It’s not just two weeks into the NFL season, it’s two weeks into your fantasy football season. In terms of fantasy performances, many Eagles players have given their owners a large number of points. However, there are some players who just might be better off being left on your bench.
Jalen Hurts: Stock Up
Ranking: #5 QB (ESPN), #7 QB/#8 Overall (Sleeper)
If you drafted Jalen Hurts confidently, you deserve all the rewards possible.
Hurts has lived up to his potential top-10 QB status, averaging 25.3 points per game and totaling 50.56 on the season. While the Oklahoma product wasn’t able to replicate his three-touchdown performance against the 49ers, he still racked up the points thanks to his 82 rushing yards (complete with the run-in touchdown):
Hurts’ versatility as a rusher and passer makes him a weekly threat. While there’s still a lot of room for him to grow, his current upside is hard to ignore. Against the Cowboys, Hurts is a no-doubt QB1 who could get you matchup-winning numbers. Start him and enjoy.
DeVonta Smith: Slightly-Rising Stock
Rankings: #46 WR (ESPN), #46 WR/#114 Overall (Sleeper)
Smith had an absolutely dreadful second game, catching just two receptions for 16 yards. However, there were some small positives. Smith was targeted seven times (leading the team), proving that he’s still Hurts’ favorite target.
Smith showed what he’s capable of at his best in week one, catching six passes for 71 yards and a TD. I’d say that’s the result you’re more likely to see, rather than his latest dud. He’s a fine WR3/FLEX option with WR2 upside right now, especially this week against a Dallas defense that’s allowed 692 passing yards, the second-most in the league.
Jalen Reagor: Middling Stock
Rankings: #59 WR (ESPN), #59 WR/#146 Overall (Sleeper)
Reagor is hard to predict on a weekly-basis. He’s still being targeted by Hurts nearly as much as Smith is (Reagor had five targets this week, second-most on the team), which bodes well for future prospects. However, the second-year receiver put up a pitiful just five yards, an average of 2.5 yards per catch.
When the offense is clicking like it was in Atlanta, Reagor will prosper. However, he could find trouble when the team stalls hard. I think the decision to play him will ultimately come down to his matchups. Reagor comes in at the WR4 range as of now, and should be on your bench in most formats.
Miles Sanders: Middling Stock
Rankings: #23 RB (ESPN), #22 RB/#101 Overall (Sleeper)
Three years in, and Sanders has probably hit his ceiling as a fantasy player: a fine FLEX option with RB2 upside.
We’ve seen two different versions of Sanders through two weeks: the first rushed for 74 yards while adding four receptions for 39 yards, and the second rushed for 55 yards and had one reception for four yards. That’s probably the kind of scores you should expect the rest of the season, with an added touchdown here and there.
It’s disappointing that Sanders has slowly regressed from his rookie season in terms of being a pass-catching back- he definitely had the looks to be Austin Ekeler-esque. In 2019, he had 50 receptions for 509 yards. He put up just 197 yards on 28 receptions last year (with no receiving TDs), and it looks like he’ll be around those numbers again.
Making things worse is that Kenneth Gainwell has started to carve out a role early on. Gainwell has had 15 total rushes over these past few weeks. Obviously it’s nothing too threatening for Sanders, but it’s more than Boston Scott had as a backup most weeks last year. Gainwell could also vulture some touchdowns from Sanders, either by rushing or receiving.
Alas, Sanders is a decent third option, but one that you shouldn’t expect to get 15+ points from every week.
Dallas Goedert: Stock Down
Rankings: #9 TE (ESPN), #10 TE/#157 Overall (Sleeper)
Before the season, I didn’t like the fantasy prospects of either Zach Ertz or Dallas Goedert because of the supposed timeshare they would have. I was right to be worried.
Ertz has had little-to-no impact in the Eagles’ passing game, as he’s accumulated just three receptions (four targets) for 40 yards despite playing nearly 60% of snaps, just about 10% lower than Goedert.
Despite Goedert getting more targets (seven overall), which would supposedly give him the TE1 title offensively-speaking, he hasn’t had much luck either. Goedert had four receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown in week one, but had just two receptions for 24 yards in week two.
Unfortunately, Goedert has likely become touchdown dependent, which means it’s tough to trust him in fantasy and makes him a low-end TE1. Hurts has clearly shown more favoritism to his receivers, and just isn’t using either of the tight ends as safety blankets like Carson Wentz used to do.
Zach Ertz: Nonexistent
Rankings: #43 TE (ESPN), #43 TE/#289 Overall (Sleeper)
See above. Ertz was a fantasy beast in his prime, and could safely be locked into lineups for weeks. That time has passed, and he shouldn’t even be rostered, let alone starting.
Unless you’re in a deep/dynasty league, have two starting TE spots, or possess virtually no other options, you can forget about Ertz and only revisit him if he starts getting more targets or a Goedert injury occurs.
Jake Elliott: Bye-Week Or Injury Option Only
Rankings: #23 Kicker (ESPN), #24 Kicker/#208 Overall (Sleeper)
In terms of pure football, Elliott has been alright for the Eagles. He’s 3-for-3 on extra points and 2-for-3 on field goal attempts (his only miss was a block). At least that’s miles better than his 73.7 FG% from last year.
He’s not good from a fantasy perspective and shouldn’t be rostered at the moment. He doesn’t get enough attempts to have relevance, and that problem’s intensified due to Nick Sirianni’s boldness to go for it on fourth-downs.
On top of all that, he’s only made one kick from beyond the 40, and isn’t trustable from beyond 50 (he was 40% from that range last season). That means you probably won’t be getting many extra fantasy points from longer kicks, while you also running the risk of losing points for missed kicks.
If you need a last-minute or bye-week option, then Elliott could be alright depending on the matchup at hand. Otherwise, there are plenty of better kicking options on a weekly basis.
