It has been a long time since the Super Bowl, and remembering exactly how things left off last year can be a challenge. So, I’ll be writing up a fantasy preview for each NFL team to give us a quick refresher on what happened last year, and what changes took place in the offseason. All fantasy stats will be in ESPN scoring format unless otherwise noted.
If I missed any change or left out any big notes, throw them down in the comments for me!
What Did They Do Last Year
It’s hard to put too much in to what the Philadelphia Eagles did last year and project that forward. The Eagles had historically bad injury luck on the offensive line, with something like 13 to 15 different starting O-line combinations through the season.
Carson Wentz looked lost, and Jalen Hurts managed two good games against horrible defenses in Dallas and Arizona.
Quarterback
| OVR Rank | Player | G | COMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | ATT | YDS | TD | FFP | FFP/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Carson Wentz | 12 | 251 | 437 | 2,620 | 16 | 15 | 52 | 276 | 5 | 188.4 | 15.7 |
| 35 | Jalen Hurts | 14 | 77 | 148 | 1,061 | 6 | 4 | 63 | 357 | 3 | 108.1 | 7.7 |
| 82 | Nate Sudfeld | 1 | 5 | 12 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | -1.5 | -1.5 |
Carson Wentz had his worst season as a pro behind an offensive line which suffered injuries early and often. Wentz eventually gave way to second-round rookie selection Jalen Hurts.
Hurts looked lost as a passer despite posting a couple of nice stat lines against two of the 25th (Arizona Cardinals) and 28th (Dallas Cowboys) worst defenses by Pro Football Focus grades. There is a lot of early offseason buzz around Hurts, but I’m already out on Hurts’s ascendent price tag in fantasy football this year. Hurts is currently ranked as our QB11 for 2021 (but let the record show, I have him as my QB15).
Note: Hurts’s points per game is misleading. In the 3 games Hurts started, he scored 19.3 (vs New Orleans Saints), 37.8 (at Arizona), and 18.6 (at Dallas).
Wide Receivers
| PPR Rank | STD Rank | Player | G | TGT | REC | YDS | TD | STD PTS | STD PTS/G | PPR PTS | PPR PTS/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | 62 | Greg Ward | 16 | 79 | 53 | 419 | 6 | 77.5 | 4.8 | 130.5 | 8.16 |
| 66 | 61 | Travis Fulgham | 12 | 67 | 38 | 539 | 4 | 77.9 | 6.5 | 115.9 | 9.66 |
| 97 | 95 | Jalen Reagor | 11 | 54 | 31 | 396 | 1 | 48.2 | 4.4 | 79.2 | 7.2 |
| 124 | 115 | DeSean Jackson | 5 | 26 | 14 | 236 | 1 | 30.8 | 6.2 | 44.8 | 8.96 |
| 147 | 145 | John Hightower | 10 | 29 | 10 | 167 | 0 | 16.8 | 1.7 | 26.8 | 2.68 |
| 151 | 148 | Quez Watkins | 4 | 13 | 7 | 106 | 1 | 16.6 | 4.2 | 23.6 | 5.9 |
| 152 | 141 | Alshon Jeffery | 7 | 12 | 6 | 115 | 1 | 17.5 | 2.5 | 23.5 | 3.36 |
| 170 | 170 | JJ Arcega-Whiteside | 5 | 8 | 4 | 85 | 0 | 8.5 | 1.7 | 12.5 | 2.5 |
| 197 | 200 | Deontay Burnett | 1 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
The Eagles drafted DeVonta Smith at 10th overall in the 2021 draft. While I am one of the few who think being so slight of build will be a hindrance to Smith’s upside, I also believe he is an exceptionally talented wide receiver who will flourish with a creative play caller. Will Frank Reich’s former right hand man and newly minted Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni be that creative play caller is still a big question. We’re buying the Smith hype as he’s currently our WR37 for 2021.
