PHILADELPHIA (at Buffalo)
The Eagles have dropped two straight, totaling only 3 TDs and 30 points in those games. Those were on the road against good Vikings and Cowboys defenses, but a trip to Buffalo isn't any easier. While they had a sleepy game ...
... last week against Miami, statistically the Bills are better than both of those teams, No. 3 in both yards and points allowed. Look for another below-average game from Philadelphia's offense. ... The Bills are most vulnerable to the run (10th). They've one of just seven defenses that have allowed more touchdowns rushing than passing, and have allowed half of their opponents up over 100 yards on the ground. Not a bad run defense, but weaker in that regard. Philadelphia is using a tandem of Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders. Game flow will likely determine who plays more and ...
This report is taken from today's Week 8 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 21 pages of matchup previews, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
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... has the better game. Howard's best two games (an average of 89 yards with 4 TDs) came in convincing wins over the Packers and Jets. Sanders has scored only once, with his two best games in losses to the Lions and Vikings (126 and 92 total yards). This game is a tossup (Bills only a slight favorite), so both have value; Howard if the team can get a lead and work the run, Sanders if the team falls behind and needs to pass more (no indication that Darren Sproles is nearing a return from a quad injury; if he did, he'd cut into Sanders snaps, but we're proceeding as if he won't be available). Bills have allowed at least 1 rushing score in five straight games, while the Eagles have run one in in five of their seven games; 4 by Howard. Both he and Sanders have caught a touchdown in the past month; Buffalo has allowed as many touchdowns by running backs (2) as any other position. Not a great matchup, but a week when Philadelphia should look to get both players involved. ... Tough situation for Carson Wentz. Buffalo ranks 4th in pass defense, and has allowed only 4 TD passes. Ryan Fitzpatrick last week is the first quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards against this defense. Not that the Bills have faced a lot of superstars, but opposing passers have struggled.
| Quarterbacks versus the Bills | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Yds | TDs | Int | Sk |
| Darnold | 175 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Manning | 250 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Dalton | 249 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Brady | 150 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mariota | 183 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Fitzpatrick | 282 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Wentz is better than all those guys but Brady, of course, but not a great spot for him. He's putting the ball in the end zone, with 14 TDs (13 pass, 1 run) in seven games, so exactly 2 per game, but he's averaging a modest 236 passing yards, including finishing under 200 in three of four. The team won two of those, so it's not necessarily a bad thing from the Eagles standpoint. In this matchup, they should favor the ground game and short passes and try to eke out a lower-scoring win. ... The Eagles are favoring sets with two tight ends. They've had some wide receiver injuries, plus they have two really good tight ends. Zach Ertz is the more heralded and accomplished guy, and he's got 9 more catches (35) and 150 more yards (404) than anyone else on the roster. But he's caught just 1 TD, and Dallas Goedert has been coming on in recent weeks. Goedert was dealing with an injury early on, and was sitting on just 5 receptions five weeks into the season. But he's caught 9 balls for 117 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks -- more catches, yards and touchdowns than Ertz in those contests. Not that he's going to outperform him each week, but he'll likely draw less defensive attention. Buffalo hasn't allowed a touchdown to a tight end yet (only 4 TDs against this defense, period), but they haven't faced many good ones. Far and away the best player at the position they've faced, Evan Engram, caught 6 passes for 48 yards. They'll probably be two of the Eagles' better pass catchers in this game. ... Alshon Jeffery is the top wideout, averaging 51 yards in his five healthy games, with 4 TDs. Bills have allowed only 2 TDs to wide receivers, but Jeffery is definitely the favorite to catch one. DeSean Jackson has now missed five games with an abdominal injury. He hasn't been practicing and was ruled out early enough last week that no one should count on having him here. He's not practicing today. Nelson Agholor should instead be the No. 2, but he's not making an impact. His two games with more than 42 yards and all 3 of his touchdowns were with both Jeffery and Jackson sidelined. Unlikely he does anything against this secondary (and not a great matchup for Jeffery, either). ... Jake Elliott averages just over 6 kicking points, with more games under 7 (three) than over (two). Buffalo and New England have the league's stingiest defenses against kickers, each allowing only 2 field goals -- 3 fewer than any other team. ... The Eagles Defense is tied for 3rd with 8 interceptions, which is intriguing against Josh Allen. He's thrown 7 in six games, while losing 2 fumbles, so a couple of takeaways looks very possible. The Eagles have 17 sacks and Allen has taken 15, so a combined 32 in 13 games (2.5). This defense could be a factor in swinging what should be a close game by making a big play or two.