🏈 Thursday Night Football Preview

Biggest Risers in our Rest of Season Rankings

• Calvin Ridley (+19 spots)

• Jacory Croskey-Merritt (+18 spots)

• Mason Taylor (+18 spots)

• Stefon Diggs (+15 spots)

• Michael Carter (+15 spots)

Biggest Fallers in our Rest of Season Rankings

• Omarion Hampton (-21 spots)

• Jerry Jeudy (-14 spots)

• Keenan Allen (-11 spots)

• Woody Marks (-10 spots)

• Ladd McConkey (-9 spots)

To see the full rest of season rankings, click that link to direct you to the WalterPicks app. There are plenty of notable players trending up and down heading into Week 6.

Thursday Night Football Preview

Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

Time: 8:15 PM ET

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Spread: PHI -7.5

Total: 43.5

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Week 6 Sleepers and Fades

We're focusing on the borderline players who could make or break your Week 6 lineup. The obvious stars like Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts are automatic starts.

So, let’s look at some fringe players and decide whether they should be in fantasy lineups or not in Week 6.

Start: RB Cam Skattebo

With Tyrone Tracy Jr. returning, some fantasy managers might be nervous about playing Cam Skattebo. Expect the Giants to ease Tracy back into action, which should provide opportunities for Skattebo to maintain a significant role in the offense. For that reason, he is a fantastic RB2 start in Week 6.

The Eagles have allowed over 15 PPR fantasy points to four different RBs this year, and have given up the ninth-most fantasy points to the position. Given that the Giants are also 7.5-point underdogs in this game, Skattebo should see plenty of work in the receiving game as New York plays from behind. The rookie has totaled six catches in two of the past three games.

Walter’s Rank: RB21

Start: WR A.J. Brown

It has been tough sledding for A.J. Brown to begin the season. He is averaging just 8.9 PPR fantasy points per game and has scored under 10 PPR fantasy points in four of five contests. However, there are reasons to believe that better days are ahead for the Pro Bowler. He ranks 13th in target share (27.3%), 24th in air yards percentage (36.6%), and fifth in route rate percentage (93.5%) among all WRs.

The Giants have allowed the third-most fantasy points, second-most receiving yards, and the most receptions to opposing WRs this year. New York has also let seven different WRs score at least 15 PPR fantasy points against them through the first five weeks. That's enough to make Brown a strong WR2 play on Thursday.

Walter’s Rank: WR24

Sit: TE Dallas Goedert

Dallas Goedert has been a reliable TE1 option through the first few weeks. He has scored above 10 PPR fantasy points in every game this season while finishing top-10 at the position in two of the past three weeks. This week, though, Goedert will be a riskier TE1 play in most leagues.

The Giants have done a solid job against opposing TEs this year, as New York is allowing just 10.1 PPR fantasy points per game to the position. This secondary held Juwan Johnson to just two catches last week, Travis Kelce to 6.6 PPR fantasy points in Week 3, and Zach Ertz to three catches for 26 yards back in Week 1. So, Goedert is a fringe TE1 option for Week 6.

Walter’s Rank: TE15

Sit: QB Jaxson Dart

In his first two career starts, Jaxson Dart has shown some encouraging signs for fantasy managers. He has rushed for 54 yards (Week 4) and 55 yards (Week 5) in back-to-back games. That has helped him score above 17 fantasy points in consecutive weeks. However, it might be hard to trust him as a QB1 this week.

Only one QB has scored more than 20 fantasy points against this Eagles defense this year, and Philadelphia has allowed the 12th-fewest rush yards to opposing QBs. So, Dart could have a hard time finding fantasy production in this divisional matchup.

Walter’s Rank: QB14

Things to Watch Closely For Fantasy:

• Dart’s Improvements: Can he be a reliable QB1 in tough matchups?

• Tracy’s return: How much will he eat into Skattebo's workload?

• Saquon Barkley’s rushing: Can he finally break a long run?

• Eagles’ WR core: Can both Brown and DeVonta Smith feast?

Free TNF Prop Pick

Prop: Daniel Bellinger OVER 13.5 receiving yards (-115 on Hard Rock)

Reasoning: Daniel Bellinger went over this line last week by posting a season-high 52 receiving yards. With Darius Slayton out for this game, the Giants could lean on  Bellinger more through the air. Last week, he played a season-high 52% of New York’s offensive snaps while running a season-high 12 routes.

With a 6.9% EV Edge at Hard Rock, Walter believes this is a bet worth taking on Thursday night. Bellinger is projected for 17.2 receiving yards in our Player Prop Evaluator.

My Final Score Prediction

Winner: Eagles

Spread Winner: Eagles

OVER/UNDER: Over

Prediction: Eagles 31-17

Last week’s recap: We went 1-2 last week by incorrectly guessing the Rams would win and cover the spread. However, we did get the over/under correct.

Winner Record: 3-2

Spread Winner Record: 3-2

Over/Under Record: 2-3