A big NFC East battle is brewing as the 4-1 Cowboys travel to take on the undefeated 5-0 Eagles. We'll preview the top targets to consider for tonight's much-anticipated showdown!

By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter and LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5) | 42 O/U

DAL: 17.8 Implied Points | PHI: 24.3 Implied Points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: WR CeeDee Lamb (Questionable, expected to play), QB Dak Prescott (Questionable, NOT expected to play)

Score Prediction: DAL - 16, PHI - 24

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 4-2 Eagles, 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Cowboys

SICScore/Field View 👩‍⚕️🩺

via sicscore.com

Eagles Offense / Cowboys Defense

Cowboys Offense / Eagles Defense

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Jalen Hurts: There is no safer captain play than a QB that can run, so Hurts is the no-brainer captain to play in tonight’s SNF showdown. The Dallas defense deserves a ton of respect -- they rank 4th in pass DVOA and are allowing 13.7 DKFP/gm to opposing QBs (7th lowest). However, Hurts has been posting some MVP-caliber performances this season and on top of his 271.8 passing YPG, he’s tacking on 53.2 rushing YPG and has six rushing scores. This game has a strong chance of being a low-scoring affair, as evidenced by the 42 O/U, but Hurts remains a strong floor play.

WR CeeDee Lamb: He may not be 100% heading into this game due to a hip injury, but all signs point toward Lamb suiting up tonight. He has seen no fewer than eight targets in any game this season and owns a massive 35.0% TGT%. Lamb spends a lot of time in the slot (53% slot%) so he’ll run plenty of routes against Eagle slot CB Avonte Maddox. The Eagles have allowed the 11th most FPPG to slot WRs this season. The Eagles' defense is also no joke but, assuming he’s not limited by the hip injury, Lamb brings a solid floor and likely the best upside of any Cowboys player in this match-up.

WR DeVonta Smith: The Eagles' passing attack is highly concentrated on three receivers: AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Those three players account for a combined 73.7% TGT%. Despite opening the season with a zero-catch four-target goose egg, Smith has gone on to garner a 25% TGT% and he has registered double-digit targets in two of the last three weeks. Smith runs just under 50% of his routes on the right perimeter so he should see plenty of coverage from Cowboys CB Anthony Brown -- receivers in Brown’s coverage have been targeted more than any other Cowboys DB (27% TGT% against). Smith has similar upside to teammate AJ Brown but he will cost much less as a captain play.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

RB Tony Pollard: I’m still holding out hope that SOMEDAY Tony Pollard will jump in and take over Zeke Elliott’s touch volume. On Pollard’s 44 rush attempts this season, he ranks 6th among NFL RBs, averaging 5.6 YPC. On Elliott’s 81 attempts, his 3.8 YPC ranks him 33rd among NFL RBs. Pollard is also just flat-out better at gaining yards after contact. Pollard’s 137 YAC is just four yards fewer than Elliott’s 141 YAC, despite handling nearly half the rush attempts. JUST. FEED. POLLARD. Regardless of how the touches continue to be split in the Cowboys backfield, Pollard offers big play ability both as a runner and a receiver. The Eagles can also be beaten on the ground where they rank 20th in rush DVOA and allow 4.6 YPC to RBs.

Eagles D/ST: Both D/STs are in play in what should be a fairly low-scoring game, but the edge should go to the home team Eagles. They’re allowing just 11.3 PPG over the last four weeks while averaging 12.0 FPPG. Despite a flawless 5-0 record as an NFL starting QB, Cooper Rush is not going to beat this Philly team by himself. So, if the Eagles can contain the Cowboys' run game and force Rush to *try* to beat them, then I like the chances for Philadelphia to rack up a couple of turnovers and 3-to-5 sacks as well.

WR AJ Brown: Due to pricing, I slightly prefer Brown as a FLEX play but wouldn’t fault anyone for rolling him out at captain either. He boasts a team-leading 29.6% TGT% and owns a massive 43.4% share of the Eagles' total intended air yards. This also isn’t a brutal match-up as the Cowboys allow the 14th most FPPG to perimeter WRs (Brown: 78% perimeter%).

