By: @Ryan_Humphries

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COVID-related issues continue to run through the league but if there is a silver lining we can look towards, it’s the fact that we get an extra day of the week with some NFL football action! A pair of NFC divisional match-ups got postponed from Sunday to today so we'll have Washington visiting Philadelphia and Seattle visiting the LA Rams. Both games are set to kick-off simultaneously at 7:00 ET so get the dual TV set-up going and let’s go hunting for a Tuesday DFS takedown!

Note: At the time of this writing, there are players who are currently still on the reserve/COVID-19 list who may still have an outside shot to test out negative and suit up for their team’s game tonight before the 4 pm ET deadline for roster moves hits. I have Twitter notifications running for some of the big shot NFL insiders in hopes of seeing the most recent news pop up regarding who will or won’t be available to play tonight but do keep in mind that some situations may change by the time you’re reading this and some players highlighted below may become more or less viable for DFS purposes.

Quick Hit on Two-Game Slate Strategy: When building lineups, I’d recommend approaching it similar to a single game showdown slate -- specifically when it comes to not using all of your allotted salary. On a small slate, the easiest way to have a shot at rolling out a unique lineup in GPPs is to leave some salary on the table -- a few hundred bucks, at least. In yesterday’s two-game slate (which, admittedly, was a bit of a train wreck), the perfect lineup had $2,600 in dead salary on DraftKings and $2,300 in dead salary on FanDuel. It’s certainly possible that the perfect lineup for tonight’s slate will utilize 98+% of the total salary, however, it’s just not the most likely outcome based on historical data.

Quarterbacks to Consider

Potential quarterback targets at high/mid/low price points.

Matthew Stafford, LAR | DK: $6.7k, FD: $8.5k | vs. SEA

We begin at the top of QB pricing with Stafford who draws the match-up with the Seahawks -- the defense that has allowed *the* most passing YPG to QBs this season (290 YPG). Stafford has been sharp at home this season where, in six games, he has averaged 311.2 YPG on a 68.1% comp% to go along with a 16:3 TD:INT ratio. Besides Robert Woods, whose season ended several weeks ago, Stafford will have his top three receiving options available tonight with Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., and Van Jefferson Jr. all set to suit up. On a night where the run game may have some problems against a mostly healthy Seattle defensive front which ranks 9th in run DVOA, we can expect good things to come against Seattle’s secondary (28th in pass DVOA) which will be without safety Jamal Adams (torn labrum two weeks ago) and starting CB DJ Reed (C19). The Rams also lead this mini-slate with a 26.8 implied point total.

Garrett Gilbert, WAS | DK: $4.8k, FD: $6.4k | @ PHI

At 12:23 pm ET today, Adam Schefter reported that “signs continue to point to recently-signed Garrett Gilbert starting tonight at QB for the WFT, but that’s pending a final round of COVID testing for Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.” On a two-game slate, sometimes ya have to make rash decisions that don’t necessarily seem ideal if you want a shot at putting out a unique lineup. I imagine that QB ownership today will basically descend accordingly with the DFS pricing. I’m ball-parking it here, but let’s say (in GPPs) Stafford is about ~45% owned, Hurts is ~25% owned, and Wilson is ~15% owned. The chance to get Gilbert at potential single-digit ownership will go a long way towards making a unique lineup build for tournaments. This will be only his second career start and he’s basically coming in off the street after getting signed from New England’s practice squad four days ago. Gilbert started for the Dallas Cowboys last season in their game against Pittsburgh and he completed 21-of-38 passes (55.3%) for 243 yards, one TD, one INT, and added three rushes for 28 yards. He isn’t necessarily considered a super mobile QB but if Gilbert can throw for around 250 yards, a couple of TDs, and add a bit of yardage with his legs, perhaps he sneaks into the optimal lineup. So many games this week have been incredibly low-scoring and there have been quite a few poor performances from higher-end QBs. It’s not insane to think Stafford, Hurts, and Wilson could all fail to meet expectations. If anything, Gilbert should be highly motivated to take advantage of this opportunity!

Update: Gilbert confirmed starting tonight.

Running Backs to Consider

Potential running back targets at high/mid/low price points.

Antonio Gibson, WAS | DK: $6.8k, FD: $7.4k | @ PHI

With pass-catching specialist JD McKissic out tonight with a neck injury, Antonio Gibson will be locked into a three-down role and heavy usage. Gibson was a chalk bomb last week and Washington checks in with a slate-low 17.5 implied team total while being 6.5 point road underdogs, but if the Football Team gets the upset tonight, Gibson likely will have had a huge game.

