Eagles Week 3 fantasy football outlook

While fantasy success for a player is not always directly correlated to actual success for that player’s team (e.g. Saquon Barkley), more often than not, when a team is slumping, you should avoid starting players from that team if you can afford it. With two weeks of the 2019 season in the books, I am going to officially deem the Eagles as slumping. They have looked out of sorts, rusty and altogether unimpressive through two weeks and I find it very difficult to believe that they have already hit a low point. There are a few fantasy relevant players this week, but until the team as a whole turns it around, the Eagles may be a team to stay away from in the fantasy football realm.

Carson Wentz, Quarterback (Last week: Start, Result: QB13)

Carson had a rough go of things last week, but his effort and drive to win are both undeniable. In what looks to be a shootout, Carson (and Matt Stafford) should finish week 3 as a top 12 QB, especially considering the recent injuries to both Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees.

Verdict: START

Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver (Last week: Start, Result: N/A - Injury)

While he has not been officially ruled out of Sunday’s game (currently being treated as day-to-day by Doug Pederson), until we know with certainty that Alshon is healthy and ready to return to his normal role, you should avoid starting him in any formats.

Verdict: SIT

DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver (Last week: Start, Result: N/A - Injury)

Jackson is set to miss two weeks with an abdominal strain

Verdict: SIT

Nelson Agholor, Wide Receiver (Last week: Sit, Result: WR7)

Agholor had the worst drop of his career last Sunday night and then just a few plays later, he had one of the best catches of his career. That set of plays is exactly what we should expect from the 5th year wide out, a mixed bag with a few big plays and a few bad drops. While he certainly doesn’t offer the upside that a healthy DJax would, Agholor boasts a reasonably high floor this week against the Lions and can safely be treated as a WR3.

Verdict: START

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Wide Receiver (Last week: Sit, Result: WR107)

Although he was forced into action last week (75 snaps), I think we can officially deem week 3 as JJAW’s coming out party. In his first game as a primary wide receiver, it’ll be interesting to see what Arcega-Whiteside can do with the added opportunities. I still would advise against starting him unless you’re really desperate, but if you’ve got a roster spot, he might be worth rostering until Jackson and Jeffery are healthy.

Verdict: SIT

Mack Hollins, Wide Receiver (Last Week: N/A, Result: WR51)

I initially left Hollins off of this list as he was not fantasy relevant, but with injuries to Jeffery and Jackson, Hollins will see snaps. I still would not even consider rostering, let alone starting him, but I thought he at least deserved to be mentioned.

Verdict: SIT

Zach Ertz, Tight End (Last week: Start, Result: TE6)

Not that you needed any convincing here, but Ertz is even more of a “must start” than usual. Not only did the two main guys competing with Ertz for targets go down with injuries, but Dallas Goedert, the backup to Ertz, could miss time as well.

Verdict: START

Dallas Goedert, Tight End (Last week: Sit, Result: N/A - Injury)

Not only is he currently listed as day-to-day, but Goedert has not been used enough in Doug Pederson’s offense to consider starting even if he was healthy.

Verdict: SIT

Jordan Howard, Running Back (Last week: Start, Result: RB56)

While I think Howard has clearly looked like the best running back on the team, apparently opinions are not taken into consideration when the coaching staff puts together their offensive game plan. Until Howard is used more and Sanders and Sproles are used less, I’d avoid starting Howard.

Verdict: SIT

Miles Sanders, Running Back (Last week: Sit, Result: RB44)

Through two games, Sanders is averaging 10 carries and 3 targets per game. The team clearly has faith in him given that he leads all Philadelphia backs in red zone carries and has been on the field for many third downs. Unfortunately for both Sanders and Howard, until the team picks a guy to really feature, both are shaky fantasy picks. If you have to pick an Eagles running back, Sanders is your best choice, but hopefully you don’t have to.

Verdict: SIT

Darren Sproles, Running Back (Last week: Sit, Result: RB61)

Sproles is still being used in the passing game but with just eight total targets through two games, he isn’t being used frequently enough to justify starting.

Verdict: SIT

Corey Clement, Running Back (Last week: Sit, Result: N/A)

Clement is set to miss one or two weeks with a shoulder injury.

Verdict: SIT

Jake Elliott, Kicker (Last week: Start, Result: K12)

Elliott looks great to start the season, but until the Eagles can figure out how to move the ball consistently, you should look elsewhere for your starting kicker spot.

Verdict: SIT

Eagles Defense & Special Teams (Last week: Start, Result: DST12)

The Eagles are letting up the second most passing yards per game (350), have notched just 2 sacks, and are yet to score a defensive touchdown. While not many “experts” predicted that the Eagles DST would be a starting caliber unit, even fewer predicted they would be a train wreck.

Verdict: SIT