Fantasy Football 2017 Team Preview: Philadelphia Eagles
This is the 2017 fantasy preview of the [City, Team]. In this preview I will provide the Must-Own players, Sleepers, and Longshot players with upside very deep in drafts.
Must-own players are those who should be owned by someone in any league. Handcuff RBs can qualify, as they are often very important to a fantasy team over the full schedule. Sleepers are secondary players that you may find on the waiver wire at some point in the year, or may go undrafted in shallower auction-style leagues. The Longshots are players with microscopic ADP, who are being drafted at the very end of drafts, or more likely not drafted at all.
All ADP data is courtesy of FantasyPros.com.
**I will list all kickers, but I cannot give analysis on them. Sorry :-/
MUST OWNS
Alshon Jeffery, WR (ADP: 38): Jeffery is quietly one of the highest-reward risks in fantasy. He hasn’t been healthy in two years, failing to play in more than 12 games in back-to-back seasons, but when healthy there is no doubting Jeffery’s elite potential. In 2013 and 2014, in which he made it through a full slate, Jeffery caught at least 85 passes, and went over 1,000 yards in both campaigns. In 2015 he reached apex Jeffery, using his size to score 10 touchdowns. Now, Jeffery is entering the season healthy, and with a promising QB in Carson Wentz. He’s also the clear frontrunner to lead Philly in targets. This ADP will wind up being a bargain if he can stay off IR.
LeGarrette Blount, RB (ADP: 74): Blount seems like a bargain going as the 29th RB off the board coming off an 18-touchdown season, but buyer beware. Blount has basically flopped in every situation where Bill Belichick wasn’t his coach, and even last season his success was almost completely based on volume and proximity to the end zone when he got carries. Now he does not have Tom Brady marching the offense to the goal line setting him up to fall in for scores. He does not have game-breaking speed, and he does not have any value to this team if it falls behind and needs to throw. What I’m saying is, he’s not that good and this ADP is probably too high.
Zach Ertz, TE (ADP: 91): Ertz has been a darling of the experts this preseason, and while I’ve come around some on him, I think the hype is too much. Ertz has yardage and targets going for him; in back-to-back seasons he’s caught at least 75 passes and topped 800 yards. The problem for Ertz is that while he offers a reliable baseline, he has been unable to exceed four touchdowns in is entire career. He is the 10th TE off the board, and I think that’s wholly appropriate. Reaching for him before his ADP is unwise because he does not have the potential to blow up.
SLEEPERS
Carson Wentz, QB (ADP: 142): Wentz impressed a lot of people with his play as a rookie, but he didn’t impress anyone looking for fantasy production. He finished the season with 16 touchdowns against 14 picks, and never put up a single game with more than two touchdown passes. Wentz only surpassed 300 yards passing four times. Now, his receiving options are vastly improved with the addition of Jeffery, but it still seems like a stretch to imagine a large enough leap into the upper tier of QBs. Wentz might be a more appealing streaming/daily fantasy option certain weeks, but for the most part you can probably ignore him.
Darren Sproles, RB (ADP: 144): Sproles may still be the best back in Philly. Last year when their options all turned into useless smoke, it was Sproles who became the lead dog. In 2016 Sproles saw a career-high 89 carries and averaged 4.7 yards per rush. Sproles is not going to be the bell cow again, but he remains their top third-down back, and he could see an expanded role beyond that if Blount stinks up the joint. In PPR leagues Sproles is worth drafting, and otherwise he could become a useful bye week safety valve.
LONGSHOTS
Wendell Smallwood, RB (ADP: 191): Smallwood had some hype last season but couldn’t manage to do much. He only saw 77 carries, but averaged a blah 4.1 yards per rush and caught fewer than 50 percent of his targets in the passing game. He’s the RB2 on the depth chart behind Blount, but he’s no lock to jump in as a workhorse if Blount gets hurt or loses the gig. I’d avoid him.
Nelson Agholor, WR (ADP: 306): Agholor is probably facing his last chance to be taken seriously in the NFL, but on the plus side, it’s a pretty good chance. Jeffery is going to command all the attention of the secondary, leaving Agholor to contend with a lot of single coverage vs. teams’ No. 2 corner. He has shown very little in his pro career, but his speed is tremendous, and his opportunity should be there in terms of targets. His top competition is Torrey Smith, who has pretty much proven he’s a one-trick pony.
KICKER
Caleb Sturgis.