Spider Picks Zach Ertz 10+ Yards For Eagles-Bears MNF

Some props are about the number. This one is about the guy. Zach Ertz was drafted by the Eagles, won a Super Bowl with them and is one of the best receivers the franchise has ever had. Now he's back in midnight green, and Spider picked the smallest number on the board for his return: 10 receiving yards. One decent catch over the middle cashes it. Spider isn't asking the reunion to be a movie. He just needs it to happen.

Barstool Gambling

@stoolgambling

Zach Ertz is back in Philadelphia and @hqspider likes him to have 10+ receiving yards tonight @DraftKings #DKpartner

The Eagles didn't plan on bringing Ertz back. Injuries made the call for them. Dallas Goedert sprained his MCL and rookie Eli Stowers went on IR with a hamstring, which left the tight end room thin. So Philly signed Ertz to the practice squad. He's coming off a torn ACL from last season with Washington, which is why he was available on a practice-squad deal in the first place. Ahead of the Bears game the Eagles elevated him to the active roster, and it was his first appearance as an Eagle since 2021.

The history makes the pick more fun. The Eagles took Ertz in the 2nd round in 2013. In his first stint he put up 579 catches, 6,267 yards and 38 touchdowns before they traded him to Arizona in 2021. That leaves him 11 catches short of Harold Carmichael's franchise record of 589. At 35 he won't pass Carmichael in 1 night, but every catch chips away at it. Spider only needs 1 or 2 of them to get to 10 yards.

The Chicago side had its own backup story. With Caleb Williams reportedly out 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent getting only 1 day of practice after a concussion, the Bears started Case Keenum. He's 38 and hadn't played a regular-season snap since 2023 with Houston. Ex-NFL coach Jay Gruden vouched for him on Wake Up Barstool the Thursday before.

Wake Up Barstool

@wakeupbarstool

“He can play. He's won a lot of games as a pro football starter.” – Jay Gruden

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That wasn't just Gruden. The Eagles came into Soldier Field 2-0 and the Bears 1-1, and the Barstool boss still went with the home team on his Monday morning pick on Wake Up Barstool. Dave's reasoning was basically that a double-backup quarterback can surprise people.

Wake Up Barstool

@wakeupbarstool

“Case Keenum, good gunslinger at home. I like the Bears.” – Dave Portnoy

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Spider's pick doesn't depend on who wins, and that's why it works. Dave can have the Bears and Spider can still cash, because Ertz only needs a target or 2 from an offense that's short on healthy tight ends. The risks are the usual ones for a practice-squad elevation: limited snaps, a veteran being eased back from a knee injury, and a game plan that might send the ball elsewhere. If Ertz gets on the field and gets 1 chance, 10 yards is a very small ask for a guy with more than 8,500 career receiving yards.