I’m analyzing every one of the 32 NFL teams and all of their redraft-relevant fantasy assets in this article series. It’s a long project, but I want to make sure that you, the reader, have something you can refer to for every team. For each article, I’ll split up the fantasy assets into three categories: high-end assets, usable contributors, and dart throws. I’ll reference my PPR redraft rankings at the time of writing. If you want to read my previous work in this series, the full list with links is at the bottom of the article. Let’s jump into the Eagles.
High-End Assets
Miles Sanders
As the offseason has progressed, I’ve started to fully buy into the Miles Sanders hype even though I was skeptical at first. Let’s get into why I’m so high on him for 2020. The Eagles drafted Sanders with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Sanders joined a messy backfield led by two-down grinder Jordan Howard.
Initially, Sanders slotted in as the third-down and change-of-pace back in a committee with Howard. For the first nine games, Howard was the lead back of the pair. Sanders maxed out at 13 carries and was the RB26 over those nine games, averaging 10.9 PPR points per game. Sanders did excel in the receiving game, catching 22 of 27 targets for 305 yards and a touchdown.
After Week 9, Howard went down with an injury, allowing Sanders to take over as the lead back. From Week 10 forward, Sanders was a fantasy stud. He averaged 17.2 PPR points per game and was 10th among running backs in that category. Sanders still shared work with Boston Scott, but there was no doubt who was the lead back. Scott mostly contributed as a pass-catcher due to the lack of healthy receivers on the Eagles.
Going into 2020, the Eagles didn’t add any running backs to the team, leaving them with just Sanders, Scott, and many fliers on their depth chart. While I expect them to add a veteran two-down back as insurance for Sanders, the buzz around the Eagles points to Sanders as a workhorse back in 2020. As the Eagles should improve on offense behind Carson Wentz and improved receiving weapons, I have supreme confidence in Sanders for fantasy. He’s my RB12 and 18th overall player in my rankings.
Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz has been a reliable fantasy asset at tight end for the four years he’s been the clear starting tight end in Philadelphia. In PPR formats, Ertz finished as the TE4 in 2019, TE2 in 2018, TE3 in 2017, and TE6 in 2016. He’s played 14 or more games in every season he’s been in the NFL, so he’s a durable player that you can rely on in your fantasy lineup.
In the past two seasons, many expected Ertz to regress based on the plethora of receiving weapons on the Eagles. In both 2018 and 2019, the Eagles suffered many injuries to their receivers, allowing Ertz to see the two highest target totals of his career with 156 and 135 targets, respectively. Top receiver Alshon Jeffery missed time in both seasons, and in each season, the Eagles lost their second receiver for almost the whole season in Mike Wallace and DeSean Jackson.
Also, in 2018, the Eagles drafted tight end Dallas Goedert in the second round, widely seen as Ertz’s long-term replacement. However, while Goedert has developed into the second target on the team, Ertz still significantly outperformed him in 2019. I expect the Eagles to run two tight end sets as their base offense in 2020, so both Ertz and Goedert will be starters. With that said, Ertz will be the tight end who doesn’t leave the field, while Goedert will come off the field in 3 WR formations.
Overall, I still have significant question marks about all the Eagles’ wide receivers, so I see no reason why Ertz can’t repeat his 2018 and 2019 performances. The Eagles have continued to commit financially to Ertz, recently guaranteeing payments of $13.5 million in 2020 and $7.8 million in 2021, so he’s not going away. Ertz does turn 30 years old in November, but tight ends can play well into their 30s. Therefore, Ertz comes in as my TE3 once again for 2020. Unlike last year, he’s well-below Kelce and Kittle in my overall rankings and comes in as my 41st overall player, just one spot ahead of TE4, Mark Andrews. I could easily have some shares of Ertz at that reasonable cost.
Usable Contributors
Dallas Goedert
Goedert is a tough player to value in 2020. In 2019, Goedert broke out with 58 receptions on 87 targets for 607 yards and five touchdowns, finishing as the TE10 and 13th in fantasy points per game. However, it’s tough to imagine that Goedert can improve much in 2020 unless Ertz gets hurt. Even though Ertz is still my TE3, I think his ceiling is significantly lower than previous years due to the Eagles’ improved wide receiver corps. That argument goes double for Goedert, who isn’t even the top tight end on his team.
I don’t like relying on players who need an injury to excel in fantasy football, which is how I see Goedert. If Ertz plays 16 games, I think Goedert’s TE10 finish in 2019 is his ceiling. Therefore, Goedert is my TE15 and not someone I’m going to have on my teams. I’d prefer to look at other options with more upside like Rob Gronkowski, Hayden Hurst, or Noah Fant instead of drafting Goedert. It’s tough for Goedert, as I believe he’s incredibly talented, but Ertz is a crucial part of this team and won’t allow Goedert to break out anytime soon.
