Inside the Iggles
FanSided

Jordan Matthews Will Help You Win Your Fantasy Football League

By Matt Giraldi

Dec 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) catches a 78 yard touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cardinals won 40-17. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) catches a 78 yard touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cardinals won 40-17. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 2
Next
Nov 10, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews (18) celebrates after catching an 18-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 10, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews (18) celebrates after catching an 18-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Matthews heard the criticism. He’s aware of his flaws from a year ago. The difference now is, he has a coaching staff that will emphasize the flaws, but also make the situation a teachable moment. During Chip Kelly’s tenure in Philadelphia, his tempo minimized the opportunity to correct mistakes.

Now, Matthews is entering his third season in the NFL. Given the recent performances of such emerging young wide receivers such as Odell Beckham Jr., DeAndre Hopkins, and Allen Robinson, it seems like eons ago that the fantasy community would wait on a receiver to break out in his third season. The funny thing is, since 1991, only Beckham, Marques Colston, A.J. Green, and Larry Fitzgerald had more receptions and more touchdowns than Matthews in their first two seasons. As I previously mentioned, the fantasy community is quite fickle, but more importantly, impatient.

Two fatal flaws in fantasy football include recency bias and group-think. Not taking into account variable change in fantasy football can doom a team from the onset, but so can going with the herd. While the Eagles haven’t taken a snap with Pederson as the head coach, much has been made of the projected slower pace that the Eagles offense will play at without Kelly in charge. The Kansas City Chiefs attempted just under five less pass attempts per game during Kelly’s tenure with the Eagles, and they completed one percent more of their total passes.

Over the last three seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have finished the season with the ninth, 16th, and sixth ranked scoring offense in the NFL, respectively. Despite the Chiefs using over seven seconds per play more than the Eagles last year,  the Chiefs finished last season scoring 1.75 points more per game than Philadelphia. No, it’s not Chip Kelly’s razzle-dazzle offense any longer, but that doesn’t mean that fantasy relevant stars cannot be born from this offense.

According to FantasyPros.com, Matthews is currently the 30th wide receiver, and 69th player overall, being drafted thus far for 2016 leagues. Bonafide studs are always going to provide stability to a fantasy team. However, middle and late round players are where championships are won on draft day. I’m making it a prerogative to add Matthews to my teams, and will fully accredit success this season to what should be a breakout year for the Eagles’ wide receiver.

Home/Eagles News