DraftKings Price: $5,300
Carson Wentz was something of a fantasy darling to start 2016. After throwing for seven touchdowns in his first four games, he was on everyone's radar as a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately for Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles, he dropped off dramatically starting in Week 5 with the loss of offensive lineman Lane Johnson.
It's hard for any quarterback to lose a star tackle, but that's probably especially true for a rookie. Look at Wentz's splits with and without Johnson on the field.
| Split | Games | Comp% | Yards/Game | Pass TD/Game | Sacks/Game | Turnovers/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With Lane Johnson | 6 | 64.9% | 234 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Without Lane Johnson | 10 | 61.2% | 237.8 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 1.5 |
Fortunately, Johnson is back, and the Eagles have the number-one ranked offensive line in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus. Wentz should thrive with more time in the pocket, and he will have more weapons to throw to this season.
Though their running game is still a hodgepodge, the Eagles enhanced their wide receiver corps by trading away Jordan Matthews and signing both Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. Wentz not only has reliable underneath options in Darren Sproles and Zach Ertz, but the addition of these Jeffery and Smith means that he finally has players who can stretch the field.
His opponent this week is Washington, who ranked 24th in our schedule-adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play metric a year ago. The Eagles are a 1.0-point favorite with an implied total of 24.25, which means that we should expect a close game with plenty of opportunities for Wentz to blow away the 15.9 DraftKings points that he needs to hit value (three times his salary).
A stack with Ertz, who is only $3,500, is a high-upside play which allows you the flexibility to plug-in two high priced running backs.