to Hampton’s outlook, this isn’t a bad spot to play the running game for the Chargers since the Eagles will be without Jalen Carter. And it’s perfectly viable to play both Hampton and Vidal in the same lineup.

The Los Angeles Chargers Pass Catchers

You can effectively lump the likes of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen, and Oronde Gadsden into this section. I have concerns for all of them, but I can’t submit a Showdown Playbook for a one-game slate and suggest fading the entire collection of pass catchers from one team. That would be too bold of a stand. And for these games nobody is ever truly a full fade.

But as I noted in Justin Herbert’s write-up, the Chargers have shifted away from the passing game over the last month. There’s still some involvement but the Bolts don’t lean heavily on one guy. Why play Ladd when he’s the most expensive pass catcher but may only see six targets? At the same time, why play QJ for the upside when the Eagles are averaging just 1.42 fantasy points per target to opposing receivers? And QJ only has six targets in his last two games! Even Allen and Gadsden have seen a reduction in their roles.

It’s incredibly difficult to trust any of these players. Sure, they all command an even target share roughly in the 18-22% range but it’s not like the Chargers are throwing the ball 35+ times every week. The low volume and matchup have me a bit worried for this edition of the NFL DFS Monday Night Football Showdown Playbook.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Dart Throw Bargains

Tre’ Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers – DraftKings: $3,200 | FanDuel: $5,200

I feel that it’s almost obligatory, that whenever I preview the Chargers on a Showdown slate, that I link the 2024 college football game log for Tre’ Harris. His numbers were outrageous. 80+ receiving yards in every game until the matchup against the Florida Gators where he got hurt. And even in that game he still had a touchdown reception for 43 yards.

His snap share has slowly crept towards 50% and he has been on the field more and he touts a 79% catch rate. Last week he caught three-of-four targets for 30 yards and he has multiple receptions in all but one game since Week 6. I still maintain that he has a high ceiling, but it’s just a crowded wide receiver room at the moment. I will gladly take this price tag especially since he’s getting more snaps.

Next season will be huge for Harris. He’ll be in his second season, Keenan Allen will likely be gone, and Quentin Johnston could be out of the picture as well. Perhaps I’m a bit too early on the kid but he just needs one big catch to break the slate Monday night.

Jahan Dotson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles – DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $4,600

If you thought I hated the Value Plays for the Sunday Night Football DFS slate, you can’t imagine my frustration with Monday night’s island of misfit toys. Tre’ Harris is at least exciting because he is getting more snaps and has upside that we haven’t seen too much yet. But nobody else in this range excites me. Jaret Patterson certainly isn’t worth paying $4,000 for since he’s the RB3 with Hampton returning. The kickers and D/ST’s are viable but among the skill position options we don’t have much to get excited about aside from Harris and maybe the tight ends in the $5K range if you can fit them in.

So I’ll mention Dotson given the struggles of the run game for Philadelphia. Dotson sees a decent amount of routes considering he’s clearly buried on the depth chart. But he gets a few targets each game and has the ability to break away on a big catch and run. It’s not pretty but it’s a way to find some value if you’re looking to pivot off the kickers and D/ST’s with cheaper options.

 

 

 

Eagles vs. Chargers DFS Player Pool, 12/8

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-