Eagles Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 1: Should You Start Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and More?

The second regular season game of the NFL season is a fun matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. 

Just like we did before the Chiefs, Ravens game on Thursday and will do before every primetime game this season, FantasySP will break down the matchup and the fantasy outlooks for players on both teams. We’ll cover the Eagles here after already looking at the Packers.

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Jalen Hurts Fantasy Outlook

Hurts took a step back as a passer in 2023 because of a bunch of interceptions. He threw nine more picks than in 2022 despite playing in just two more games.

Across 17 games last season, Hurts completed 65.4% of his passes for 3,854 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He added 605 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 157 attempts.

Hurts can make up for a lack of passing with his rushing ability. Take this week for instance - he’s projected for just 182 passing yards, but 30 rushing yards and a potential score on the ground has him projected for 21 fantasy points, which is behind only Josh Allen.

The Packers’ defense was good against the pass last season, while struggling against the run. The team has a new coordinator and scheme, so take those stats with a grain of salt.

Running Back Fantasy Outlook

The big addition in Philly this offseason was running back Saquon Barkley. Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Will Shipley are other backup options on the active roster.

Barkley joins the Eagles after a six-year run with the Giants. He excelled in New York, but also dealt with injuries (or was he just not playing because the team was bad most times?). In 14 games last season, Barkley had 962 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 247 attempts, while adding 280 receiving yards and four scores on 41 catches and 60 targets.

Gainwell was with the Eagles last season, playing in 16 games total. He had 364 rushing yards and two scores on 84 attempts. Gainwell added 183 yards and no scores on 30 catches and 37 targets.

Shipley was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry during a three-year run with Clemson in college. Shipley also caught 85 passes, so he could carve a role out in that way too.

Barkley will be the workhorse back when he’s healthy, and he’s the only Philly back to appear in the top 61 RBs in the week 1 projections.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith return to power the wide receiver room in Philadelphia. Jahan Dotson was just acquired in a trade and should be the third starter. Britain Covey and rookie Johnny Wilson are the only other wideouts on the active roster right now.

Brown is the leader of the bunch. In 17 games last season, he had 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns on 106 catches and 158 targets.

Smith is a great No. 2 option and has been over 900 receiving yards in his first three seasons. In 16 games last season, he had 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns on 81 grabs and 112 targets.

Dotson regressed in his second NFL season with the Commanders. He had 518 yards and four touchdowns on 49 catches and 83 targets across 17 games. Getting traded inside the division tells you what Washington thought of him, but he’s a decent third option for the Eagles.

Covey appeared in 16 games with Philly last season. He caught four of his targets for 42 yards and no scores. He should return punts, so there’s a way for Covey to maybe score some extra fantasy points.

Wilson was a sixth-round pick in the most recent draft. He had over 600 receiving yards the past two collegiate seasons for Florida State, scoring seven times over that span.

Brown and Smith are both projected for big weeks, with Brown at 16 PPR points and Smith at 14. Dotson also cracks our top 74 fantasy wideouts, but is projected for just five points.

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

Dallas Goedert is the team’s go-to tight end, but is coming off a rough season.

He played in 14 games and finished with 592 yards and three touchdowns on 59 catches and 83 targets. He had over 700 yards on a similar amount of catches the previous two seasons.

Goedert is a bounceback candidate for the upcoming season and sits just outside the top 10 in the week 1 projections. He’s projected for nine PPR points.

Kicker and Defense Outlook

Jake Elliott is back to do the kicking for Philly.

He went 30-of-32 on his field goals in 2023. He missed just one of his 46 extra points.

Elliott is projected for nine fantasy points in week 1, which is tied for the top mark among fantasy kickers.

The Eagles’ defense struggled to slow the pass in 2023, while being pretty solid against the run. Philly added several new players to its secondary, but will be without middle linebacker Devin White for the game - he was listed as a co-starter on the team’s unofficial depth chart. 

The Packers’ offense has several pass catchers to turn to, Jordan Love throwing the ball and Josh Jacobs now leading the backfield. It’s a tough first test for the Philly defense.

The Eagles’ D/ST is projected for six fantasy points, which ranks near the middle of the league, but trending toward the bottom.

Who to Start in Week 1

I love this matchup almost as much as the Thursday night game. It could have NFC playoff seeding implications by the end of the season. This has the looks of a high-scoring affair, and I think the Packers find a way to prevail, 31-27. Check out more odds and betting details here.

I think Hurts and Barkley are going to lead the offense on the ground. Toss in Hurts’ passing stats and he’s got a chance to finish as fantasy QB1 for week 1 if he takes care of the ball and scores a few times. Barkley should finish in the top 10 this week, and he has top-three potential, so get him in your lineups.

Brown and Smith need to be in starting lineups too. With so few proven pass catchers on the team, those two are always good starting options, especially in PPR leagues. Brown is a top-line starter, while Smith is a good second starter or flex option (don’t start him in the flex spot because his game comes before a lot of your other fantasy options).

Dotson is a deep league starting option, but I’d try to stay away from him if I could. I want to see how the Eagles use him before feeling confident in him as a starter.

I’d also prefer Goedert in deep leagues only, not standard leagues. However, if you don’t have a TE projected in the top 10, then Goedert is probably the next best option.

I see the Eagles’ offense settling for a couple field goals, so I am fine starting Elliott in week 1. He’s accurate enough to start most weeks on a team with a pretty good offense.

I do not like the Eagles’ D/ST this week. I think the Packers are going to move the ball and score quite a bit, and even with a few sacks or takeaways, don’t think the unit scores inside the top 10 for the week. Stay away from the D/ST in week 1.