Only one Monday night game this week? Yes, we're past the season openers, so it's time for the Week 2 version of the Monday night matchups analysis with my start/sit recommendations. This week, the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Solider Field to face the Chicago Bears. The Eagles look to build on their surprising success from rookie QB Carson Wentz coming off a Week 1 victory, while the Bears are looking to avoid starting 0-2.
Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down every game and providing you with some fantasy football advice and lineup recommendations based on matchups that we love, matchups that we hate, and injury information as well. It’s essential to analyze the weekly NFL matchups to find lineup sleepers and gems, while also avoiding those players who may turn out to be busts.
Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests for Week 3. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!
Eagles @ Bears - Monday 9/19 @ 8:30 PM EST
Matchups We Love
Jay Cutler (QB, CHI) - It's hard to use the word "love" in conjunction with Cutler, but Philly did allow the second-most fantasy PPG to QB in 2015. Don't be fooled by last week's defensive performance - it was against a Browns team led by an injured RGIII playing his first game in over a year. At home, expect Jay to cut loose and find some space to work with. Cutler will have to sling the ball often this year in order to compensate for the Bears shaky secondary. He will probably turn the ball over once or twice, but the yardage and TD potential are still there.
Alshon Jeffrey (WR, CHI) - Jeffrey pulled in 105 yards in the opener against a tough Houston defense. This time he faces an Eagles team that is missing top cornerback Leodis McKelvin, which means rookie Jalen Mills may be matched up against Jeffrey. When healthy, Jeffrey is a must-start player and tonight poses no threat to his WR1 status.
Jordan Matthews (WR, PHI) - Matthews was easily Carson Wentz's favorite target in Week 1 and there's no reason that should change. The Bears have had injuries in their secondary and Kyle Fuller is listed as questionable for tonight. The Eagles aren't likely to take many chances downfield, so Matthews will serve as the safety net working underneath. With Zach Ertz out, Matthews should see even more targets than last week. Expect at least 5-7 catches for the third year pro.
Ryan Mathews (RB, PHI) - The Bears kept Lamar Miller out of the end zone last week, but that's about the best thing you can say about their run defense. They allowed 106 rushing yards to Miller, even though they made a conscious effort to stack against the run. Mathews is going to be the workhorse in Philly now that DeMarco Murray is gone and he has a chance to build on his decent Week 1 stats. The fact he received 22 carries is most encouraging, as Mathews has never been treated like a fulltime RB until now.
Matchups We Hate
Jeremy Langford (RB, CHI) - Although he is the lead back in the Windy City now, he was less than stellar in his first chance. Langford scored on a short TD, salvaging his fantasy day, but averaged just 3.4 Y/A with 57 rushing yards. He wasn't much of a factor in the pass game either, with just two catches. The Eagles played fairly well against the run last week until a couple of late bursts by Isaiah Crowell padded the stat sheet. Expect Philly to force Cutler into passing situations all night, limiting Langford's space.
Dorial Green-Beckham (WR, PHI) - You might be tempted to think that with Zach Ertz out and one game under his belt in Philly, DGB could have a coming out party. Let's not get carried away. He only took 25 snaps in Week 1, the fewest of any Eagles wide receiver. Coach Doug Pederson was recently quoted as saying they will continue to bring him along slowly and give him small doses of the playbook at a time. Doesn't sound like he'll be making an impact any time soon, so he makes for nothing more than a bench stash in deep leagues.
Notable Players
Carson Wentz (QB, PHI) - Wentz had a nice debut, but keep in mind it was against the Browns who choked hard against Baltimore yesterday afternoon. Remember, Marcus Mariota put up huge numbers in his first game last season before coming back down to Earth. Wentz should be efficient, but not enough to warrant fantasy starter status just yet.
Key Injuries: Zach Ertz (TE, PHI) - out, Kyle Fuller (CB, CHI) - questionable, Leodis McKelvin (CB, PHI) - out