PHILADELPHIA (vs. NYG)
The Eagles should win this game, but they won't necessarily pile up a lot of yards and points. They have a one-dimensional offense (they can't run the ball), and they're facing one of the league's better defenses. New York ranked 2nd ...
... in scoring defense last year and seems to have the same kind of group this year. The Giants allowed only one touchdown in their opener at Dallas, and the defense allowed only 2 TDs on Monday night against the Lions, limiting Matthew Stafford to only 122 passing yards. ... Like New York, the Eagles can't run the ball. At least not now. Setting aside quarterback runs, they've finished under 60 rushing yards in both of their games. They ended up going with Darren Sproles as their main back for most of the Kansas City game, using him on draws and dumpoff passes. But he's 34 and weighs only 190 pounds. They can't continue asking him to carry that kind of workload. So they'll need to use LeGarrette Blount or Wendell Smallwood a lot more in the remaining games. Blount doesn't seem to fit their ...
This report is taken from today's Week 3 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 20 pages of camp reports, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
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... offense. He's too old and slow and is a liability in the passing game. He was on the field for only 6 plays at Arrowhead. For fantasy purposes, his only value is as back who'll come in to punch in some 1-yard touchdowns, but they don't look likely to score any of those this week. Smallwood is the guy they'd like to establish, but he hasn't done enough yet with limited chances, running for 8 yards on 7 carries. Best to not use Blount or Smallwood this week, but Smallwood should be stashed away on rosters -- should emerge at some point. Since Doug Pederson showed up, Sproles has averaged 29 rushing and 29 receiving yards, albeit with just 4 TDs in 17 games. ... Zach Ertz looks like he might be the most productive tight end in the league. He puts up good numbers, and he seems like far less of an injury risk than a lot of the other top players at his position. Ertz hasn't been a great scorer yet, but he's catching tons of balls -- 76 catches for 856 yards and 4 TDs in his last 11 games. New York has a strong defense but has allowed touchdowns to tight ends in each of its first two games. ... Carson Wentz looks like a possible top-10 quarterback. He's a lot better this year, and they're letting him do a lot more. He's scrambling around and hitting on big throws downfield. His first two games were on the road, and he went over 300 yards, with 2 TDs, in both of those. But we'll stick him lower than usual this week. He's at home, but he's facing a defense that's really good. The Giants just held Matthew Stafford to only 122 yards on Monday night. With the way Philadelphia's offense is structured (with everything coming through the air), Wentz is a candidate for 250-plus yards and 2 TDs, but the caliber of competition is a concern. ... Alshon Jeffery is the No. 1 receiver, and we'll rank him as such. But it's not the best matchup for the passing game, and it could be doubly difficult for Jeffery if Janoris Jenkins is healthy. Jenkins did a great job against Dez Bryant in Week 1. ... The other wide receivers can't be trusted. Torrey Smith is a one-dimensional deep threat. He'll catch a few long touchdowns this year, but probably not this week. Nelson Agholor has caught touchdowns the last two weeks, but just 1 catch at Arrowhead. Is he even better than rookie Mack Hollins? Hollins caught 3 passes for 32 yards against Kansas City. ... Jake Elliott looks like only a mid-range kicker this week. New York is solid defensively. But the Eagles have beaten this team three times in a row at home, scoring 9, 9 and 6 kicking points. They swept the Giants last year (with 11 kicking points in the road game). So maybe. But more notably, Philadelphia is a good team, and Elliott will have some viable games as he fills in for Caleb Sturgis in the coming weeks. In particular, they've got upcoming home games against Arizona, Washington and San Francisco. If you're looking for more of a long-term solution at kicker, Elliott could be your guy. He still, however, needs to nail down that he can do the job -- he missed 3 field goals in the preseason, and he missed a 30-yarder at Kansas City. ... The Eagles Defense looks like a solid choice. Over the years, Eli Manning has been a tough matchup for opponents, with his tendency to get the ball out of his hands. He was sacked only 21 times all of last year. But something's changed. Either the offensive line is even worse, or he's not quite right mentally, because Manning has been sacked 8 times in his first two games. He also has a history of putting balls up for grabs. He threw 5 interceptions against the Eagles last year, and he's had interceptions returned for touchdowns in his last two games at Philadelphia.