Monday Night Football has a 46.0 projected total, with the Eagles getting a 5.5-point advantage in Philadelphia against the wayward Atlanta Falcons. This adds to the strategy and decision points across the NFL DFS world. In this edition of Stokastic’s NFL DFS picks series, we’re diving into the Falcons-Eagles showdown for Week 2 Monday Night Football, evaluating NFL DFS ownership projections and player projections for DraftKings and FanDuel.
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Falcons-Eagles DFS Picks: Monday Night Football Week 2 NFL DFS
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With complete coverage of Monday night’s Falcons-Eagles Showdown, let’s dive into the top plays and strategies for this thrilling slate.
Falcons-Eagles DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2: Bijan Robinson
Bijan Robinson
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,600
FanDuel: $16,000
Fantasy Points
DraftKings: 20.0
FanDuel: 17.89
Last Sunday, Bijan Robinson was on the field for 50 of 56 (89%) plays, getting a healthy 18 carries and five targets against Pittsburgh. This level of involvement is likely to continue, though it was fun to think that it was partly because former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is now the offensive coordinator for the Steelers.
Only twice last year did Robinson get more than 18 rushing attempts (22, 19), so a baseline of 15 to 17 is a realistic expectation going forward. The 89% snap share also eclipsed his career high of 81% in Week 3 last season.
Tyler Allgeier was on the field for 10 snaps, with this duo overlapping on four plays. The former lead back had three carries for 21 yards and zero targets. No other running back saw the field.
Atlanta Falcons Positional Preview
Quarterback | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Kirk Cousins did not look ready to play after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8 last year. The 36-year-old signed a massive four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta in March. Because this is the NFL and contracts are wonky, it is essentially a two-year deal with $100 million in guaranteed money.
The worrisome thing with Cousins is that he did not have any snaps under center, aside from a clock-stopping play. That means no play-action passes, which tends to give defenses the extra half second to see how plays are really developing. This puts more pressure on Cousins and, of course, Robinson, who is getting his carries out of the pistol and shotgun formations.
Cousins was mediocre at best against the Steelers, completing 16 of 26 (61.5%) attempts for 155 yards and one score. He was sacked twice and had a pair of picks, though the matchup tonight is less daunting than facing Blitzburgh.
Wide Receiver | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
The Eagles were able to mostly contain the passel of Packers pass-catchers last Friday in Brazil, even with the slippery field conditions. Tonight is not going to be any easier, as Atlanta does have a capable crew led by third-year man Drake London. While he is still looking for his first 1,000-yard season, London should at least be more of a priority under new head coach Raheem Morris.
Though he had only a trio of targets, he was on the field for every play. There is concern that Cousins is not really able to put enough force behind his passes, and the team is reticent to work the deeper part of the field as well as the outer boundaries. That is concerning from a fantasy perspective, but it will be even more disappointing if the game plan does not push more opportunities towards London on shorter routes.
Ray-Ray McCloud III actually led the team with seven targets, despite playing on just over half the snaps. This allowed him to have four receptions for a team-leading 52 yards. Darnell Mooney saw the field on all but three plays, getting a trio of targets for one 15-yard reception.
The short passing game is likely to be active again tonight, but ideally it will not be McCloud leading the charge again. KhaDarel Hodge was on the field for two offensive plays without any looks from Cousins.
Tight End | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Last year, Kyle Pitts had two games with more than a 75% snap share (85% and 78%). On Sunday he rarely left the field, with career highs for both routes run and his 96% snap share, sidelined for only two plays. Though he had only three targets, he converted all three for 26 yards and a touchdown. Expect more action for the former Florida Gator tonight.
Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley are the backups, and the former was on the field for 41% of the snaps and converted his lone target for a 4-yard reception. The latter filled in for Pitts on just a pair of plays and got no offensive opportunities.
Kicker | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Younghoe Koo first appeared in the NFL during the 2017 season as an undrafted free agent with the Chargers. He was subsequently waived after a couple games, resuming his professional career in the AAF (Alliance of American Football), which barely lasted a year. After various tryouts as a replacement for underperforming kickers across the league, Koo ended up replacing Matt Bryant, who was 44 years old and the 11-season incumbent for Atlanta. Koo won over the Falcons brass and fans with a 4-for-4 performance on field goals in his first game.
Koo was the NFC Pro Bowl kicker in 2020, and he has cruised to a 90.2% success rate on his last 143 field goal attempts while also converting on 95.4% of his PATs in the same timeframe. Last year, the now-30-year-old only converted on three of his six 50-plus yarders, which account for three of his eight career misses.
Defense | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
The Falcons had two sacks last week, and in 2023 they were just below average in this category. They had only 16 takeaways last year, which was the fourth fewest in the league. Things could improve under the new coaching staff, though Philadelphia does a good job of limiting sacks and turnovers.
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Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2: Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,600
FanDuel: $13,500
Fantasy Points
DraftKings: 18.55
FanDuel: 16.82
Saquon Barkley wasted no time showing out with his new squad, rolling up a trio of tuddies in Brazil, two rushing and one receiving. Giants fans are probably miffed, as are fantasy gamers who did not draft Barkley, even when he was sliding outside of the top 25 picks this offseason.
Though Barkley had only two targets in the opener, he should double that tonight with A.J. Brown out after pulling his hamstring during Friday’s practice. Expecting 24 carries, 100-plus yards and multiple touchdowns every week would be folly, but even at 70% of that production, Barkley looks like he could be a fantasy monster this season.
The biggest difference between the Eagles and Giants is that the former has plenty of offensive options. That is likely to decrease the game-to-game volume for Barkley, but he also is not going to be the focal point of opposing defenses.
