Week 15 brings us two big-time match-ups, and this is game one of them. The 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers head to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams sit atop their respective divisions and are two of the hottest teams in the NFL. The Steelers increased their AFC North lead over the idle Ravens, with last week’s 27-14 win over the Browns. No one is hotter than the Eagles right now, their week 14 win over the Panthers makes in nine straight for the Birds.
Our DFS write-ups are designed to spotlight some core plays to help you build a unique DFS lineup within your single game or main slate entries. In creating a successful lineup, we research and find positional values to see where you can save money and players with projected low ownership who can pay 2x-2.5x of their listed DFS salary. Finally, with this being a stand-alone slate for most contestants, we will try to find a combination of players that will fit within the salary cap.
Steelers vs. Eagles DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players that we are leaning on heavily in this game. These players are in a good spot to put together a solid performance in a favorable DFS matchup.
Saquon Barkley ($8.6k DraftKings and $9.3k Fanduel)
Using Van Jefferson, allows us to stack Hurts with Saquon Barkley. Barkley has already broken the Eagles single-season rushing record and now has his eyes on Eric Dickerson’s 2105. Saquon is the fantasy overall RB1, and his volume makes him a good play despite the hefty DFS salary. In his last four games, Barkley is averaging 26.75 touches per game, that elite usage and volume make him start-worthy. Pittsburgh is middle of the road in fantasy points allowed to running backs ranked 15th. Fire up Saquon in your DFS builds.
Van Jefferson ($3.5k DraftKings and $5k Fanduel)
With George Pickens dealing with a grade 2 hamstring strain that is considered doubtful this week, you can plug in Van Jefferson in your DFS builds. Last week, with Pickens inactive, Jefferson saw a 74% snap rate. That did not, however, amount to a ton of production, but Jefferson did have a receiving touchdown and 7.5 fantasy points. Jefferson also ranks third amongst Steelers wideouts in targets and is a decent DFS punt play.
Steelers vs. Eagles DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side, here are a few players we recommend sitting in this one.
Jahan Dotson ($3.3k DraftKings and $4.7k Fanduel)
We could put any of the Eagle’s ancillary offensive options in our sit column. The Philadelphia passing game runs through their two starting wideouts. In week 14, Brown and Smith had 95% and 90% snap rates respectively. The next wide receiver when they go three wide, which includes Dotson, had just a 41% snap rate. Tight end Grant Calcaterra garnered a 91% snap rate, so the Eagles are in 11 personnel most all the time.
Mike Williams ($3.8k DraftKings and $5.3k Fanduel)
When it came across the newswire that Pickens was a surprise inactive and that Mike Williams was starting in his place, I thought, finally, we would see fantasy production. I used him in my DFS lineups, and we got 3 catches for 36 yards and a 29% snap rate. He was heavily targeted when compared to his snap share, but we are out on Big Mike in week 15. We also thought he would be a red-zone target, but Van Jefferson and Pat Freiermuth were the beneficiaries.
Total Apex Lock of the Game
Jalen Hurts ($8k DraftKings and $8.5k Fanduel)
Under most circumstances, if I used our DFS Lock of the game on a quarterback that last week passed for 108 yards, you would have me checked for insanity. However, that quarterback totaled 3 touchdowns, 24.22 fantasy points, and is the overall QB4. Jalen Hurts played poorly and still topped 20 fantasy points; he gives us such a high floor with his rushing prowess.
Hurts also may see suppressed ownership with the tough match-up versus Steeler’s defense ranked 7th in fantasy points allowed to the position. That coupled with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jayden Daniels on the main slate all point to Jalen Hurts for us in week 15.
Total Apex Fade of the Game
A.J. Brown ($8k DraftKings and $8.6k Fanduel)
A few reasons here with AJ Brown being our DFS fade in this one. First off, he has single-digit fantasy points in three of his last four games. Second, he is just the PPR overall WR25, which is not awful, but it’s not where he was drafted. Lastly, there appears to be a rift between him and Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles’ passing offense has been in a downward trend the last three games, with Jalen Hurts averaging just 135 passing yards during that span. Brown has surpassed 100 yards receiving once in the last four games and will potentially see a good amount of coverage by Joey Porter Jr. Again, we saw this every week, Brown is a fade not a sit because we are down on his potential output at his price point.
Conclusion
These recommendations are designed to give you players we feel will be low-owned and good value and help you create a unique DFS build. We want a DFS lineup that is different from the masses and most likely made with an optimizer. Each week in DFS, your pay line for FanDuel is approximately 125 points, which equates to 2x per player. For example, a player with a $4500 salary needs 9 points. DraftKings pay line is approximately 134 points, which is 2.5x per player. So, for a $4500 salary, that player would need 9.9 points.
Also, consider Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith, and Eagles tight end Grant Calcaterra in your builds. Calcaterra has a favorable matchup, and his low salary provides flexibility within your DFS builds.