Carson Wentz
As I’ve said, I’m not confident in any Eagles’ weapons beyond Sanders and Ertz. Even so, I’m pretty high on Carson Wentz. The reason for that is I believe the Eagles will be a successful offense as a whole, even if no single skill-position player outside Sanders and Ertz becomes a standalone fantasy asset. Therefore, I want to have the quarterback leading the offense on my fantasy team.
In 2019, Wentz was the QB10, and despite the narratives surrounding him, he played all 16 games. He threw for 4,039 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions, despite having no healthy receivers for most of the season. Also, he returned to adding some rushing production, with 62 carries for 243 yards and a touchdown.
Hopefully, the Eagles have either Alshon Jeffery or DeSean Jackson healthy in 2020, but even failing that, they have better depth options than in the past. They drafted Jalen Reagor in the first round, who should immediately compete for a starting spot alongside Jackson. Additionally, 2019 second-round pick J.J. Arcega-Whiteside could take a step forward in 2020, even though he showed nothing as a rookie. Even if none of those guys work out, they also traded for Marquise Goodwin and drafted two-late round receivers in John Hightower and Quez Watkins. After what happened in 2018 and 2019, the Eagles have adequately prepared for injuries and absences in 2020.
Based on the upgraded weapons and improved situation, Wentz slots in as my QB12. I’m not overly excited about him, as I usually avoid the mid-tier of quarterbacks, preferring to wait until the last round or two to select one. However, he starts the season with games against the Redskins, Rams, and Bengals, a soft start. Therefore, if the value is right, I don’t mind selecting Wentz in 2020.
Dart Throws
Jalen Reagor
I am 100% confident that one of these four wide receivers will become a fantasy value in 2020. Unfortunately, I think it’s going to be one at most, and it really could be any of the four. Therefore, they’re all only dart throws, but Reagor is my first choice as he has first-round draft capital. I broke Reagor down pre-draft, and I mentioned that I don’t think he’s ready to be a team’s WR1 in his rookie year. I think he’ll flash some speed and have some big plays, but you can’t rely on him. He’s my WR51, and I’ll prefer to grab him on waivers in the middle of the season once the owner that drafted him drops him.
DeSean Jackson
Similar to Reagor, I think Jackson will provide deep speed to the Eagles’ offense. I project Reagor and Jackson as the Eagles’ two starting receivers, spreading the field for Ertz and Goedert over the middle. Jackson flashed big-time at the start of 2019, with a monster Week 1 performance of eight receptions on nine targets for 154 yards and two touchdowns. However, after that, he missed most of the rest of 2019 with a sports hernia injury. While he’s fully healthy now, Jackson is 33 years old, and I cannot project him to be a fantasy star in 2020. He’s my WR53, just behind Reagor, but with far less overall upside. I know I could be wrong on Jackson, but I’d prefer to gamble on someone else late in drafts.
Alshon Jeffery
As of this moment, I don’t expect Jeffery to be on the Week 1 roster for the Eagles or to ever play for the Eagles again. He’s still recovering from Lisfranc surgery, and I don’t think he’ll be ready in time for Week 1. Therefore, I expect him to start on the PUP list, which will cost him the first six games. Also, there have been consistent rumblings that the Eagles would like to move on from Jeffery, although his contract makes that impossible via an unconditional release. I predict that the Eagles will trade Jeffery once he’s healthy in midseason, but it doesn’t matter for redraft formats. I currently rank Jeffery at WR55, but it’s just a placeholder that I’ll reevaluate if he’s trending up for Week 1.
Boston Scott
As mentioned above, I think Scott will carve out a role behind Sanders assuming the Eagles don’t add a veteran running back to the team. Scott saw heavy usage in the Eagles final four games, including in Week 17, when Sanders went down with an injury. Over that period, he caught 23 of 25 targets for 199 yards and was the RB7 in PPR formats.
However, I do think Sanders will continue to see more work and that the Eagles will add a veteran running back to the team, potentially either LeSean McCoy or Devonta Freeman. Also, without a decimated receiving group, I don’t expect Scott to see the same target volume as he did near the end of 2019. He’s currently my RB58, although keep in mind that ranking would rise significantly if the Eagles don’t see another running back before the season starts.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
The only way I’d have any interest in Arcega-Whiteside is if Jeffery is entirely out in Philadelphia. They play the same big-target receiver role, and many considered Arcega-Whiteside to be a direct long-term replacement for Jeffery when the Eagles drafted him last year. I think that Arcega-Whiteside will get playing time as an outside receiver in 3 WR sets, with Reagor or Jackson shifting into the slot in that formation.
However, I don’t expect much from Arcega-Whiteside as he did nothing in 2019 despite ample opportunity to succeed. He caught a miserable 10 of 22 targets for 169 yards and a touchdown even though he played all 16 games. For a second-round pick, I wasn’t impressed by anything he did. He’s outside my draftable range and will only find fantasy relevance if Jeffery is gone, and either Jackson or Reagor doesn’t work out in 2020.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
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