RADIO
Rishi Patel looks at the projected fantasy football production for the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles to identify potential draft values and busts.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been considered contenders for the past few seasons. As of last season, Super Bowl hero Nick Foles was shipped off, meaning youngster QB Carson Wentz now has complete control to lead the team to the big game once again.
The Eagles return formidable and managed to win the weakest division in football with an injury-ridden team before getting humbled by the Seahawks in the Wild Card round last season. They did add some offensive depth, including former Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts. However, there should not be any concern for Wentz, who is the Eagles’ franchise QB.
The Eagles will look to remain in the NFC playoff chase with an offense that contains several veterans. Be sure to check out the other installments of this fantasy outlook series which features teams like the Bills and 49ers.
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Quarterback
The Eagles are locked-in with Carson Wentz, going as far as to hear team brass say they are “married” to him. This comes after the Eagles drafted Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts in the second round, a move that didn’t make much sense considering Wentz is 27.
Nevertheless, Hurts should not be threatening Wentz’s value as the North Dakota State product is the clear-cut QB1 on this team. As for his value, the 27-year-old finished among fantasy QBs as follows in recent seasons: 9th in 2019, 23rd in 2018, 5th in 2017, and 24th in 2016. His finishes have been all over the place and the overall stats during each season of his career have varied as well.
Last season, Wentz threw for a career-high 4,039 yards, along with 27 touchdowns, seven picks, 252.4 yards per game, and a 93.1 quarterback rating. He had a 17.8 percent poor throws per pass attempt rate. The QB offers great rushing prowess in addition. Last season, he had 243 rush yards and one rush touchdown, ranking 10th in rushing among NFL QBs. Wentz also finished ninth in pass yards among NFL QBs and tied for fifth in pass touchdowns.
One area of concern is his fumbles. The QB had nine fumbles last season and has had nine in three of his four NFL seasons.
Based on his age, overall stats from last season, and rushing upside though, Wentz can be a QB1 in redraft leagues of 10-12+ teams. He may not be as elite an option as Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, or Dak Prescott, but he certainly offers more upside than QBs like Ben Roethlisberger, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins.
Running Back
Miles Sanders will head this backfield in 2020 after Jordan Howard ended up in Miami this offseason. The rookie finished last season leading the team in rush yards. He compiled 818 rush yards, three rush touchdowns, 4.6 rush yards per attempt, and 51.1 rush yards per game. He had 2.1 rush yards after contact per rush and 373 total rush yards after contact. Last season, the Penn State product had 28.6 percent of rushes inside the 5, but that number should increase because he is the clear-cut RB1 on the team now.
With the team’s WRs hampered by injuries last season, Sanders was third in receiving on the team, getting 63/613 targets (10.3%). He also added 50 receptions, 509 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns.
The 23-year-old should receive enough volume to be considered an RB1 in large redraft leagues of 12+ teams, or else can he be a solid RB2 for owners as well.
The Eagles currently have Boston Scott as the backup. Last year, the 25-year-old finished with 245 rush yards, 4.0 rush yards per attempt, five rush touchdowns, 24 receptions, and 204 receiving yards. His role may elevate because there is no more Jordan Howard on the team, but it’s best to wait and see his volume before using him in fantasy. Therefore, he should not be drafted.
The team may add another RB between now and the start of the season, which may affect the value of Sanders accordingly.
Wide Receiver
The Eagles now enter 2020 with plenty of wide receiver depth as they have Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, Marquise Goodwin, Greg Ward Jr., and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
Not all will be fantasy relevant. Due to injuries, Jeffery played 10 games last season and Jackson only played three in his return to Philly. Nevertheless, both are atop the depth chart. Jeffery finished last season with 43 receptions, 73/613 targets (11.9%), 490 yards, 11.4 yards per catch, and four touchdowns, but he did endure a Lisfranc injury towards the end of it.
The 30-year-old has an injury history and should not be considered the most reliable fantasy asset. He should be nothing more than a WR3 or flex in redraft leagues until he proves his consistency in 2020.
The same goes for veteran DeSean Jackson. The 33-year-old returned to Philly last season after a five-year tour that featured stops in Washington and Tampa. In three games played in 2019, he had nine receptions, 10 targets, 159 yards and two touchdowns, as an abdomen injury ultimately derailed the campaign. The Cal product is still speedy and can be reliable, but his age and injuries make him a huge fantasy gamble. Keep him as depth only on your fantasy team.
Because of the age and injuries to Jeffery and Jackson, the Eagles drafted TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor in the first round, providing much-needed help to the unit. Though 5’11” and 196 pounds, the 21-year-old had spectacular success in college. In three seasons, he finished with a total of 148 receptions, 2,248 yards (one 1,000- yard season), 15.2 yards per catch, 22 receiving touchdowns, 324 rush yards, 9.3 yards per rush, and two rush touchdowns.
Bleacher Report described Reagor as a big-play receiver who can stretch the field with his speed. The biggest area of worry remains drops. Reagor had a 4.47 40-yard dash time and drew comparisons to Bills receiver Stefon Diggs.
This season, Reagor will look to build rapport with Carson Wentz and get acclimated to the system. Therefore, he should initially be drafted as a WR3/flex in redraft leagues. If injuries hamper this unit once again in 2020, Reagor could see his role elevate, and his fantasy value increase.
He could also be very fantasy relevant as early as 2021 depending on the roles of Jeffery and Jackson and whether they will remain on the team. At that point, Reagor could emerge as the WR1 of the Eagles.
Marquise Goodwin was brought in a trade from San Francisco during the draft. The speedster will also help Carson Wentz. The 2013 pick never got a chance to shine during his seven-year career with the Bills and 49ers. In nine games last season, the Texas product only accumulated 12 receptions, 21 targets, 186 yards, and one touchdown.
There does not remain much hope for Goodwin in fantasy considering Miles Sanders, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, and Jalen Reagor will all likely get more targets than him. The same goes for Greg Ward and J.J. Arcega Whiteside, there are simply too many pass-catchers on this team who will likely get more opportunities and targets than them.
Tight End
TE is a position where the Eagles have terrific talent. In fact, both Eagles tight ends led the team in receiving yards last season while the wideouts were nursing various injuries.
Zach Ertz has turned into an elite fantasy tight end. His finishes among fantasy tight ends in the past few years are as follows: 5th in 2019, 3rd in 2018, 3rd in 2017, and 8th in 2016. He’s been a top-five player in the past three seasons because of his rich chemistry with Carson Wentz and a large role on the offense.
The Stanford product gained 88 receptions, 135/613 targets (22%), 916 yards, 10.4 yards per catch, and six touchdowns. He paced the team in receptions, targets, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. The 29-year-old is undoubtedly a TE1 in redraft leagues and remains a top-five fantasy tight end for 2020.
Amidst the player injuries last season, TE2 Dallas Goedert finished second in receiving yards for the Eagles. The South Dakota State product had 58 receptions, 87/613 targets (14.2%), 607 yards, 10.5 yards per catch, and five touchdowns.
Now that he will be entering his third year, the 25-year-old has built a rapport with Carson Wentz and has solid NFL experience. He should certainly be on your mind as a backup or second tight end on your fantasy team.
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