Welcome to this special DFS focused edition of the Rookie Report! I’ll have the normal Rookie Report out later this week, but this week’s Thursday night game doesn’t have any rookies you should be considering for your season-long lineup, and probably shouldn’t consider for any larger slate DFS tournaments either. With that in mind I wanted to do something a little special this week and give you a little intel on each of the rookies suiting up for the Giants and Eagles in case you’re playing the Thursday night showdown DFS slate. The prices are pretty low on most of these guys, so if you find the right one to play it can give you extra cap space to pay up for the higher priced players to go with them. Here is a rundown of each rookie playing Thursday night listed in order by their DraftKings price tag for Thursday night:
QB Jalen Hurts, PHI (DraftKings Price: $6,000): The Eagles have started to make a point to get Hurts more involved with a handful of gadget plays each week, averaging about 4 snaps per game over the last 5 weeks. Given his explosive athleticism, he can turn just a few snaps into a handful of fantasy points on the right night, but he’s not priced like a player who would only play a handful of snaps. H’s priced like a quarterback. About the only real chance he has of returning value at his price tag would be if Carson Wentz gets hurt or benched early on. I wouldn’t count on either of those happening. Even if Hurts does get extended playing time, the Giants surprisingly allow the 5th-fewest QB points per game.
Verdict: Nowhere near worth the price tag
WR John Hightower, PHI (DraftKings Price: $1,200): Hightower has played 60% of Philly’s offensive snaps in each of the last 4 weeks, and finally hit on a big play last week with a 50-yard catch against the Ravens. The expected return of DeSean Jackson is going to put a dent in his playing time this week, but I don’t expect DeSean to walk into a full-time role in his first game back. Philly may ease him back in on some sort of pitch count. Hightower’s aDOT of 21.7 for the year means the team likes to target him deep. He could produce a useful night on just a couple catches. The Giants don’t give up a ton of big passing plays, allowing just 1 completion of 40+ yards on the year, and the 8th-fewest 20+ yard completions. Hightower obviously has a low floor, but probably the highest ceiling of any of the rookies playing on Thursday.
Verdict: Boom-or bust dart throw that I’d like a bit more if his price was below $1,000
WR Austin Mack, NYG (DraftKings Price: $400): Mack seemingly came out of nowhere last week to play 75% of the offensive snaps against Washington – 6 more snaps than Golden Tate played. He was targeted only once though, and he turned that target into just 1 yard. Washington has been one of the tougher pass defenses in the league, but that still doesn’t exactly instill confidence in Mack going forward. The Eagles are a much better matchup. They rank 27th in Football Outsiders’ pass defense DVOA and allow the 7th-most points per game to opposing wide receivers (half-PPR). Mack seems to have surpassed Damion Ratley and CJ Board on the depth chart and will serve as a starter this week assuming Sterling Shepard doesn’t return from IR. Darius Slay is likely to shadow Darius Slayton in this game, so that should open up some opportunities for Golden Tate and Mack. Mack wasn’t very productive at Ohio State, never reaching 400 yards in a season in college, but you could argue it was a crowded WR group. He’s a big bodied WR that profiles as more of a possession receiver than deep threat, so he’ll need to see a bit of volume to put up many fantasy points. That volume seems unlikely to come.
Verdict: Low ceiling dart throw who could fall into a handful of points
RB Jason Huntley, PHI (DraftKings Price: $200): With the absence of Miles Sanders this week, there should be some available running back touches for the Eagles. Boston Scott will certainly assume the lead back duties. When Sanders was out in week 1, Scott and Corey Clement split the snaps 38 to 25, but at that point Huntley had only been on the team for a week. He should be more up to speed now. Clement still served as the number two back last week after Sanders went down, but knowing ahead of time that Miles won’t play could mean they make a point to get Huntley into the rotation. Doug Pederson was ecstatic to claim Huntley off waivers from Detroit before the season started, and this may be the best opportunity he’s had to get him on the field. The Giants rank 15th in run defense DVOA, and allow the 13th-most RB points per game. Huntley is an explosive speed back (4.37 forty-yard dash at his pro day) who averaged 6 yards per carry and 44.5 catches per year in his last 3 seasons at New Mexico State. If he’s able to get on the field for 15-20 snaps, He could turn out to be a bargain at his price tag.
Verdict: My favorite play of the rookies in this matchup. Very little risk with enough upside to roll the dice.
WR Quez Watkins, PHI (DraftKings Price: $200): With Jackson expected back for week 7, Watkins will be lucky if he’s on the field for more than a couple snaps. He played a season-high 15 snaps last week, but is yet to record his first target. You probably shouldn’t bet actual money that his first target and first fantasy points will come Thursday night.
Verdict: Shouldn’t be near your lineups, even at $200 price tag
That’s all I’ve got for Thursday night. Keep in mind that the optimal Thursday lineup may not include any of these guys, but with a single-game slate everyone is in play. My overall favorite plays for this game are the two defenses, Golden Tate, Boston Scott, and Jake Elliott, but the rookies are worth looking into as well. Make sure to check back for the rest of the Rookie Report later this week, hopefully your Thursday night slate bets are a success. As always: Good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game.
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