NFL

5 Daily Fantasy Football Matchups to Exploit in Week 1

Jim Sannes  —  @JimSannes Sep 8th, 2016
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Philadelphia Eagles Rushing Offense

Unfortunately, you can't use Spencer Ware in both of your running back slots on FanDuel. Believe me -- I've asked. That means we'll have to find somebody else to slide on into that second position, and Ryan Mathews is worthy of your adoration.

The Philadelphia Eagles as a whole weren't too saucy last year as a rushing offense, ranking 20th in Adjusted Rushing NEP per play. That, though, included the marks of DeMarco Murray, who finished 23rd in Rushing NEP per carry of the 44 players with at least 100 carries. Mathews fared much better, ranking 13th in the category and 4th in Success Rate. In terms of efficiency, only one Eagles back was performing at a high level last year, and it wasn't Murray.

Then we get to the other side of this matchup. Woof.

The Cleveland Browns were 28th against the rush, according to numberFire's metrics. A decent team can slide by there if they keep the game close and force the other team to throw the football. That didn't happen with Cleveland.

Because the opponent had the lead so often, the Browns allowed five opposing running backs to top 100 rushing yards in a single game, and two others topped 90. Nothing about the Browns' offseason said these struggles would soon end, and it puts Mathews in a tremendous spot to rack up some cheap points.

This doesn't mean that this is a slam dunk. We always want to use running backs who have efficient quarterbacks who can generate touchdown drives and red zone opportunities. We have no idea if Carson Wentz will be able to do that. Is this enough to shove us off of Mathews?

While it does certainly put a wet rag on our enthusiasm, we should still feel all right about using Mathews. The Eagles enter the game as four-point favorites, and they're playing at home, both of which should help Mathews see volume. If the Browns' defense struggles like it did last year, Mathews could move the ball well enough himself to compensate for Wentz's struggles, and that keeps him firmly in our crosshairs.

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