The Philadelphia Eagles continue to earn the title of world travelers to start the year as they head to New Orleans for a matchup with the Saints. These two NFC heavyweights — yes, Dennis Allen's team is a serious contender now — will do battle inside the Caesars Superdome. Which players will be pivotal in the winning effort for either side?
The NFC clash is set to kick off at noon CT from New Orleans, Louisiana. Fox will carry the regional broadcast with Joe Davis and Greg Olsen on the call.
$200 BONUS BETS
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
$150 BONUS BETS
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
Let's take a closer look at the odds and highlight our favorite player prop selections for the intraconference contest:
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints
Time/TV: Noon CT (Fox)
Spread (via FanDuel Sportsbook): Saints -2.5
Total: 49.5
Moneyline: Saints -152, Eagles +128
PLAYER PROPS
Derek Carr longest completion OVER 37.5 yards (-115 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Derek Carr has arguably gotten off to a better start than any quarterback in the league. He's completed 76.9% of his passes for 443 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. New Orleans has scored more points than any other team and Carr's stellar play is a reason for that success.
Carr is slinging the rock too.
He's thrown touchdowns — never mind completions — of more than 37.5 yards in his last three games. He's got deep-threat skill players around him with Rashid Shaheed chief among them. The Saints face a Philadelphia defense that surrenders around 250 yards per game in the air in Week 3. As the secondary looks to continue to try and figure it out, expect Carr to take advantage.
Jalen Hurts OVER 39.5 rushing yards (-114 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
If Allen's defense has one kryptonite, it's true dual-threat quarterbacks. New Orleans has faced several during Allen's 2+ years as the franchise's head coach. Some of the biggest success stories from a rushing perspective have been Lamar Jackson (11 carries for 82 yards), Joshua Dobbs (8 carries for 44 yards) and Kyler Murray (7 carries for 30 yards).
Jalen Hurts leads his Philadelphia team into New Orleans desperate to bounce back after Monday's crushing loss. He'll likely be without top target A.J. Brown, so some of the onus could fall on him. Hurts has 26 carries for 118 yards this season, including 85 yards in Week 2. He could truly do some damage with his legs, especially if the Saints' defense can't find an answer for him.
Rashid Shaheed OVER 48.5 receiving yards (-115 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Rashid Shaheed averages 24.1 yards per reception, which is a Top 10 tally in the league. He's gone for 73 and 96 yards respectively in the first two weeks. Suffice it to say Klint Kubiak has figured out how to use the speedster. Shaheed has gone over 48.5 yards in four of his last five games dating back to last season, which is why he's a prime candidate to do it again this week.
As I touched on earlier, Philadelphia's pass defense has been suspect at best — horrendous at worst — during this campaign. Shaheed's total is still ~15 yards behind Chris Olave, who he has outperformed early, so I like the value here.