Another Wildcard DraftKings showdown slate of the 2021 season, this time between Philadelphia @Tampa Bay. This one on paper is Tampa Bay’s to lose. The home team are favorites by over a TD, with their offense moving the ball up and down the field this season through the air. They are now without Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, but Tom Brady has found a way to keep the other players around him productive. Mix in Mike Evans and the impressive performances of Rob Gronkowski and the Eagles defense is likely to be busy!
DraftKings Wildcard Showdown 2021-Philadelphia @Tampa Bay Captain Picks
Tom Brady ($17,100)
Brady is the top option on this slate. The Tampa Bay offense led by the veteran are going to be making big plays, even without Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown. Let’s not forget either, that the Eagles secondary has allowed plenty of plays in the secondary this season. In a game like this, where the team are likely to go through the air, you don’t need to find the receiver that is going to step up in the offense- just pay up for Brady.
Rob Gronkowski ($13,800)
Even with Evans in the game, it’s Gronkowski who is my favorite receiver for Tampa Bay. He has had back-to-back games with seven receptions and over 100 yards to finish the season. With his chemistry with Brady, and the Eagles struggling to stop TEs this season, there is little to not like in this matchup for Gronk to have another playoff headline game.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn/ Le’Veon Bell ($3,000/ $2,400)
Tampa Bay didn’t activate Leonard Fournette from IR, which gives an opportunity to find value in the backfield. With the Eagles defensive front allowing RBs to run on them, and the number of opportunities the team is likely to have in the red zone, one (or both) of these cheap options could really hit value, as well as allowing you to slot in a number of premium players too. I mean realistically, you need Bell to score a TD and he is near 3x his value straight away.
DraftKings Wildcard Showdown 2021- Philadelphia @Tampa Bay Flex Picks
Jalen Hurts ($10,600)
The Eagles offense isn’t exactly the most potent in the league. But, it does pretty much flow through Hurts, either with his feet or his arm. Hurts has averaged just over 50 rushing yards per game, with 10 scores on the ground- that’s a nice floor have. With his ability to stretch plays too, his passing gives him a decent ceiling. With Tampa likely to be able to put up points, there will be pressure on Hurts to do something to keep the team competitive in the game.
Mike Evans ($9,800)
The Eagles secondary has performed well against top WRs this season, so why should you consider Evans? Well, it’s Mike Evans. He has been unplayable down the stretch, making big plays when it matters for the team on the way to his 8th 1,000-yard season. I’m not going to question it, I’m just going to put him in my lineup.
Dallas Goedert ($5,800)
Goedert feels like a free square really in this game, considering his importance to the offense. If the Eagles are going to be moving the ball through the air then Goedert is the likely target. He was second in targets in the regular season, despite playing in two fewer games than leader DeVonta Smith. With the price being set at this level, he is likely to be a popular player on the slate, but you can’t overlook him.
Breshad Perriman ($5,400)
Perriman is the type of play that doesn’t make sense until it does. His deep threat and speed gives him an opportunity to score every time he gets the ball, and should be on the field more often due to injuries to the receivers on the team. I don’t want to have to rely on him for cash games, but large field GPPs the selection is fine.
Eagles Backfield
The Eagles backfield has a number of ways to attack it, all dependent on who is available to play. Tampa Bay’s defense isn’t the dominant force it was last season and at the start of the year, so you don’t need to actively avoid it.
If Miles Sanders ($8,000) is active, then he is going to be the lead back for the team and becomes attractive, even if the scoreline may not be close he is used out of the backfield with 26 receptions this season. If he isn’t then the options are a lot more varied.
If Sanders is out, then it’s likely we see a split between Boston Scott ($6,400) and Jordan Howard ($2,800) for carries out of the backfield, with rookie Kenneth Gainwell ($2,400) an interesting option for his pass-catching ability. From those, I’d rather put in Scott, who has played a part on the ground and through the air, but I’m going to be mixing in all of them. Especially with the cheap price for Howard and Gainwell.
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Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – USA TODAY Sports