Last year’s first-round pick Jalen Raegor should not be the forgotten man after playing pretty well in an impossible situation in his rookie season. These two should be a formidable combo on the outside of the Eagles.
Running Backs
| PPR Rank | STD Rank | Player | G | ATT | YDS | TD | TGT | REC | YDS | TD | STD PTS | STD PTS/G | PPR PTS | PPR PTS/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 22 | Miles Sanders | 12 | 164 | 867 | 6 | 52 | 28 | 197 | 0 | 138.4 | 11.5 | 166.4 | 13.87 |
| 50 | 52 | Boston Scott | 16 | 80 | 374 | 1 | 36 | 25 | 212 | 1 | 70.6 | 4.4 | 95.6 | 5.98 |
| 106 | 103 | Corey Clement | 8 | 21 | 75 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 21 | 2.63 |
| 145 | 144 | Jason Huntley | 3 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 0.97 |
| 164 | 164 | Adrian Killins | 1 | 1 | -12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
The Eagles had a nice 1-2 combo with Miles Sanders and Boston Scott in 2020, but they still felt compelled to draft Kenneth Gainwell in the fifth round, re-sign Jordan Howard, and claim Kerryon Johnson off waivers.
I thought Sanders looked like a budding star in his rookie campaign even in a floundering offense in 2020, and so these moves frighten and confuse me. Sanders is currently our RB17 for 2021.
Tight End
| PPR Rank | STD Rank | Player | G | TGT | REC | YDS | TD | STD PTS | STD PTS/G | PPR PTS | PPR PTS/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 20 | Dallas Goedert | 11 | 65 | 46 | 524 | 3 | 70.4 | 6.4 | 116.4 | 10.58 |
| 35 | 31 | Richard Rodgers | 8 | 31 | 24 | 345 | 2 | 46.5 | 5.8 | 70.5 | 8.81 |
| 32 | 37 | Zach Ertz | 11 | 72 | 36 | 335 | 1 | 39.5 | 3.6 | 75.5 | 6.86 |
| 92 | 84 | Jason Croom | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| 118 | 118 | Hakeem Butler | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz could be a formidable 1-2 punch at tight end, but will Ertz be there when the season starts? If I were running the show in Philly, I’d surely bring Ertz back if nothing else to bolster a depleted receiving corps.
We’ll see how this plays out as Ertz is seeking a trade and the Eagles seem more than willing to take whatever they can get to rid themselves of the salary.
Goedert is a dart throw, like a dozen other tight ends worth a dart throw, if you miss out on Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. Goedert is currently our TE8 for 2021.
The Schedule
The Eagles will play the NFC South (Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons), AFC West (Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos), but otherwise drew an alright draw facing off against the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers (Week 2, perhaps still with ole Jimmy G under center), New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers. According to Warren Sharp’s strength of schedule index, the Eagles have the 10th easiest schedule.
Additional Notes
As it will be with several other teams, I would not look back at last year to inform what happens this year with the Eagles. They’ve changed quarterbacks, coaching staffs, and are coming off of an exceptional year of bad luck with injuries.
I like Miles Sanders but the Eagles seem worried, which in turn has me slightly worried. I like Jalen Reagor and DeVonta Smith, but Jalen Hurts sure missed a lot of easy throws in his mediocre four-game showing.
I’m willing to take a shot on Eagles who may fall to me in the right spot as I believe in the Frank Reich coaching tree, but I am not going to reach for anyone in green this year.
What Does It All Mean?!?! (AKA – Bold predictions)
I am worried that Hurts is just a running threat. He missed so many easy throws as a rookie in that four-game honeymoon phase when players like Drew Lock managed to look like world beaters.
I’m hesitant to spend up for players on the Eagles, but I’m happy to take guys who fall if my league mates are scared off by all the change in Philadelphia.
Arrow level for the Eagles.
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Thanks to FFToday.com for hosting such great stats info!
Thanks to TheHuddle.com for their great Coaching Change Tracker