4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (2021)
Next in our 4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW SERIES and we are continuing our coverage of the NFC EAST with the Philadephia Eagles! Right now we’re talking offense so strap in, get ready, and enjoy the ride!
Philly? Offense? Fantasy?
I got to be honest, I have THREE NAMES to recommended for you from this team for fantasy purposes in 2021. And even then I’m not really super HIGH on them.
So with that glowing endorsement let’s find out who are the players from Philly’s offense that can help you win a fantasy championship in 2021 in our 2021 Eagles 4-EYED Offensive Team Preview!
Quarterbacks
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts is SPECIAL 😤
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2020
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/sSNg48JXhc
In three FULL games (weeks 14-16) as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts averaged 282.3 passing yards, 119 rushing yards, and 25.2 fantasy points per game. During that time he had the 36th best adjusted completion percentage, the 6th largest average depth of passing target, the 14th most passing yards, and the 2nd most rushing yards, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Do you SEE anything ELITE that really jumps out there aside from his fantasy point average and rushing yard upside? I don’t.
His NFL passer rating on the SEASON was 29th best in the NFL amongst quarterbacks, his aDOT when passing 20 yards or more was 12th best (30.3 yards). The only impressive statistic I found was that he had the 5th most average time to throw on all dropbacks for a QB on the season, a result of his rushing/scrambling ability no doubt.
Look there are a LOT of names, big and small, in the fantasy football community that are heralding this guy as the next big thing at the quarterback position in fantasy football. And you know what, they might be right! The ability to get more points running the ball versus passing the ball is a huge advantage in fantasy. They don’t call that the “cheat code” for nothing.
Then again, defenses adjust to mobile quarterbacks. While they may not shut them down completely opposing defensive coordinators get paid too and some of them are pretty good at finding ways to limit a quarterback from running all over the place. If and I do say IF opposing defenses find a way to slow down Hurts, what did he do in 2020, from a PASSING QUARTERBACK perspective, that gives you any hope he can live up to his QB1 billing? That’s the real question you have to ask yourself.
He’s currently being drafted as the QB10 in the 7th round according to ADP data from FantasyPros. For ME that’s too early to chase for upside at the quarterback position. If he were to fall into the double-digit rounds of drafts then and only then would I recommend drafting him, not before.
Running Backs
Miles Sanders
MILES SANDERS GOES 82 YARDS. #FlyEaglesFly
— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2020
📺: #NOvsPHI on FOX
📱: NFL app // YahooSports app: https://t.co/3alYfT3slD pic.twitter.com/2F2SGtyePt
This highlight above perfectly sums up Miles Sanders in 2020. He’s a home run threat! He was 8th amongst all running backs in yards after contact per attempt, 5th in yards per attempt, and 1st in TDs of forty yards or more. His finish as the RB23 in total points scored and RB18 in fantasy points per game was serviceable. Not elite, but serviceable.
If you’re drafting him as a low-end RB2/FLEX play then by all means shoot your shot. I would not draft him any higher than that if you’re expecting a high rushing floor despite the fact he has a mobile QB on his team. In three FULL games with Jalen Hurts as his starting QB, he averaged 78.6 yards on the ground plus he saw a dip in rushing attempts and yards per carry average. On the flip side playing with Hurts did make him more efficient in the receiving game and when combined with his rushing yards had him averaging 103.3 combined yards a game. Like I said earlier, serviceable.
His, current. ADP has him going in the mid-to-late 3rd round of drafts. For a low-end RB2/FLEX with big upside potential, I see no reason why not to draft him at his current perceived value. Expecting MORE from him in 2021 by investing a first or second-round pick, however, would leave me scratching my head.
Wide Receivers
Devonta Smith
DeVonta Smith: elite route running, acceleration, catch radius.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 5, 2021
Ja’Marr Chase: physically, body control, run after catch.
And both offer so much more. Full 🎥 breakdown on these two ⭐️https://t.co/qwqoen9k9e
With the 10th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected wide receiver Devonta Smith to be the savior of this wide receiving corps in Philly. Every tweet, article, or interview regarding Smith mentions how polished of a route runner he is. It’s no secret that elite route running is what separates the good receivers from the GREAT receivers. Antonio Brown and Stefon Diggs are GREAT examples of how elite route running can lead to fantasy production.
Look, I don’t have a better explanation for drafting Smith other than saying that his elite talent combined with his soon-to-be-heavy target volume, sorry Travis Fulgham and Jalen Reagor truthers, make him an ideal candidate for solid FLEX level production at a minimum. As my WR4 or 5 I’m more than happy to invest in Devonta Smith and you should be too!
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert
In the words of Dave Chappelle, ” Calm down, you win by default!”
That’s what I think of when I think of the fantasy value of Dallas Goedert. Whether Jalen Hurts was in the lineup or not last season Goedert did pretty much nothing for you in half-PPR leagues. That being said tight end is a shallow position in fantasy football and someone’s got to say the overused expression, “The best friend of an inexperienced QB is the tight end”, so I might as well do so.
As the ADP TE7 (8th round pick) I would wait a little longer to draft him. If he fell to me in the 10th round or farther then I might be interested. But even then…MEH.