The Eagles' Defense Is Getting No Respect
So I found this gem while perusing Fantasy Labs – my go-to for Draft Kings analysis that I pay $50 per month for because I’m a damned degenerate – and though it is a truly excellent site which I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND, I continue to be amazed that the fantasy pros are aggressively going after the Eagles defense early this year based on what they did last year:
The Philip Rivers-Gordon-Benjamin trio will be an incredibly popular stack, but the Pittsburgh one above takes the top spot this week. Antonio had a down Week 2, racking up only 39 receiving yards on four receptions — a disappointing 7.9-point DK outing at a $9,900 price tag. However, this week should be much easier against an Eagles defense that has allowed 3.1 points over salary-based expectations to WRs in the last year. Of course, Byron Maxwellis gone from the secondary, but our own John Proctor still believes this is a plus matchup for Brown.
Using this stack could be a nice way to create a unique lineup around what should be a very high-owned DeAngelo. He has gotten a ridiculous 87.88 percent of the Steelers’ rushes this year and has about as safe of a floor as any player in fantasy right now. As expected, his ownership is projected to be really high (21 to 25 percent). However, Big Ben’s ownership is projected to be low. Someone won the Milly Maker last season with a full team stack of the Steelers that included these three players. Could it happen again?
Sure, maybe it’s a matchup for Antonio Brown, but this is not the Eagles’ defense from last year. They have a new defensive coordinator, a new scheme, ejected Byron Maxwell, and have a healthy Jordan Hicks. And they’re not on the field 46 minutes per game. I have no idea if they’re going to be as good as they’ve been the first two weeks – not counting the competition – and if they’re poised for a regression it’s going to be against the Steelers, but man, they are getting no respect from some of the most highly analytical observers.