Eagles @ Texans
By: Matt Morrison (@dynastyjerk)
Tonight ,we have Week 9 of Thursday Night Football. In this game, the Eagles will travel to Houston to play the Texans. I don’t expect this to be the most competitive game of the year, but it still has quite a bit of fantasy implications. The visiting team (Eagles) are a 14 point favorite with a 45 point Over/Under. This is a pretty standard and expected line considering the Eagles have not lost a game this year, and the Texans have only won a single game.
What To Watch For
I will be watching a player who I mentioned in my Value of the Year Candidates article yesterday. That player is Miles Sanders. Sanders is not only one of the most efficient players in Dynasty Owner, but he has a very solid schedule over the second half of the Dynasty Owner season. These great matchups start with Houston tonight. The Texans just gave up 228 yards and two touchdowns to Derrick Henry ($12,500,000) in Week 8. In Week 7, they gave up 143 rushing yards and three touchdowns to Josh Jacobs ($2,983,350). I think you’re starting to see the pattern here. All starting running backs should be started against the Texans.
I actually traded for Miles Sanders in one of my Dynasty Owner leagues on Friday because his upcoming schedule is so juicy. He is a Top 10 player this week.
Value Of The Game Recap
| Week 8 Projection | Salary | Receptions | Total Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Devin Duvernay | $1,143,952 | 5 | 50 | 1 | 16.0 |
Devin Duvernay was my selection for Value of the Game (VOTG) last week. He is a player who has a very low salary, but also has the potential for a high upside game. For unfortunate reasons, this started to look like a solid pick early. Both Mark Andrews ($14,000,000) and Rashod Bateman ($3,149,853) were injured in the Week 8 game early on. This is what Duvernay put up one week ago…
| Week 8 Actual | Salary | Receptions | Total Yards | Return Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Devin Duvernay | $1,143,952 | 4 | 64 | 99 | 1 | 18.9 |
While my prediction was spot on, there were two players with very efficient game along with Duvernay. They were Kenyan Drake ($1,035,000) and Isaiah Likely ($1,041,085). In the end, Isaiah Likely was the VOTG with six receptions, 77 yards and one touchdown (19.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). He had a fantastic game in the absence of Mark Andrews and a lower Dynasty Dollars per Fantasy Point (DD/PT) value than Duvernay and Drake.
| Week 8 Actual | Salary | Receptions | Total Yards | TDs | DOFP | DD/PT |
| Isaiah Likely | $1,041,085 | 6 | 77 | 1 | 19.7 | $52,847 |
| Devin Duvernay | $1,143,952 | 4 | 64 | 1 | 18.9 | $60,527 |
| Kenyan Drake | $1,035,000 | 4 | 67 | 1 | 16.7 | $61,976 |
I’m 3 – 5 on the season.
Overall Record: 3-5
Starters
All the players on this list are ones who I would feel comfortable starting in Dynasty Owner this week. Originally, Brandin Cooks ($16,200,000) was on this list despite a lackluster season so far. It was announced early on Thursday afternoon that he would not play tonight.
Jalen Hurts ($1,506,292)
Hurts is a Top 5 quarterback, and his team is a 14 point favorite in this game. He is an auto start every week. The only thing I’d be concerned about is the lack of work in the second half if this game becomes a blowout.
Miles Sanders ($1,337,544)
Sanders is my MVP for this game. He should be over 100 total yards and have at least one touchdown. I would actually be disappointed if he didn’t hit both of those predictions.
Dameon Pierce ($1,118,858)
Pierce should have a solid game as he always does. He has five straight games of at least 14.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. This is a tough matchup, but he will get enough volume.
A.J. Brown ($1,413,092)
DeVonta Smith ($5,035,348)
I’d be very comfortable starting both top Eagles wide receivers in this game. Again, my only major concern is that they may not be needed much in the second half.
Dallas Goedert ($14,250,000)
Goedert is the TE6 for the season. He is well behind the top two, Travis Kelce ($14,312,500) and Mark Andrews, but he is one of the most involved tight ends in the league. I would love to roster and start him in Dynasty Owner.
Bench
Here at Dynasty Owner, you not only get points from your Starting lineup, but also from your Bench. Your Dynasty Owner teams get 25 percent of the points scored from players on your Bench added to the total final score. This means that Bench scoring could (and often does) affect the outcome of individual matches as well as championships. Here are the players I would be okay putting on my Bench.
Davis Mills ($1,304,383)
Mills is a player who should not be trusted in a Starting lineup, but he could be necessary for your Bench if you don’t have many options at QB with this six-team bye week. Nico Collins ($1,217,879) would have been listed here, but he was ruled out with a groin injury.
Value of the Game
I’m calling this to be a Miles Sanders game. I already mentioned it above. I have him going for over 100 total yards and at least one touchdown. Sprinkle in a few targets and receptions, and he should be close to the VOTG.
| Week 9 Projection | Salary | Receptions | Total Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Miles Sanders | $1,337,544 | 3 | 112 | 2 | 26.2 |
Even with this prediction, I can’t go away from the smart choice here. The smart and most logical choice is the player who will likely be the Value of the Year for 2022, Jalen Hurts.
| Week 9 Projection | Salary | Rushing Yards | Passing Yards | TDs | DOFP |
| Jalen Hurts | $1,506,292 | 62 | 228 | 2 | 29.6 |
With this line, Hurts barely beats out Sanders for the Value of the Game by only $163 DD/PT.
| Week 9 Projection | Salary | DOFP | DD/PT |
| Jalen Hurts | $1,506,292 | 29.6 | $50,888 |
| Miles Sanders | $1,337,544 | 26.2 | $51,051 |
Thank you all for reading. Take care and be safe.
TheJerk