An NFC battle of the Birds awaits us on Monday Night Football when Jalen Hurts and the Eagles play host to Bijan Robinson and the Falcons. The Sporting News has optimal DFS lineups for this primetime clash, and the studs, sleepers, and strategies to help you make some daily fantasy cash.
A.J. Brown has been scratched from this one due to a hamstring injury, but plenty of star power remains. DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley highlight Hurts’ top offensive weapons, while veteran Falcons QB Kirk Cousins enjoys a skill-position corps that includes Bijan, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.
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Atlanta is coming off a rough season-opening loss to the Steelers, having struggled to get anything going against T.J. Watt and the vaunted Pittsburgh pass-rush. Philly, meanwhile, won a close battle with the Packers in the NFL’s first-ever game in São Paolo, Brazil.
Everyone knows the big names in this one, but the key to building an ideal DFS showdown or single-game roster is to get the most bang for your buck. With savvy Captain/MVP picks, sleeper flex plays, and contrarian strategies, our primary objective is to separate our lineups from the daily fantasy pack.
Keep reading to check out our optimal lineups for the Eagles vs. Falcons in DFS showdown and single-game contests on DraftKings, FanDuel, and SuperDraft.
Eagles vs. Falcons NFL DFS picks: Optimal DraftKings lineup
Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They’re full-point PPR, and they feature three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player’s original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.
| POSITION | PLAYER | TEAM/OPPONENT | SALARY |
| Captain | Ray-Ray McCloud, WR | Falcons at Eagles | $ 4,500 |
| FLEX | Bijan Robinson, RB | Falcons at Eagles | $ 10,400 |
| FLEX | Jalen Hurts, QB | Eagles vs. Falcons | $ 10,000 |
| FLEX | Kirk Cousins, QB | Falcons at Eagles | $ 9,000 |
| FLEX | DeVonta Smith, WR | Eagles vs. Falcons | $ 8,800 |
| FLEX | Kyle Pitts, TE | Falcons at Eagles | $ 6,800 |
Captain: Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Falcons at Eagles ($ 4,500)
We went back to the well with the inexpensive Captain, because McCloud proved in Week 1 that he’s the speedy, dependable veteran receiver Kirk Cousins has always loved. He put up 9.2 DK points in the season-opening loss to the Steelers, one of the only bright spots for the A outside of Bijan Robinson.
If Ray-Ray hits once again — with a 1.5-times boost, at just $ 4.5K — he will be the cherry on top of a loaded lineup we were able to afford because he came so cheap. This strategy will pay off!
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FLEX: Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons at Eagles ($ 10,400)
No hyperbole: Bijan might be the best active fantasy football player in the game right now. With CMC and J-Jets hurt, Tyreek missing concussed Tua, and Breece Hall dealing with New York’s inconsistencies (not to mention sharing touches with Braelon Allen), Bijan might be FF’s Numero Uno.
Robinson racked up a cool 111 of ATL’s 226 yards last week against a stifling Steelers D, so get the popcorn out before he gets going against Philadelphia. The Eagles allowed 7.1 yards per play last week, getting torched by Josh Jacobs on the ground and Jayden Reed through the air. The breakout game comes tonight.
FLEX 2: Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles vs. Falcons ($ 10,000)
The Falcons’ front-seven low-key dominates opposing rushing attacks, so Saquon Barkley better think again if he’s envisioning another three-TD effort like he had against Green Bay last week. Hurts will need to step up in a major way, and we think the former MVP candidate will be up for the challenge.
The Pro Bowl QB threw two picks and fumbled the ball in Brazil, and he still came away with 19.4 DK points. Imagine if he cleans it up even a little bit in his true home debut of the ’24 season.
FLEX 3: Kirk Cousins, QB, Falcons at Eagles ($ 9,000)
Cousins had to kick the rust off last week after a lengthy injury and rehab, and the NFL didn’t do him any favors sending T.J. Watt and the Steelers down to the A to face him and his new squad.
