FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 14 Sunday Night (Eagles at Cowboys)

Sunday's primetime matchup is perhaps the best of the weekend. The Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles as 3.5-point favorites, per the NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, and the 51.5 over/under is the highest of Week 14.

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

FanDuel Research's Brandon Gdula has done a deep dive on single-game strategy, and numberFire has projections if you select the game from the slate tab. It's worth checking out both before making your lineups.

MVP Candidates

Given the teams, we have a plethora of viable MVP plays, a breath of fresh air compared to how it felt trying to put together a lineup on Thursday night.

Beginning with the Eagles, Jalen Hurts ($16,000), A.J. Brown ($13,500), DeVonta Smith ($12,000), and D'Andre Swift ($11,500) are all projected for double-digit FanDuel points, per numberFire's model. This is a tough matchup against one of the NFL's best defenses, but that shouldn't deter us from turning to Philadelphia's stars at MVP. The Eagles scored four touchdowns against the Cowboys earlier this year.

Hurts is the obvious play and ought to be the most popular MVP choice. A near lock for a rushing touchdown every time he steps on the field, Hurts is tied for the second-most rushing scores (12) with Christian McCaffrey, and he also has the second-most rushing yards among QBs. Add in a lethal supporting cast that lifts his passing work, and it's easy to see why he's averaging 24.4 FanDuel points per game this season, the second-best mark across all positions.

Brown boasts the best pass-catching role on the Eagles, owning a 31.3% target share, 45.9% air yards share, 41.5% red zone share, and 50.0% end zone share. Fantasy's overall WR4, we've seen Brown top out with FanDuel scores of 34.0, 29.0, and 24.7 points this season.

Smith plays second-fiddle to Brown but still comes in with an appealing 23.3% target share and 34.3% air yards share. While he hasn't quite demonstrated the monstrous ceiling of Brown, he's cracked 19-plus FanDuel points four times. With so many strong MVP options, I'm guessing Smith doesn't see a particularly high roster percentage in the multiplier slot.

Swift is coming off his worst fantasy performance since Week 1, but the Eagles remain committed to the run. Since taking over as the lead back in Week 2, he's averaged 14.9 carries and 3.9 targets per game with a 61.7% snap rate. The biggest hurdle blocking Swift's MVP potential is his team's infamous "Brotherly Shove" at the goal line, as he's logged just a 35.8% red zone rush share as a starter.

Flipping over to Dallas, Dak Prescott ($15,500), CeeDee Lamb ($14,000), and Tony Pollard ($11,000) are the top options, per numberFire's model. In fact, Hurts is the only Eagles player projected for more FanDuel points than these three.

Prescott continues to pad his resume as a real-life MVP candidate, entering the weekend as the co-favorite, according to the NFL MVP odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. Over the last seven games, he's averaged 28.3 FanDuel points, 310.4 passing yards, and 3.0 touchdowns per game. Philadelphia is numberFire's 21st-ranked in adjusted pass defense -- they've actually allowed the most FanDuel points per game to QBs -- and this defense just got diced up for four touchdowns by Brock Purdy, the other co-favorite for NFL MVP.

In all, it's safe to say Hurts and Prescott will be rostered at the multiplier slot in the vast majority of DFS lineups.

Since Dak began his heater in Week 6, Lamb has been along for the ride, rocking a 32.6% target share, 41.0% air yards share, 36.0% red zone share, and 40.7% end zone share. Now up to the overall WR2 in fantasy, Lamb has averaged 12.3 targets, 9.0 receptions, 117.7 receiving yards, and 0.9 touchdowns over this span. The Eagles have given up the most FanDuel points per game to WRs, too.

Pollard has scored a touchdown in three straight games, and his usage has been solid all season, as he's averaged 15.0 rushes and 4.2 targets per game while playing 70.5% of the snaps. He's taken 54.9% of the red zone carries, which has led to a league-high 3.8 per game in this elite offense. Although Philadelphia's allowed the fewest FanDuel points per game to RBs, that's more due to a lack of rush attempts against them as a team that typically finds itself out front with a lead. In contrast to this, numberFire rates them as a below-average rush defense (24th).

Flex Breakdown

With CeeDee Lamb soaking up so many targets, there isn't as much to go around for everyone else on Dallas, but Brandin Cooks ($10,000) and Jake Ferguson ($9,500) are appealing flex plays.

Across the last seven games, Cooks has recorded a 12.5% target share and 16.8% air yards share. While that might not seem like much, being attached to a red-hot Prescott has its benefits, as Cooks has scored a touchdown in five games over this span.

In this same sample, Ferguson ranks second on the team in target share (14.4%), red zone share (22.0%), and end zone share (18.5%). Similar to Cooks, he's tallied four touchdowns over the seven-game stretch.

After these two, we're mostly left with fringe plays on Dallas. Michael Gallup ($8,000) and Jalen Tolbert ($7,500) split time as the third wideout, with neither one typically playing even half the snaps. Gallup projects slightly better of the two but has just two targets over the last two games, so take that with a grain of salt. Running back Rico Dowdle ($7,000) should get a handful of touches backing up Tony Pollard.

For the Eagles, the big news is that tight end Dallas Goedert ($8,500) is expected to be back after missing the last three games. When healthy, he's seen an 18.4% target share and 25.9% red zone target share, and he should immediately slide back in as the number-three option behind Brown and Smith. At first glance, this doesn't seem like a great matchup, but Dallas is 28th in adjusted fantasy points allowed per target to TEs.

Beyond Goedert, we quickly reach dart-throw territory. Much like Dowdle, running back Kenneth Gainwell ($7,500) can't be counted on for many chances behind Swift. Wide receiver Quez Watkins ($6,500) had the team's third-highest route rate (72.5%) in Week 13, giving him some potential as a value play in case he lucks into a touchdown.

Given the total and spread, we're expecting a back-and-forth, high-scoring game, which likely leaves the kickers and defenses as long shots to make the optimal lineup. When these two teams played in Week 9, they combined for 51 points.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.