Five Biggest Questions
1. Will Jalen Hurts be a QB1?
2. Can Miles Sanders be an RB1?
3. Will Devonta Smith be the unquestioned #1 receiver?
4. Can Jalen Reagor be a regular fantasy contributor?
5. Is Dallas Goedert a top-8 TE?
The once-promising Carson Wentz Era in Philadelphia ended resoundingly late last season, as the former #2 overall pick threw more interceptions in 12 games than he had in the previous two seasons while also absorbing a league-high 50 sacks. Philly reached the playoffs three times during Wentz's tenure and won a Super Bowl, but Wentz's injury woes limited him to four pass attempts, compared to 201 passes by his backups. And that pretty much sums up Wentz's time with the Eagles.
On the whole, Jalen Hurts showed very well late last season as a largely untested rookie. Yes, there are questions about whether he can be an NFL-caliber passer. But his running ability is almost unrivaled, and if things break right he could crush his QB-11 ADP. Remember, Lamar Jackson had something like a QB-17 ADP the year he broke through, and there are some similarities between these two. The one lingering question concerns Deshaun Watson. Last week ESPN's Adam Schefter hyped the Eagles as an ideal landing spot for Watson. Normally I don't share reporters' theories or opinions. But the fact is, if Watson is legally cleared to play, his stock will rebound, and there would be no good reason for Houston to keep him around for one more season--and then get nothing when he hits the open market. Now I don't see Philly sending Hurts back to the bench in August. So if Schefter's speculation drives down Hurts' ADP, all the better for savvy managers eyeing a potentially huge bargain.
The running back situation begins, obviously, with Miles Sanders (RB-18). He was on pace for an 1,156/8 campaign with 37 receptions. He also had the fourth highest YPC among top-30 fantasy RBs. Like Cincy's Joe Mixon, Sanders has the skillset to be an easy RB1. Unlike Mixon, his bellcow status remains up in the air, per head coach Jamel Singleton. Former trendy prospect Kerryon Johnson (RB-108), Boston Scott (RB-70), and rookie Kenneth Gainwell (RB-55) will be asked to fill in the gaps. Sanders is by far the most talented back on this squad and deserves to get 275+ touches. It comes down to whether the coaches agree. Keep an eye on this situation in August and be ready to pounce on Sanders if nothing earth-shattering comes up.
There was a time when Eagle receivers were as predictable as eagle nesting habits (I don't know anything about nesting habits, but it seemed like a good metaphor). 31-year-old Alshon Jeffery is finished with a disappointing four-year stint in Philly that never came close to matching his first five seasons in Chicago. DeSean Jackson's two-year return was an injury-riddled bust. Longtime top-3 TE Zach Ertz will probably start Week 1 in another uniform (my money's on Cincinnati). But enter #10 overall pick Devonta Smith, the new pride of the Eagles receiver corps. His WR-32 ADP assumes Hurts continues to seriously struggle with accuracy and/or another wideout threatens Smith's placement atop the depth chart. The former is possible; the latter is very unlikely. I like Smith at this price and would reach for him as a top-28 wideout. Jalen Reagor (WR-60) is shaping up as a boom-bust option, while Travis Fulgham (WR-91) and Greg Ward (WR-98) need an injury to Smith or Reagor to become relevant.
Do we believe in Dallas Goedert? Sure? Do we believe he's worth his TE-7 ADP? It depends on a few things. Is Ertz definitely headed elsewhere? How big a role will Kenneth Gainwell play in the passing game? Will the coaching staff try to feed all four of their NFL-ready wideouts? Basically, is Goedert the unquestioned #3 option in this offense, or will he be a soft #3, losing targets in ways Ertz never did? For context, in 2018 and 2019 Ertz averaged an incredible 146 targets. So of course he was going to post elite numbers. I think Goedert tops out as a top 6-7 TE and bottoms out in the 11-13 range. I'd pass on him at his current price.