Darrell Henderson Jr., LAR | DK: $5.5k, FD: $7k | vs. SEA

Most people are assuming the Rams will split carries fairly evenly between Henderson and Sony Michel in an effort to keep the injury-prone Henderson healthy and fresh legs in the backfield. There is a good chance that ends up being true considering Michel has run well during the last two games in Henderson’s absence. But, at the same time, when Henderson has been healthy this season, he has been utilized as a true bell-cow running back while also playing upwards of 80% of snaps many weeks. While the Seahawks do rank 9th in run DVOA, they have still managed to allow the 2nd most FPPG to RBs this season largely due to the passing work RBs have received against them. Seattle has allowed the most receptions (97) and receiving yards (903) to RBs in 2021 and Henderson should certainly be the preferred receiving back over Sony Michel, so give him a boost in that department.

Rashaad Penny, SEA | DK: $5.4k, FD: $6.4k | @ LAR

With Gibson, Henderson, and Penny being the RBs mentioned thus far, I’m likely highlighting the three highest-owned RBs on this slate. But if you’re going to get risky this evening, I’d say it’s better to play it safe at RB and take some shots on lower-owned guys at the other positions -- primarily WR and TE. We want guaranteed volume at RB and, by all indications, Penny has played himself into a featured workload following his 137-yard, two-touchdown performance against Houston last week. Penny has flashed upside at times in his NFL career but it’s unfortunately been plagued by various injuries. He should have all the motivation in the world to show he can produce when given the opportunity -- with Chris Carson (IR), Alex Collins (C19), and Travis Homer (C19) all set to miss this game while the 36-year-old Adrian Peterson is listed as questionable with a lower-back injury, the only real competition Penny has for touches may come from DeeJay Dallas who only has 33 total touches this season.

Wide Receivers to Consider

Potential wide receiver targets at high/mid/low price points.

Cooper Kupp, LAR | DK: $8.8k, FD: $9.5k | vs. SEA

This is probably just chalk you’re going to have to eat on such a small slate with limited options. There is simply no better floor/ceiling play than Kupp on the slate. If you choose not to roster him and he has yet another good-to-great game, you may find yourself struggling to even min-cash. Kupp has just one game this season where he failed to draw double digit targets and that was a nine-target game in week eight where he still went for 7-115-1.

Odell Beckham Jr., LAR | DK: $4.9k, FD: $6.5k | vs. SEA

OBJ has connected with Stafford for a touchdown in three straight games and the absence of TE Tyler Higbee (C19) should open up a few additional targets, particularly in the red one. He and Van Jefferson Jr. ($5.4k/$6.4k) will continue to work as complimentary secondary options to Cooper Kupp.

DeAndre Carter, WAS | DK: $3.6k, FD: $5.1k | @ PHI

Terry McLaurin will likely draw shadow coverage from Darius Slay, who has held him in check in previous meetings. DeAndre Carter has been a guy who has stepped into a fairly significant role for a Washington team that has been in desperate need of pass catchers. Since week eight, Carter has played on just under 70% of snaps for Washington, which ranks second among the Washington receivers behind only Terry McLaurin. If Garrett Gilbert avoids McLaurin when Slay is lined up opposite of him, look for someone like Carter to potentially see around 6-8 targets.

Freddie Swain, SEA | DK: $3.4k, FD: $4.7k | @ LAR

It doesn’t appear as if Tyler Lockett will clear protocols in time to suit up for tonight’s game and, at times this season, it has seemed that QB Russell Wilson would rather throw the football into the dirt than target DK Metcalf. It’s a really odd disconnect that has been going on between those two this season. But that may present Freddie Swain with some decent opportunities this evening. Swain has aligned in the slot on 70% of his routes and the Rams have surrendered the 5th most FPPG to slot WRs over the last month.

Tight Ends to Consider

Tight end targets at high/mid/low price points.

Dallas Goedert, PHI | DK: $4.9k, FD: $6.4k | vs. WAS

The only two remotely reliable receivers in the Philly offense have been DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. Goedert will check in as the priciest tight end option by a decent margin but if you want the safest play with the highest ceiling at the position, it won’t be all too difficult to fit him in. While we’re really only hoping for around 5-to-7 targets for Goedert here, he leads nearly all tight ends AND wide receivers on this slate with a 10.6-yard per target average so he can produce a solid stat line even on fairly low volume.

Kendall Blanton, LAR | DK: $2.5k, FD: $4k | vs. SEA

The Rams have three tight ends out tonight including top TE Tyler Higbee due to COVID protocols. Higbee was also out last week and Kendall Blanton ended up playing on 90% of snaps while catching 2-of-3 targets for 29 yards. If Blanton’s going to be on the field for nearly every snap again, he’ll be worth a flier especially at the stone minimum of $2,500 on DraftKings. If he gets lucky with a touchdown, he’s easily crushing value here. It’s an excellent match-up as well against a Seahawks team that has struggled to cover tight ends all season. Overall, they’ve allowed the 5th most FPPG to tight ends this season and *the* most FPPG over the last four weeks.

Defenses to Consider

Chalk: Philadelphia Eagles | DK: $3.4k, FD: $4.8k | vs. WAS

Pivot: Seattle Seahawks | DK: $2.4k, FD: $3.3k | @ LAR

Once again, if you have any questions DM me on Twitter or hit me up in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck this week!

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