Andrew Erickson 
Welcome to another Monday night football DFS preview article. I will be covering value and punt plays, favorite stacks, and my contrarian play of the game. So who is ready for some Monday night action between the Giants and Eagles? All prices discussed are via DraftKings in their Monday Night Football DFS Showdown Contest.
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Monday Night Football DFS – Value and Punt Plays
Through the first two weeks of the season, Evan Engram led the team in targets (22) with Eli Manning under center. With Manning getting the start and Engram and back up tight end Rhett Ellison also out, Kaeden Smith ($2,200) is a nice punt play option. He has 14 targets over the past two weeks averaging 12.85 fantasy points. Eagles rank ninth-best versus tight ends.
Nelson Agholor also failed to log a single practice this week, which creates a great opportunity for J.J. Arcega-Whiteside ($2,000) and Greg Ward ($200) who is so cheap and lets you fit in all the studs. Though J.J. scored the touchdown, Ward ran more routes in Week 13 and played more snaps. If Agholor is ultimately ruled out the Eagles will just have three wide receivers in J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Alshon Jeffery, and Greg Ward. Doug Pederson did mention that tight end Joshua Perkins ($200), who was brought up from the practice squad last week, could have a bigger role.
Monday Night Football DFS – Favorite Stacks
The Giants pass defense is absolutely terrible especially when they play on the road. They are allowing 8.8 yards per pass attempt on the road this season by far the highest in the NFL. Every non-rookie quarterback that has faced the Giants has scored at least 20 fantasy points. Carson Wentz ($11,800) should be the preferred quarterback option and the one you should build around. Wentz threw four touchdowns and no interceptions and averaged just over 250 yards in two games last year versus the Giants. You will then want to pair Wentz with other Eagles weapons that include Zach Ertz ($9,400), Alshon Jeffery ($9,200), and Miles Sanders ($8,600).
Ertz has a touchdown reception in four consecutive games versus the Giants and has at least eight targets and six receptions over his last four games versus the G-Men. Sanders should again see 20-plus touches with Jordan Howard slated to miss. He could be in line for a great game especially if the rain causes the team to focus more on the ground. Via PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Sanders is the first NFL running back to record at least 850 scrimmage yards and 300 return yards in his first 12 career games since Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) in 2007.
That means you should not overlook Dallas Goedert ($4,800) who could see more looks if the Eagles run more two-tight end sets. The Giants will also be without their starting safety Jabrill Peppers. And with any build, you will want to do your best to squeeze Saquon Barkley ($10,600) into your lineup even if you cannot get him in the captain’s spot. Barkley has 371 scrimmage yards (185.5 per game) & three touchdowns (two rush, one rec.) in two career games versus the Eagles. Barkley has better fantasy splits with Eli Manning under center.
Monday Night Football DFS – Contrarian Plays
The Eagles DST ($5,800) could potentially be overlooked in the captain’s spot despite being in a potential blow-up spot with the weather not looking so great for Monday night. But for things to get really weird playing the Giants DST ($2,800) could provide great leverage on the field especially in poor weather conditions where balls can take unusual bounces. The Eagles rank sixth-worst in the league in turnovers per game and lead the league in turnovers per game (2.3) over the last three weeks. Kicker Jake Elliott ($4,000) is also an intriguing play with the weather, but the Giants are allowing 2.2 field goal attempts per game on the road this season.
Darius Slayton ($6,800) will probably be the least owned Giants receiver because we have not seen him with Eli Manning. Still last week Slayton ran the most routes and led the team in targets (nine). But there is an argument to be made that Slayton has the most upside of any Giants receiver. He leads the team in receiving yards, receptions, air yards, and receiving touchdowns. Wide receiver coach Tyke Tolbert suggested Slayton would still be a featured part of the offense following the return of Golden Tate (concussion) to the starting lineup, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. “He’s going to be the same factor he’s always been.”
The other receiver options are Golden Tate ($8,000) and Sterling Shepard ($7,200). Shepard has the most chemistry with Manning making owners probably trend towards him. In his six career games against the Eagles, Shepard has 35 catches for 457 yards and four touchdowns. This is a revenge game for Tate, and he is averaging 12.5 yards per catch in his first season with the Giants, his best mark since 2014 with the Lions. We saw last week in a plus matchup what Shepard could do without Tate and he just had three receptions. The upside again lies in Tate and not Shepard so Tate is the preferred option, especially coming with lower ownership.
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