The Pro Bowl QB should have a much easier time against the Eagles, who rank 28th on PFF’s defensive line rankings as opposed to the Steelers at No. 1. Philadelphia couldn’t stop a nosebleed in São Paolo, and home cooking won’t be the end-all, cure-all of this shaky defense.
FLEX 4: DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles vs. Falcons ($ 8,800)
Smith makes for an easy stack with Hurts since we know A.J. Brown will be sidelined all game. The speedy wideout is fully capable of exploding for 30 points, a ceiling we simply can’t avoid in one of our flex spots.
Many will try to build a more balanced roster and grab Dallas Goedert, but remember that Atlanta completely neutralized Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth last week. Smith should see plenty of targets tonight, ensuring low volatility at this price tag thanks to his dependable floor and his boom potential.
FLEX 5: Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons at Eagles ($ 6,800)
Could it be? Could Pitts finally break out now that he has a competent QB? It certainly seemed that way last week when the tall tight end landed in the end zone with his first TD of the season. Cousins has always enjoyed targeting large pass-catching threats, so another solid showing could be just the beginning of a long, beautiful QB-TE friendship.
Eagles vs. Falcons NFL DFS picks: Optimal FanDuel lineup
Here are the key scoring settings for FanDuel single-game tournaments: They’re half-point PPR with three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, or 100 receiving yards. The MVP pick multiplies that player’s total by 1.5 but does not cost 1.5 times their listed salary.
| POS. | PLAYER | TEAM/OPPONENT | SALARY |
| MVP | Bijan Robinson, RB | Falcons at Eagles | $ 16,000 |
| FLEX | Jalen Hurts, QB | Eagles vs. Falcons | $ 17,500 |
| FLEX | DeVonta Smith, WR | Eagles vs. Falcons | $ 11,500 |
| FLEX | Jahan Dotson, WR | Eagles vs. Falcons | $ 7,500 |
| FLEX | Ray-Ray McCloud, WR | Falcons at Eagles | $ 7,000 |
Our single-game lineup strategy always tends to be the same on FanDuel. Here’s our primary objectives in lineup construction:
- Put the player we project to score the most points in the MVP spot, since it doesn’t cost us extra to get that 1.5-times boost.
- Stack a QB with his top pass-catcher.
- Target a couple high-volume plays and a couple high-ceiling sleepers.
We’ve checked all those boxes this time around, with Bijan as strong an MVP choice as anyone in this contest, Hurts and Smith representing a solid stack, and both Dotson and McCloud yielding big-time upside.
Eagles vs. Falcons NFL DFS picks: Optimal SuperDraft lineup
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft’s DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, and two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards. SuperDraft lineups feature no D/ST position. The “Champ” position adds a 50-percent boost to the selected player, while the SuperFlex positions are limited to the boost listed for each player.
| POSITION | PLAYER | GAME | BOOST |
| CHAMP | Bijan Robinson, RB | Falcons at Eagles | 1.6x |
| SFLEX | Jalen Hurts, QB | Eagles vs. Falcons | 1.1x |
| SFLEX | Kirk Cousins, QB | Falcons at Eagles | 1.2x |
| SFLEX | DeVonta Smith, WR | Eagles vs. Falcons | 1.25x |
| SFLEX | Ray-Ray McCloud, WR | Falcons at Eagles | 1.85x |
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
We drafted a similar core on SuperDraft as we had on DK and FD, putting our heaviest hitter in the Champ boost spot, drafting the high-floor trio of Hurts, Cousins, and Smith, and topping the lineup off with a high-ceiling sleeper in the speedy McCloud with his 1.85-times boost.
The majority of casual DFS drafters will opt for London and Pitts here, but Darius Slay could make London’s life difficult and Philly held Green Bay’s tight ends relatively in check last weekend in Brazil. When in doubt, shoot for upside with the final flex spot for a higher boost and more lineup variance.
