PREVIEW: (A Way Too Early) 2020 Eagles Fantasy Predictions
Taking the temperature of Philadelphia’s fantasy assets.
Dear Fellow Fans Who Don’t Watch That Much College Football,
The Draft is over! We spent the winter like a foreign exchange student studying abroad without knowing the language, struggling to make sense of 20-year-old College players we don’t know. We scratched our heads for most first-round picks and every selection in Days 2 and 3, but it is finally time to clamor out of hibernation.
Instead of podcasts debating teens’ NFL preparedness and a Manifesto of names that read more like the chapters of the Old Testament than a Division I roster, you only need to know 10 rookies, most of whom will never see the field of play.
So kick back, relax, and rest easy knowing your friend who keeps shouting “We Are” will finally shut up for a little while. Today we are previewing every position, taking the temperature of each player’s 2020 fantasy outlook.
Whether you are in an 18-player half PPR dynasty league or your brother’s college friends’ 8-player standard league, we have everything here to get you ready for game day.
QB
Carson Wentz // Warm
Promoted from Daddy to Father Figure, Wentz is the Last Ginger Standing among starting NFL quarterbacks. Eagles fans have every reason to be excited about his 2020 return (dare I say, resurrection?), but the addition of Hurts and rumors of two QB packages demand hampered expectations.
Wentz’s ceiling is still Tier 1 production, but the last two seasons have suggested he is more firmly QB 8-10 material.
Jalen Hurts // Cold
The rookie quarterback will almost assuredly finagle his way into the lineup through wildcat formations, trick plays, and the lingering fear of injury, but Hurts is not an option for fantasy managers in 2020. There are only two reasons to draft him: 1.
You are in the Wentz-Will-Never-Stay-Healthy camp, or you want to roll the dice in a dynasty league. Either way, expect him to serve more as a cap on Wentz’s fantasy value than an independent asset.
RB
Miles Sanders // Hot
Sanders is poised for a breakout year, the clear lead guy in what does not look to be a committee system. His floor is relatively low given the Eagles’ love of mismanaging the halfback depth chart, but that just means his ADP is falling. Sanders is a great guy to nab in the 4th or 5th round.
Boston Scott // Cold
If your name isn’t Miles Sanders, your chances at serious fantasy production are slim to none. Boston Scott played great down the stretch last year but could see himself in the Runningback Ward. Get it? Because Greg Ward is another guy who blossomed at the end but probably will not do much this year. A ward like Hospital Ward, but for Runningbacks. Where they go to die. Get it now?
Corey Clement // Freezing
The Pride of Glassboro is back and could not be happier about it after receiving zero offers in free agency. Unfortunately, he’ll also receive zero touches.
WR
Photo: Dave Zangaro/NBC Sports Philly
Alshon Jeffrey // Frozen
In his best season as an Eagle, Jeffery was WR16. If you are in an 8-person league, he barely makes a starting roster. Since then he has declined each year and has not shown any reason for optimism. Injuries and an increasingly crowded receiver corps make Jeffery an ugly prospect for the 2020 season. Avoid at all costs.
DeSean Jackson // Warm
But like, who knows? DeSean is still on track to be the speedster once he is healthy, but Reagor could dip into his snaps. We have no idea how Jackson’s recovery or his age will impact his speed, but they certainly will not help his case. I am warm on him because Pederson will assuredly do everything he can to game plan for one of the league’s fastest players, but fantasy owners should advance with caution. Silver lining? His production will be replacement value at best anyway.
Marquise Goodwin // Cool
Goodwin is coming in with a great attitude, but so much is up in the air at the receiver position.
Will Reagor be a bust or zoom to the top of the depth chart? Will DeSean recover? Is Jeffery going to suit up? Does JJ make a jump in his second year? Does Greg Ward get rewarded for his 2019 performance?
Goodwin is talented but plagued by surrounding storylines that could both help and hinder his chances at fantasy value. Do not draft, but keep an eye on him.
Jalen Reagor // Cold
Reagor could one day be our guy, and that could be in 2022 or Week 2. But for whatever Quarterback Factory-ing the Eagles are up to, they certainly aren’t in the Wide Receiver Factory business. Reagor will have an opportunity to produce immediately out of the gate because of injuries, but the receiving squad could be clogged up rather shortly. Expect the rookie to show flashes, but not the production to merit a roster spot this year.
Greg Ward Jr. // Frozen
If anyone deserves to see targets in 2020 it is Greg Ward, Jr., but instead, the CFL product might not even make the roster.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside // Cold
JJAW looks like a character stuck in quicksand in a Looney Toons comic when he accelerates. Still, he and Alshon are the only wide receivers with the size to go up for 50/50 balls.
Ideally, he takes a big step this year, but even doubling last season’s production would limit JJ to fantasy irrelevance. You weren’t going to draft him, so why are you still reading?
TE
Zach Ertz // Hot
Death, taxes, and Ertz. Forget the Kittle/Kelce debates, he is in that same elite tier of tight ends. Additionally, Howie just drafted for speed, not size. Ertz and Goedert represent two of the top pass-catching targets who can body up in coverage. League-wide, there is a scarcity of strong fantasy options at receiver this year. Drafting a tight end early could be an enormous reach, so hold off on Ertz until the 4th or 5th rounds.
Dallas Goedert // Warm
If you don’t have Kittle, Kelce, or Ertz, do not bother drafting a tight end until late in the draft. Between the Darren Wallers’ and Mark Andrews’ of the league, the position is bleak but deep. Goedert represents a strong red-zone option who has shown the ability to put up starter-level fantasy numbers at a position wrought with garbage.
K
Jake Elliott // Warm
When the offense is at its best, Jake is the best Elliott in the NFC East. It is difficult to imagine the Eagles being LESS effective this year than last, so Elliott is due for an increase in production.
He’s worth a glance as one of the last kickers off the board, but it would be best to leave him in free agency until the offense gives you a reason to add him.
D/ST
Photo: Andrew Mills
IcyHot
This defense is like the guy on my high school baseball team who put IcyHot on… himself. Best case scenario? He gets a chapter in the Kama Sutra. Worst case scenario? No one will be cheering “Go Nads!” anymore. Hefty additions on the line could lead to strong sack numbers, and Slay has been a turnover machine.
With that being said, Mills’ transition to safety could go horribly, and there isn’t a single trustworthy linebacker on the roster. Eagles D/ST is worth streaming against Washington or New York, but a tough schedule and a swath of question marks make the unit pretty undraftable.
Featured Image: Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
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