Game Overview ::
By hilow >>
- Eagles TE Dallas Goedert remained out of practice through Thursday with a knee injury.
- Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) returned to full practices this week after missing the previous two games.
- Panthers rookie TE Ja’Tavion Sanders somehow returned to limited sessions in both practices this week after being carted off the field with a neck injury less than two weeks ago.
- The Eagles should have every chance to control this game environment on the ground, while the Panthers are likely to aim to do the same. That places a relative cap on the upside from this game environment, although there are two spots to look to for fantasy upside.
- Saquon Barkley has averaged 28.67 running back opportunities per game in his last three games against the Commanders, the Rams, and the Ravens.
- The Panthers allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing backfields at almost 28!
How Carolina Will Try To Win ::
After being blown out for much of the first half of the season, the Panthers have been competitive over the previous four games, beating the Saints 23-22 in Week 9, beating the Giants 20-17 in Week 10, losing to the Chiefs on a last-second field goal 30-27 in Week 12, and losing to the Buccaneers by a field goal in overtime in Week 13. Even so, this team would still prefer not to have quarterback Bryce Young throwing the football around the yard, instead aiming to move the football methodically via their run game. On that note, Young has thrown multiple touchdowns just once all season and currently has six touchdown passes to six interceptions through effectively seven games (played nine snaps in Week 5 and three snaps in Week 7).
As such, this team’s ultimate path likely goes as their run game goes, which is a bit of an issue against an Eagles team holding opposing backfields to 1.79 yards before contact and just 15.7 fantasy points per game. Lead back Chuba Hubbard continues to operate in a borderline workhorse role for the Panthers, albeit slightly decreasing in rookie Jonathon Brooks’ second game active this season in Week 13. Brooks played just five offensive snaps in his first game action of the season in Week 12 but followed it up with 15 offensive snaps last time out, making it likely that his role continues to grow as the season progresses. Hubbard managed nine opportunities to the 12 of Hubbard against the Buccaneers a week ago, making his touch-to-snap ratio the highest of any back this season in the sample size of a single game. Even so, it remains unlikely that he unseats Hubbard, who recently signed a two-year extension, as the lead back any time soon.
Rookie wide receiver Jalen Coker practiced in full on Wednesday before being downgraded to limited on Thursday with a quad injury that has forced him to miss the previous two games, something that might matter far less than it did earlier in the season when Adam Thielen was out. Expect Xavier Legette and David Moore to continue to operate as the primary wide receivers in jumbo sets while veteran Adam Thielen continues to see his run almost exclusively out of 11-personnel in the slot. Tommy Tremble returned from injury to play 100% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 13, catching 5-of-8 targets for 77 yards as the primary tight end. The Eagles are expected to be without both starting safeties this week, something that could soften the individual matchup for Tremble up the seam.
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