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

K Brett Maher OR K Jake Elliott: In a fairly low-scoring game environment where several drives may stall within field goal range, both kickers are firmly in play tonight. Brett Maher would be the preferred option simply due to recent production (double-digit FP in four straight games) but Jake Elliott is a great kicker as well, he just hasn’t received as many FGA opportunities. Jake Elliott’s ownership will likely be noticeably lower than Maher’s if you’re looking to gain some leverage. Wind speeds look to be under 5 mph in Philly tonight, so no worries there.

WR Michael Gallup: In his third game back from injury, Gallup should be a safe bet for 5-to-8 targets as Dallas’ secondary receiving threat behind Lamb. It’s also possible that Gallup’s role increases if Lamb (hip) isn’t 100%. The Eagles' secondary is tough on perimeter receivers (Gallup: 90% perimeter%) but in a game where the Cowboys are +6.5 road underdogs, we can expect a fairly heavy dosage of targets to go around. Also, it’s a small sample size, but Gallup has caught 75% of his targets this season and his 8.8-yard aDOT has led to a lot of those high success rate targets.

TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert will stand out as a strong floor play and an ideal FLEX option. He has caught 82.8% of his targets this season and is averaging an impressive 11.3 YAC. The Cowboys defense leads the NFL with a 33.6% pressure% on opposing QBs, so expect plenty of quick short route dump-off passes to Goedert who tends to operate close to the line of scrimmage (3.4-yard aDOT).

WR Quez Watkins: I wish he was cheaper on DK considering Watkins has a legitimate zero-point floor. But he’s nothing more than a lottery ticket if he connects on a downfield bomb. Watkins owns a team-high 12.3-yard aDOT and the Cowboys' secondary is not immune to giving up a huge pass play here and there.

Sunday Night Football TD Call 🏈

WR DeVonta Smith

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*QB Jalen Hurts, WR DeVonta Smith, WR AJ Brown: A double stack with CPTN Hurts isn’t completely necessary but this would be the most obvious Hurts double stack to roll out.

*WR CeeDee Lamb, QB Cooper Rush, TE Dallas Goedert: Rush wasn’t discussed much in this article but if you slot Lamb in at CPTN, I believe you have to work in some correlation with Rush in the FLEX. Run it back with one of the ‘big three’ Eagles pass catchers on the other side.

*WR DeVonta Smith, QB Jalen Hurts, WR CeeDee Lamb: DeVonta Smith has plenty of upside in comparison to his DraftKings price so I’m really on board with him as a CPTN play tonight. You can easily fit multiple high-dollar players in the FLEX with the savings you get with CPTN Smith.

*RB Tony Pollard, Dallas D/ST, WR AJ Brown: Pollard brings huge play potential to lineups but it’s his volume that is always the concern. If he handles 12-15 touches in this game, I love his chances to pay off as a CPTN play. Run out the Dallas D/ST with him as a correlation play and bring it back with an Eagles receiver on the other side.

*Eagles D/ST, QB Jalen Hurts, K Jake Elliot: It’s going to be rowdy in Philly tonight with a sports-crazed town that reps the only undefeated team in the NFL and a Phillies baseball team that is NLCS-bound. The Cowboys are going to have to play in a difficult atmosphere and any time a home team is favored by a touchdown or more over a hated divisional foe, it tends to be a strong spot for the D/ST. The Eagles also just have a solid defense, to begin with, and they’ve been extremely stingy for several weeks now.

PrizePicks SNF Power Play ⚡

Here is a two-pick "Power Play" I’m liking for Sunday Night Football over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but these prop parlays have been treating us pretty well overall this season so let's keep it rolling! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Tony Pollard MORE than 32.5 Rush Yards

DeVonta Smith MORE than 4.0 Receptions

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That will wrap us up with today's "Primetime Preview" edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!