Team favorite Kenneth Gainwell was on the field spelling Barkley, getting 20% of the snaps. That is likely to creep up a little, though his baseline opportunities will be limited to a handful each game. Rookie Will Shipley had four snaps with nary a look.
Philadelphia Eagles Positional Preview
Quarterback | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Last year Jalen Hurts had a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns, mostly courtesy of the “tush push” and now retired center Jason Kelce. He also had a personal-best 23 passing touchdowns on his way to receiving Pro Bowl honors for the second consecutive season.
There are not many other superlatives to add, other than this is a good matchup and Hurts is one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the history of the game.
Wide Receiver | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
DeVonta Smith is a priority play with Brown already ruled out. Last year in the Iggles’ playoff game, Smith saw 12 targets, converting eight into 148 yards with Brown on the sideline. Smith would be the alpha option on half the teams in the league, so we should not be worried at all with him getting more attention from the defense tonight.
After Smith, things thin out rapidly, which has been the challenge over the last couple seasons for head coach Nick Sirianni. The team traded for Jahan Dotson, who was the 16th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. The former Nittany Lion never put it all together, averaging 72 targets, 42 receptions and 521 yards in his two seasons with the Commanders.
Washington did get to enjoy his 11 touchdowns, and while the return of a third-round pick and two seventh-round selection for Dotson and a fifth-rounder may not seem like much for a former first-round player, he had already lost the WR2 and WR3 battle and the team was ready to move on.
Dotson was on the field for 42% of the snaps, Johnny Wilson (Who?!) for 10 plays and special-teamer Britain Covey for nine. Wilson is a sixth-round rookie out for Florida State, though he did not practice this week while dealing with a hamstring issue.
Parris Campbell is likely to be called up from the practice squad for his first action in Philadelphia. The former Indianapolis Colt spent last year with the New York Giants, starting three games. While he has only 1,087 yards across five seasons, he at least is a veteran presence.
Tight End | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Dallas Goedert should also see a solid workload tonight with Brown out. This is his seventh NFL season and likely his last hurrah for a breakout to occur. In the playoff game, Goedert had six targets without Brown, and he did have 33 targets across his last five appearances. Grant Calcaterra and E.J. Jenkins are the backups.
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Kicker | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Jake Elliott has some fun trivia behind how he got to the Eagles. In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals chose him in the fifth round after he cruised through his time at Memphis with a perfect conversion rate on 202 PATs and a 78% success rate on field goals. Cincy waived him after deciding to keep incumbent journeyman Randy Bullock, though the Bengals did sign Elliott to the practice squad the next day.
Ten days later, the Eagles swooped in to sign Elliott off the Bungles (bonus puns in this sentence) practice squad when Caleb Sturgis went on the injured reserve. In his second game with Philly, Elliott nailed a 61-yard field goal as time expired to beat the division rival New York Giants. That was the longest field goal by a rookie in NFL history and endeared Elliott to the fans, coaching staff and, most importantly, ownership.
Elliott was the NFC Pro Bowl kicker in 2021, and last year he was the Second-Team All-Pro. Since the start of 2021, he has converted on 91.1% of his field goal attempts, missing only three of 147 extra point attempts.
Defense | Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2
Philadelphia had two sacks in Brazil while being a little above average in this metric last year. It will be harder to get to Cousins if he is not under center, though not impossible. Last season the Eagles had only 18 takeaways, but they should be able to jump some routes tonight.
Falcons-Eagles NFL DFS Picks for Monday Night Football Week 2: Rankings
Top 10 NFL DFS Showdown Picks for Falcons-Eagles
- Saquon Barkley: Captain, my Captain.
- Bijan Robinson: Love the consolidated backfield touches.
- Jalen Hurts: Hurts, so good.
- DeVonta Smith: Viable in the multiplier slot for all contest types.
- Kyle Pitts: Hopefully this is the statement season.
- Jahan Dotson: Salary saver on DraftKings ($4,000) and to a lesser extent FanDuel ($11,500); perhaps a fresh start is what he needs, and, of course, Hurts is far better than Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett, Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke.
- Jake Elliott: Tremendous kicker and needed in this top-heavy player pool.
- Dallas Goedert: Most familiarity with Hurts, along with Smith.
- Drake London: Could be the breakout season, but it’s worrisome that Cousins is working the low-aDOT routes.
- Parris Campbell: $200 on DraftKings, easy-peasy, as long as Wilson is out with his hamstring injury.
Secondary Options
- Younghoe Koo: Slight downgrade with the outdoor game, still a preferred option. Also, put some respect towards the pronunciation of his first name — YOUNG-way.
- Kirk Cousins: Looked like he was about 70% healthy in the opener.
- Ray-Ray McCloud III: Works the slot and returns kickoffs, cheaper than Mooney.
- Darnell Mooney: Benefits from Cousins not pushing things downfield.
- Philadelphia D/ST: Seems like a ripe situation for a pick-six or scoop-and-score.
Lottery Tickets
- Tyler Allgeier: The understudy, though he should get a handful of low-leverage opportunities.
- Kenneth Gainwell: Returns kickoffs, but if there is mop-up duty, it is likely to go to the rookie Shipley.
- Atlanta D/ST: Meh.
- Britain Covey and Will Shipley: Wild cards, though there are viable paths for each to see a couple of touches.
- Grant Calcaterra, Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley, E.J. Jenkins: Very little backup tight end magic on Sunday Night Football, but that could change tonight. Calcaterra is the most likely to have his name called out on the broadcast.
- KhaDarel Hodge, Avery Williams, Casey Washington, Johnny Wilson: Hodge should be active for depth, and Williams returns punts for Atlanta.
- Michael Penix Jr.: The Seige Showdown Special, so crazy that it just might work. Shout out to C.J. Kaltenbach.
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