Thursday night football always poses a tough challenge for fantasy owners. The decision to start or sit a certain player can have great ramifications in fantasy matchups and with leagues in the playoffs, every point is important.
If a team starts the right player on Thursday night, it could create too big a hole for an opponent to climb out of. But if a team starts the wrong guy, it could mean an early end in the playoffs.
This week's game offers some interesting matchups, as the Philadelphia Eagles host the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field. The Bengals are fighting for playoff position in the AFC, while the Eagles are trying to salvage their season after losing eight straight games.
Scoring for this article is based on a Yahoo fantasy league with one point per reception, one point for every 30 passing yards, one point for 10 rushing yards, one point for 10 receiving yards and six points per touchdown. Here are some of our recaps and breakdown's of fantasy performances from the past two weeks.
QUARTERBACK
Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
Foles has been on a hot streak lately, posting double-digit fantasy points in the past two games. He had a season high 31.40 points on Sunday in the Eagles' 23-21 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The rookie quarterback has started five games in place of Michael Vick and is trying to help salvage the season. The team snapped an eight-game losing streak with the win on Sunday and will try to finish strong for head coach Andy Reid.
Reid drafted Foles and has given him his chance to shine in the latter part of the season. He passed for 381 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for one score for and had the second-highest fantasy total in the league, only behind Cam Newton.
Foles is matched up against a solid Bengals defense that is ranked 10th in passing yards allowed, but he will have the home field advantage. Foles has passed for 1,174 yards and four touchdowns this season and has posted 60 fantasy points. He is a solid option this week and could surprise against a team that is giving up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Dalton had a rough game last week against Dallas, posting just 9.87 points in the teams 20-19 loss, but is poised to rebound against one of the worst-ranked defenses in the league.
The Eagles are giving up the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season and will give Dalton good matchups with his receivers, including A.J. Green. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions over the past seven games and has posted at least 22 fantasy points in three of the last five.
Dalton threw for 206 yards and one touchdown against the Cowboys, but should finally break the 300-yard mark for the first time since Week 6 against the Browns. Dalton is the 17th-ranked player in fantasy and is still available in many leagues for any team that needs an emergency start at the position.
He has passed for 3,186 yards and 25 touchdowns with 14 interceptions., He has also rushed for three touchdowns and has posted 220 fantasy points.
RUNNING BACK
Bryce Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Brown has been the primary running back for the Eagles since LeSean McCoy went down with a concussion and has been stellar, posting two straight 30-point fantasy outings before being held to just three on Sunday.
He has had problems with fumbling the ball, but the Eagles have had no choice but to start Brown and give him the bulk of the carries due to injuries.
Brown only had six yards against the Buccaneers on Sunday, but the Bengals are a much better matchup and give up the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs. In the previous two games before Sunday, Brown had rushed for 347 yards and four touchdowns, but fumbled three times.
The Eagles offensive line has been one of the worst in the league and could wilt under the pressure of players like Geno Atkins, who has been a force for Cincinnati. Brown will be aided by a solid passing game with Nick Foles, who has been much better over the past two weeks.
WIDE RECIEVER
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are only ranked 14th in passing this season, but that hasn't stopped A.J. Green from being a fantasy force. Gtreen has posted 219.53 fantasy points and has made 79 receptions for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He posted only 5.93 fantasy points last week, but that was largely due to the game plan and the effectiveness of the Cowboys against quarterback Andy Dalton. Green caught just three balls for 44 yards, which is his lowest total in the past six weeks.
Green has earned double-digit fantasy points in five of the past six games and matches up against an Eagles defense that is giving up the 16th-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Last week the Eagles gave up 131 yards to wide receiver Vincent Jackson, leaving Green in a prime sport to perform.
In the past five games Green has only scored two touchdowns, but has made double-digit receptions three times. He is a tall and fast receiver and is always a threat for the deep ball. Green could bust out big on Thursday night.
Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
Maclin has benefited the most from the absence of wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who was put on injured reserve last month and will be out for the rest of the season.
Quarterback Nick Foles has developed a nice relationship with Maclin and targeted him a team-high 13 times in the win over Tampa Bay, including on the game-winning touchdown pass as time expired. Maclin posted the seventh-highest points total for wide receivers on Sunday with 21.93 points, catching nine balls for 104 yards and one touchdown.
Maclin only had 5.53 points two weeks ago in the team's loss against Dallas and has a tough matchup against a Bengals defense that is allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this year. Although the Bengals have been solid over the year, the secondary has given up 23 receptions for 320 yards over the past two games while dealing with some injuries.
After losing eight games in a row, it looks like Eagles may finally take flight. Maclin is a solid start this week.
