Eagles Fantasy Football Preview: Week 12
The value of many Philadelphia Eagles players in terms of fantasy football continues to diminish.
The Sanchize was not particularly effective in leading the offense to a good performance, but the defense was even worse. Here’s a preview of who you should actually own on the Eagles going for their Thanksgiving date with the Detroit Lions:
QB Sam Bradford
Week 11 performance: DNP
ESPN Week 12 projection: 14.9 fantasy points
Bradford missed his first game of the year in Week 11 with shoulder and head injuries, but was able to practice in limited fashion thus far. It’s a short week and against an equally struggling team, so they may not be rushing him back to face Detroit, but you’ll have to watch his status closer to game time. Even if he plays, I don’t expect him to produce at the level worth owning in most fantasy football leagues.
QB Mark Sanchez
Week 11 performance: 261 passing yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 14 rushing yards (13 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 0 fantasy points
Sanchez was not effective enough to even bring his team to a close game against the Bucs. He was sensational on Thanksgiving last year, so if he were to start again, maybe he’d be worth starting in a dire situation. However, there are likely many other better options out there if you’re even considering turning to an Eagles quarterback for fantasy help. Still, it’s strange that he is projected to not play by ESPN when it still seems like it’s a 50-50 chance.
Eagles
Week 11 performance: 64 rushing yards, 27 receiving yards, 1 fumble (6 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 15.1 fantasy points
Murray had an ineffective week overall and yet another game without surpassing 100 rushing yards. He’s still only eclipsed 100 yards on the ground just once this year. It hasn’t helped that the Eagles were losing for most of the game on Sunday, as they had to abandon the run, but Murray needs to be a little more effective than the generally low yards per carry he has on a regular basis. He’s still an RB2 against the Lions.
RB Ryan Mathews
Week 11 performance: DNP
ESPN Week 12 projection: 0 fantasy points
Mathews missed the Bucs game due to concussion and didn’t practice this week, so he was declared out for Thursday’s game.
Week 11 performance: 4 catches, 13 receiving yards (1 fantasy point)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 7.9 fantasy points
That was officially Matthews’ worst game of the season. He averaged just over three yards per catch and had his second game of the season with only one fantasy point. He’s been held to under 25 yards in three of the last four games and continues to drop in the wide receiver rankings. I wouldn’t blame you if you were inclined to bench him against the Lions, although he might have some WR3/flex value considering how bad the Lions have been.
Week 11 performance: 3 catches, 11 receiving yards (1 fantasy point)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 3.8 fantasy points
I’m wondering when the Agholor apologists will start to finally disappear for the rest of the year. He definitely has talent, but considering the situation he’s in, he’s just not going to be worth it this year. He only has 11 fantasy points all season. If you still have him for some reason, please release him.
WR Josh Huff
Week 11 performance: 1 catch, 39 receiving yards, TD (9 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 3 fantasy points
Huff is amazing, if you only count the first half of the first quarter of games. That’s where 100 percent of his production has come in the past two games. They are spreading the snaps out among the wide receivers too much to make anyone other than Matthews worth owning, and even Matthews is struggling to produce. Huff is a boom-or-bust WR5.
TE Zach Ertz
Week 11 performance: 2 catches, 12 receiving yards (1 fantasy point)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 0 fantasy points
Ertz can join the club of Eagles players to finish the day with just one fantasy point. He actually has an excuse, though, as he had to leave the game early due to a concussion. His return seems encouraging, but considering the short week, it may be difficult for him to go through the concussion protocol that quickly. Even still, he hasn’t been worth owning, so don’t lose sleep over his availability.
TE Brent Celek
Week 11 performance: 7 catches, 79 receiving yards (7 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 5.6 fantasy points
Celek was essentially the only Eagles player who did anything of value for fantasy teams on Sunday, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards. He’s now over 200 yards in the past two weeks combined. He seems to have some chemistry with Sanchez and may not be the worst play if Sanchez is a go and with Ertz is out. It’s worth noting that Celek has had four games with more points than Ertz’s best game, so make of that what you will.
Week 11 performance: 1/1 FG, 2/2 XP (6 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 6.9 fantasy points
Sturgis has had a couple down weeks, both plagued by few opportunities to score. Having a kicker on a team that doesn’t score a lot of points is usually a dangerous idea, so as long as the Eagles are struggling to score, I’m sure you can find better options than Sturgis on the waiver wire. He’ll likely still be there if you want to sign him later.
Eagles D/ST
Week 11 performance: 45 points allowed, 1 fumble recovery, 1 sack (-6 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 12 projection: 10.1 fantasy points
The Eagles’ horrid defense was the biggest story coming out of their loss to the Bucs. They took a beating all game, including in the fantasy box score if you started them. I think this was just one bad game, as they’ve only scored below six points in two other games. The Lions have not had much success on offense recently and will likely have some difficulty moving the ball against the Eagles. Or at least I hope they do.