Eagles Fantasy Football Preview: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and More

Breaking down the Philadelphia Eagles best fantasy football players for the upcoming season.

It’s time for another NFL team fantasy football preview.

We’ve looked at the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots and now will cover the Philadelphia Eagles.

Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.

Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.

Jalen Hurts Fantasy Outlook

Hurts is the heart of the Eagles’ offense. His rushing ability makes him one of the best fantasy quarterbacks going into the season.

Hurts played in 17 games a season ago. He threw for 3,858 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing 352 of his 538 passes.

On the ground, he rushed for 605 yards and 15 touchdowns on 157 attempts.

Hurts is currently QB2, behind only Josh Allen and going around pick 31. I’ve wrote about how I prefer Hurts as the first or second quarterback off fantasy boards and am sticking with that at Hurts’ current ADP.

If Hurts can clean up the turnovers that plagued him a season ago, he’s got a great chance at being the top fantasy quarterback in 2024.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

The Eagles made another switch to their backfield going into this season. Saquon Barkley was signed to be the lead back. Kenneth Gainwell is probably the top backup right now, while rookie Will Shipley is another option.

Barkley has been with the Giants for all six years of his NFL career. He played in 14 games a season ago, rushing for 962 yards and six touchdowns on 247 attempts. Barkley caught 41 of his 60 targets for an additional 280 yards and four scores.

Gainwell appeared in 16 games a season ago for Philly. He had 364 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 84 attempts. Gainwell had 30 catches on 37 targets for 182 yards and no scores.

Shipley had a strong three-year career with Clemson in college. He did most of his damage on the ground, but also was a pass-catching threat, so he might be able to carve out a role early in his career that way.

Barkley is the clear No. 1 back in Philly and should serve as the workhorse. He’s RB6 and going around pick 12 overall.

That’s an early pick for a player who has dealt with some injuries over their career. But Barkley is on a far better offense than he ever has been, so he should thrive in this offense. I’m fine taking Barkley around his ADP and think he could be a draft steal by the end of the season.

Shipley is actually the second Philly back off draft boards. He’s RB64 and going around pick 211. Gainwell is RB74 and going around pick 258.

Neither Shipley or Gainwell are standard league options at the start of the season, and neither are good deep league options either. I could see drafting them to protect Barkley, but neither will replicate what Barkley brings to the table. 

I actually like Gainwell more for the upcoming season, but think Shipley is worth a pick in dynasty leagues in case Barkley’s injury woes continue. 

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the Eagles’ top two receivers again. Parris Campbell looks like he’ll be the third starter. Rookies Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith and John Ross and Britain Covey look like some of the backup options.

Brown appeared in 17 games a season ago. He caught 106 of his 158 targets for 1,456 yards and seven scores. It was the second straight season he went over 1,400 yards, but his touchdown total dropped by four.

Smith was part of 16 games last season. He caught 81 of his 112 targets for 1,066 yards and seven scores. Smith has had at least 900 yards and five touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons.

Campbell was with the Giants a season ago, playing in 12 games total. He had 20 grabs on 27 targets for 104 yards and no scores. Campbell had 623 yards and three touchdowns with the Colts in 2022.

Ross hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021. He has plenty of speed to burn but has only once topped 500 receiving yards. Ross caught seven touchdowns in 2018, but has only four more scores in his four other seasons.

Covey has played in Philly the past two seasons. He’s made four catches on six targets for 42 yards and no scores in the two years combined. Covey has been a kick and punt returner for the Eagles and is expected to at least return punts this season.

Wilson was the team’s sixth-round pick this offseason. He did some nice things in his final two collegiate seasons for Florida State.

Smith was a fifth-round pick of the Eagles. He played five collegiate seasons at Texas A&M. Smith went over 600 receiving yards just once (his final season).

Brown is the top Eagles’ receiver on the ADP list, coming in as WR6 and going around pick nine. Smith should be the second receiver from Philly taken, and then everyone else is off the fantasy radar of owners in standard leagues.

I wrote about how I like Brown late in the first round of fantasy drafts. I expect another big season from him, with maybe a couple more touchdowns from last season.

Smith isn’t showing up on our ADP list, but is typically going between the late 30s and 40s. 

Smith is a pretty safe pick looking at his career numbers, and offers some good value near his current ADP. He’s a solid fantasy WR2 and great WR3 even though he isn’t his team’s top option.

I’d treat any other Philly receivers as waiver wire options in standard leagues. Between Barkley and the top two wideouts, there aren't many other touches to go around. They are better fantasy options in deeper leagues, but there’s no one I’d really trust enough (to draft), at least to start the season.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

A reason the Eagles can get by with two wideouts is because they have Dallas Goedert at tight end.

Goedert had a rough go of things in 2023. He missed time with an injury and wasn’t all that productive in his 14 games played. He made 59 grabs on 83 targets for 592 yards and three touchdowns.

It was the third-lowest yardage across his six-year NFL career. It also matched his lowest mark for touchdowns in a season.

Goedert looks like a bounceback candidate, but isn’t getting a ton of draft love as TE12 and going around pick 106. He’s a solid fantasy backup TE option, with the chance to be a starting option every week. I see more upside than a chance for a draft bust with Goedert this season, so I’m fine taking him, as long as his ADP sticks near the current mark.

If Goedert were to miss more time this season, Grant Calcaterra or C.J. Uzomah look like the top backup options. Neither are on the fantasy radar in any league types right now, and still probably wouldn’t be worth streaming even if Goedert missed time.

#2024-fantasy-football