Eagles Fantasy Football Preview: Week 5

The Philadelphia Eagles offense didn’t look much better in Week 4, increasing the level of doubt over the fantasy relevance of many of the players on the team. In fact, neither the special teams nor defense did well either. Here’s how you should proceed with caution with your Eagles players in fantasy football moving forward:

QB Sam Bradford

Week 4 performance: 270 passing yards, 3 TDs, 14 rushing yards (23 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 14 fantasy points

The fact that Bradford was able to avoid committing a turnover for the second week in a row is a positive, as well as his ability to throw a season-high three touchdowns. He pushed out 23 fantasy points, his best output of the season, despite the Eagles’ pitiful loss to the Redskins. Even bad fantasy quarterbacks will have the occasional good week if they’re forced to throw a lot, but what was refreshing about this was that Bradford needed need a high volume of yardage to rack up the points. Still, he’s still not worth using as a starting quarterback in fantasy. Wait for more consistency.

RB DeMarco Murray

Week 4 performance: 36 rushing yards, 12 receiving yards (4 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 12.6 fantasy points

Murray had another bad fantasy week despite rushing for a season high in yards. Not that 36 yards is anything to write home about, but at least he’s making progress. If he’s not going to be contributing in the pass game on a consistent basis (which ironically accounts for 13 of his 22 fantasy points this year), he’s not worth starting. Don’t let him go because he’s bound to bounce back at some point, but there’s no point sticking him in your lineup each week hoping he’s going to average 20 points a week. That just won’t happen anymore, at least for the foreseeable future.

RB Ryan Mathews

Week 4 performance: 20 rushing yards, 1 fumble (0 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 3 fantasy points

For the second week in a row, Mathews lost a fumble, a terrible habit to have for an already struggling backfield. His day wouldn’t have been any better had he held onto the ball, but it’s becoming clear that Mathews as a backup running back is not worth much. Even if he broke out for over 100 yards against the Jets, he’s never going to get that kind of production unless he moves back into the starting role. After a goose egg on Sunday, it’s fine to part ways with Mathews on your team unless Murray suffers a significant injury.

WR Jordan Matthews

Week 4 performance: 3 catches, 50 receiving yards (5 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 8 fantasy points

Matthews has seen a decrease in catches in almost every single week, finishing Week 4 with just three for 50 yards. It’s not a terrible day, but it’s certainly not what you would expect when Bradford tosses 270 yards and three touchdowns. The fact that Brent Celek, Riley Cooper and Miles Austin were able to get touchdowns and Matthews couldn’t was certainly disappointing. Matthews is clearly the most valuable Eagles player in fantasy football and should bounce back against the Saints next week.

WR Nelson Agholor

Week 4 performance: 3 catches, 64 receiving yards, 1 fumble (4 fantasy points)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 4.7 fantasy points

Agholor was having his best week of the season before he fumbled and ruined it. Finishing with just 4 points, he more than doubled his season output, but again, that’s not saying much. He cannot be trusted in any capacity in fantasy until he proves that he’s developed enough. Seven catches in four games isn’t going to cut it. I expect him to improve at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet. Cut him.

TE Zach Ertz

Week 4 performance: 2 catches, 11 receiving yards (1 fantasy point)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 4.8 fantasy points

Another brutal day from Ertz. He hasn’t surpassed three catches in a game all season. The tight end group this season has been worse than ever, so in most leagues there won’t be much else available. However, it’s time to let Ertz go. He’s no longer in the TE1 conversation.

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K Caleb Sturgis

Week 4 performance: 0/1 FG, 2/3 XP (1 fantasy point)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 8.2 fantasy points

You’re probably better off signing a kicker who isn’t even on a team, because whatever guy that is probably has more long-term value than Sturgis. Missing a field goal and an extra point in your debut is not a good way to keep your job. I can’t remember a year with a worse crop of kickers. Sturgis will likely be gone soon if he doesn’t start making kicks. In case you didn’t get the hint, don’t sign him.

Eagles D/ST

Week 4 performance: 23 points allowed, 1 FR, 1 sack (1 fantasy point)
ESPN Week 5 projection: 5.1 fantasy points

The Eagles defense seemed to be the one thing that was doing well this season, but it had a bad week against the Redskins, scoring just one point. Philadelphia has been unable to consistently get to the quarterback and has given up a fair amount of points each week, preventing the defense from having a breakout week. Also, no defensive touchdowns has hurt their value thus far. They’re still probably worth starting, even next week against the Saints, although don’t expect a huge output.

Next: Eagles run game is even worse than it was in 2014

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