Eagles vs. Texans: Picks, Lineup Tips for Daily Fantasy FanDuel, DraftKings
The Philadelphia Eagles' quest to remain undefeated is heading to prime time. After opening the season 7-0, they will be on the road Thursday night for a matchup against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.
Anything can happen in an NFL contest, but it would be quite an upset if Houston knocks off Philadelphia. While the Eagles are the only unbeaten team in the league, the Texans are 1-5-1 and tied with the Detroit Lions for the fewest wins in the NFL.
Because Philadelphia is such a heavy favorite, daily fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel on Thursday night will likely be stacked with Eagles players. Still, it will be important to include the right combinations to rack up the most points possible.
Here's some DFS advice for this Week 9 Thursday night matchup between the Eagles and Texans.
Hurts Is a Must-Start Player in This Matchup
If you want any chance at DFS success on Thursday night, you're likely going to need find room in your budget for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ($17,700 on DraftKings; $17,500 on FanDuel). He's the most expensive player in this matchup, but that's because he's the clear top fantasy standout who will be taking the field.
The 24-year-old is having an impressive third NFL season, and he is coming off one of his best performances yet. He threw a career-high four touchdown passes in the Week 8 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, airing it out for 285 yards.
Although Hurts had only six TD passes over the Eagles' first six games, he was also making plays happen with his legs. Over the team's first five contests, he had six rushing scores.
So, the former Alabama and Oklahoma QB has the potential to do it all in a given game, and he'll have a tremendous matchup against the Texans on Thursday.
Houston is allowing 403.6 total yards per game (the third most in the NFL), so Hurts and the Philadelphia offense should again put up big numbers.
Eagles DST Likely to Feast on Texans' Offense
While the Texans' defense has struggled early in 2022, the Eagles have been one of the best teams in the league on that side of the ball.
Philadelphia is allowing only 298.4 total yards per game (the fourth fewest in the NFL), and it has a league-best plus-14 turnover margin; no other team has a figure better than plus-six.
The Eagles' 16 takeaways are tied for the most in the NFL with the New England Patriots, and their 10 interceptions are tied with the Pats for the second most in the league. Plus, Philadelphia has recorded 23 sacks, tied for fifth most in the NFL.
On Thursday, the Eagles' defense should have no trouble creating big plays against a shorthanded Texans offense. That makes Philadelphia's DST ($10,500 on DraftKings; $10,000 on FanDuel) one of the top DFS plays in this matchup.
The game could be a lopsided affair, and the Eagles' defense will likely have a dominant performance. Expect it to rack up the fantasy points with the types of impact plays it has been making all season.
Moore Could Be Sleeper Option at WR
Houston will be without one of its top receivers on Thursday, after Nico Collins was ruled out for the game due to a groin injury. Even worse for the Texans is that their receiving corps could also be without Brandin Cooks, who is questionable with a wrist issue.
Because Houston quarterback Davis Mills may have to throw the majority (if not all) of his passes to other receivers, Chris Moore ($8,100 on DraftKings; $6,500 on FanDuel) could be a sleeper DFS play. He will be in line for a larger role, especially if Cooks is out.
The 29-year-old has flashed his potential at times this season. He had three catches for 63 yards in a Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears and two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown (his first of the year) last week in the defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders.
It's unlikely the Cincinnati product puts up huge numbers in this challenging matchup. But if the Texans are down big in the second half, they'll be passing a lot, and he could rack up some yardage.
Perhaps Moore will also get into the end zone for the second consecutive game.
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