Jalen Hurts and the Eagles host Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. The sportsbooks opened this matchup in primetime with 53 totals and the Buccaneers as 7.5-point favorites. While the total suggests a shootout, and the Bucs’ sifter-like pass defense backs up that idea, don’t be surprised if Tampa relaxes a bit on Brady (thumb) and leans a bit more on the run. He’s still in our single-game FanDuel lineup, but he’s not our MVP. Instead, we are relying on dual threat damages to lead us to some DFS gains.
If you need a reminder, here are the notable rules for single-game FanDuel contests: Total points for “MVP” are multiplied by 1.5, but it does not cost additional money as “Captain” in DraftKings Showdown contests. The default FanDuel score is Half point PPR other Four-point pass TD, and here they are no bonuses for 100/300 yard games like in DraftKings.
MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How To Win A FanDuel Single Game Contest
FanDuel Single Game DFS Picks: Buccaneers vs. Eagles
$ 60,000 budget, at least one player from each team is needed
MVP (1.5x points): QB Jalen Hurts, Eagles ($ 15,500)
Hurts has flirted with the 30-point fan duel plateau a couple of times, and it might get enough use to do it one more time. Not only do the Bucs have one of the best fast defenses in the game, but the Eagles also call the plays like they’re allergic to the running game. His 113 carries is the sixth-minor in the league. Additionally, Hurts’ 43 attempts account for 38.1 percent of the team’s total running game pie. If this is a place that will ask you to charge even more, both running and passing, you could rack up an MVP-worthy score Thursday night.
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FLEX: QB Tom Brady, Buccaneers ($ 16,500)
We won’t shy away from Brady this week despite a thumb injury that appears to be a nuisance at best, but we will temper our expectations by not making him the MVP. There are too many weapons at Brady’s disposal to expect failure, but it doesn’t take a vivid imagination to imagine a scenario in which the coaching staff relieves its offensive load. Brady finished with 37.74 FD points last week against the Dolphins and has flirted with the 30-point plateau three other times. He’s certainly capable of doing it again, that’s why he remains in our lineup, but we’re only going to exercise a modicum of caution due to his sore thumb.
WEEK 6 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo!
FLEX: RB Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers ($ 11,000)
Perhaps we would exercise less restraint if the Bucs were playing on a regular break, but with them dressing in a short week, there is a high probability that the coaching staff will put a greater emphasis on the running game. Fournette has been a major factor on the field in recent weeks, adding more than 100 yards in each of his last two games and racking up 34.4 FD points in that stretch. He’s also handling a respectable volume of goals. Offenses have been successful against the Eagles on the ground, and that trend could well continue this week.
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FLEX: RB Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles ($ 8,500)
Perhaps we would exercise less restraint if the Bucs were playing on a regular break, but with them dressing in a short week, there is a high probability that the coaching staff will put a greater emphasis on the running game. Fournette has been a major factor on the field in recent weeks, adding more than 100 yards in each of his last two games and racking up 34.4 FD points in that stretch. He’s also handling a respectable volume of goals. Rival teams have been successful against the Eagles on the field, and that trend could well continue this week.
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FLEX: TE Zach Ertz, Eagles ($ 6,500)
Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert have combined for 25.7 percent of the Eagles’ goals this season. However, since Goedert is likely to miss this week after being placed on the reserve / COVID list, Ertz may be asked to take some of the receiving slack. He was limited to a couple of goals in each of his first two contests before averaging seven in the last three. If the Bucs’ tough front provides any additional incentive for the Eagles to avoid their running game, Ertz could be the recipient of some additional targets.