2015 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Philadelphia Eagles
For your fantasy football draft prep and advice, continue to check on this page for updates regarding the Philadelphia Eagles.
Team Outlook:
With the creativity of Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense, the Eagles are one of the most intriguing fantasy teams to target. DeMarco Murray is coming off a monster workload (393/1,845/13) that has some worried about his future durability. Likewise, Sam Bradford is going to try and stay healthy for the first time in a long time. If everything breaks right, though, the Eagles could easily produce multiple top fantasy options.
Bye Week: 8
Rookie Impacts: Nelson Agholor
The Eagles spent their first-round pick on Agholor, who projects to be a strong route-runner and after the catch threat. With that in mind, he could easily soak up enough targets to be one of the best rookie receivers, if not the best. Last year showed that rookie receivers can have plenty of fantasy relevance, and as long as Sam Bradford stays upright, Agholor could easily return WR2 numbers in this speedy offense.
Quarterback: Sam Bradford
The prospect of having Sam Bradford as a QB1 is mostly terrifying, as he missed 9 games in 2013 and all of the 2014 season. Bradford's knees are holding up for now, and the weapons and scheme upgrade from St. Louis to Philadelphia are massive ones. He's the definition of a high-risk, high-reward pick, and owners that take him would be wise to draft a more dependable quarterback alongside him.
Running back: DeMarco Murray
There's no chance Murray approaches 393 carries again, especially with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles behind him. Still, Murray's career YPC average is 4.8, he can catch the ball well out of the backfield and he's a clear goalline threat. Not many running backs have his history of production and his skillset, so moving him out of the first-round based solely on projected regression may be a little hasty. He won't be as good as last year, but he's easily still an RB1 in what should be a dynamic offense.
Running back: Ryan Mathews
If Murray's previous high workloads lead to a breakdown, Mathews could easily step in and produce strong numbers. Of course, that's assuming Matthews himself will stay healthy, which is plenty risky in its own right. Owners of Murray would be wise to take Mathews in case this evolves into more of a timeshare or if Murray breaks down, but Mathews probably won't offer starting fantasy value otherwise. Treat him more like a handcuff option.
Wide receiver: Jordan Matthews
His rookie season was overshadowed by Odell Beckham Jr., but Matthews displayed the full arsenal. He has great size at 6-foot-3, which should make him the unquestioned red zone target for Sam Bradford. With Jeremy Maclin out of the picture, Matthews should also lead the Eagles in targets, which gives him a pretty high floor in addition to his high ceiling. He's a borderline WR1 candidate, especially since much of his production came with Mark Sanchez at quarterback.
Tight end: Zach Ertz
The hype here is understandable given his size and talent, but a full-blown opportunity may still not be in reach for Ertz. Brent Celek is still earning snaps at tight end thanks to his blocking ability, which limits some of the talented tight end's appeal. That being said, Ertz should be better off with Bradford at the helm, and he could earn more red zone targets this season. He'll likely improve, but don't go too crazy taking him as a top-5 tight end.
Placekicker: Cody Parkey
With the new PAT rules, there's a chance the Eagles go for two a lot more under Chip Kelly, who has been vocal about the two-point conversion rules in the past. Keep an eye on this in preseason, but for now, better safe than sorry by avoiding Parkey.
Team defense (D/ST)
After finishing second in fantasy points last year, the Eagles are still an elite choice, even if they're unlikely to have four return touchdowns again. The juicy playoff schedule is the main appeal here: the Eagles get the Bills, Cardinals and Redskins in weeks 14-16.
NEXT: Check out more of our 2015 fantasy football team previews.
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