Eagles Bench Tanner McKee for Joe Milton as Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks Miss Practice: The Fantasy Plan for Giants at Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have benched Tanner McKee and will start Joe Milton at quarterback on Sunday against the New York Giants, according to reports Wednesday from ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The switch came two days after head coach Nick Sirianni publicly backed McKee following a 27-10 loss in Washington. It lands on a week when the Eagles' first injury report was a fantasy nightmare: Saquon Barkley (hamstring, back), DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks all did not practice on Wednesday. On the other side, Giants lead back Cam Skattebo also sat out with a hamstring injury.

Every fantasy decision in this game runs through Friday's final report, so here is what is confirmed, what is not and how to plan.

The quarterback change

Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots, and McKee went 0-3 as his replacement. Across those three starts, McKee completed 72 of 114 passes for 638 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The accuracy was fine; the problem was that the offense could not create explosive plays, and the Eagles lost all three games to run their losing streak to six.

Milton is the opposite profile. A 2024 sixth-round pick of the Patriots, he joined Philadelphia off the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad on October 16. He has one of the strongest arms in the league and real mobility, but his accuracy has been the knock throughout his career, and scouting reports note that his fastballs can be hard to catch for receivers on the move. Sunday is his first career start.

For fantasy, that means a wider range of outcomes. Milton can generate rushing points and deep completions that McKee could not, but he can also produce a 12-for-28 afternoon. He is a viable QB2 in superflex leagues and a dart throw in two-quarterback formats. He is not a one-quarterback start.

The Eagles' injury report

Here is where the Eagles' key fantasy names stood after Wednesday's session.

The Barkley news is less alarming than it looks. He missed the first two practices last week with the same hamstring and back issues and still played in Washington, although he logged only 22 snaps. The same Wednesday and Thursday rest plan could be in play again. Smith and Wicks also both sat out last week, and both were ruled out of the Sunday night game in Washington, which pushed rookie Makai Lemon into the top target role.

Fantasy fallout: the Eagles backfield

If Barkley plays, he stays in lineups as an RB2, but the 22-snap workload last week is the warning sign. A back who is managing two soft-tissue issues on a 2-6 team with a new quarterback is a capped play, even with Barkley's talent. Start him if he practices in any capacity by Friday, and lower expectations.

If Barkley sits, the depth chart is thin. Dameon Pierce and Tank Bigsby are both on injured reserve, which leaves Jaydon Blue and Elijah Mitchell as the next men up. Mitchell, the veteran, is the more likely early-down and goal-line option; Blue is the more explosive receiver out of the backfield. Neither is a must-start, but both are worth a speculative add today in leagues with 12 or more teams, since whoever earns the job against a Giants defense would see real volume.

Fantasy fallout: the receivers

If Smith and Wicks miss again, Makai Lemon is a WR3 with upside in all formats. A strong-armed, inaccurate quarterback tends to funnel targets toward the receiver he trusts most, and Lemon has been that player during the last two weeks. If Smith returns, he is a WR3 whose ceiling rises with Milton's willingness to push the ball downfield, but whose floor drops because of the accuracy question.

The tight end and running backs are sneaky beneficiaries too: young quarterbacks under pressure check down, and the safety valve catches those passes.

The Giants side: Skattebo and McCarthy

The Giants (4-2-1) lead the NFC East and arrive in Philadelphia having won five straight starts under J.J. McCarthy, who is 7-4 as a starter for his career after being acquired from Minnesota in September. Head coach John Harbaugh said this week that McCarthy is essentially caught up after the bye.

The fantasy question is Skattebo. He has not practiced since hurting his hamstring late in the Week 7 overtime win over Houston, and Harbaugh has called him day-to-day. Reports suggest Sunday could be a game-time decision. If he is out, Devin Singletary is the expected starter, and he becomes a solid RB2 against an Eagles defense on a six-game losing streak. Singletary is the priority waiver add in this game if he is available in your league; stash him even if Skattebo trends toward playing, because a hamstring can be aggravated on one cut.

Also note Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter was a non-participant Wednesday, which matters for the Giants defense as a fantasy streaming option against a first-time starter.

Betting angle

The market has already moved hard. The Giants are road favorites, with the spread ranging from about 1.5 to 3.5 points depending on the book, and the total has dropped from an opener in the mid-40s to the high 30s. That is the market pricing a low-scoring game driven by Philadelphia's quarterback uncertainty and two banged-up backfields.

The angle worth considering is the Giants defense in fantasy rather than any side: a first-time starter with accuracy issues, potentially without his top two veteran receivers, is a classic spot for sacks and turnovers. For the model's lean on the game, see /blog/nfl-week-9-picks-2026 and /nfl/predictions.

What to do in your league

Add Singletary and one of Mitchell or Blue. Start Lemon if Smith is out. Keep Barkley in lineups only if he logs at least a limited practice by Friday. Use the Giants defense as a streamer. Treat Milton as a superflex-only play. And check Friday's final reports before locking anything in: this is a game where three of the most important fantasy decisions will not be settled until then.