philadelphia eagles Archives

Super Bowl LII Party Quiz

January 30, 2018 By Draft Buddy 2 Comments

If you are hosting a party for Super Bowl LII (a.k.a. Super Bowl 52) this week, or know someone who is, then a fun addition is my 30-question multiple choice quiz about The Big Game.

Predict who will win of course, Philadelphia Eagles or New England Patriots, and the over-under. Guess the first score of the game and which players will record more passing, rushing and receiving yards. Who will win the opening coin toss? Heads or tails?

Also, how long will the U.S. National Anthem be sung by Pink? Guess Justin Timberlake’s first song at halftime. Will Gatorade be dumped on the winning coach? (Note, it wasn’t last year.) Guess Steph Curry’s 3-point field goals on Super Bowl Sunday versus Danny Amendola’s receptions.

There are 30 questions worth 35 points… plus a bonus question worth, well nothing. No offense, This Is Us fans. It is a compilation of popular prop bets for the Super Bowl which your party-goers and friends can fill in for fun or throw a little money in a pot to the winner.

Football knowledge is not a prerequisite to completing the quiz … and tends to have zero correlation to actually scoring well, based on history. Click the Super Bowl LII graphic to download and then print the PDF. I will post the answers on our Facebook page next week. Enjoy the game!

Initial 2015 Fantasy Football Projections Commentary, NFC East

June 23, 2015 By Draft Buddy Leave a Comment

Philadelphia Eagles QB Sam Bradford is set up for the best season of his career. That is, if he can stay healthy, something he had trouble with playing for the St. Louis Rams.

Our initial 2015 fantasy football projections were released June 1. Even better, Draft Buddy is now available!

To accompany the initial projections, as we continue to review, research, analyze the projections, and create cheatsheet rankings, we provide the following commentary by division to give some insight into why we have players projected the way we do at this time.

Dallas Cowboys

Despite attempting 100 fewer passes in 2014 compared to 2013, Tony Romo increased his completion percentage by 6%, nearly matched his yardage, tossed three more touchdowns and one less interception. Less is more! Problem is they lost that nearly 450-touch guy, DeMarco something. We’re looking at projections much more in line with 2013.
Darren McFadden? Joseph Randle? A player to be named later? Pick your poison, but we do think it is McFadden to the extent he stays healthy. Yep, a pretty big IF there, but a higher profile veteran with the Arkansas connection is likely to be given the primo opportunity. The offensive line will provide a solid level of fantasy success if one does emerge as earning the bulk of the carries, either for the season or for a span of weeks in-season.
Romo’s pass attempts are up but numbers are similar for the receivers. In fact, the rush-pass mix is not that different from last season, with more plays overall. Think we need to ratchet down the runners a little, perhaps bump of Terrance Williams. Dez Bryant makes us slightly nervous with the contract talk impasse and talk of a holdout, but for now, have to project him as the stud he is.

New York Giants

A lot of talk about Eli Manning being more comfortable in the second year of Ben McAdoo’s offense and how he is going to light it up. I’m buying it. Odell Beckham Jr. from Week 1 and adding Shane Vereen helps quite a bit, too, even with Victor Cruz sidelined.
When he played, Rashad Jennings was decent for fantasy last season in his first season with the Giants. A sub-4.0 yards per carry and an injury history doesn’t put fantasy owners at ease he is long for the job though. Good thing he doesn’t have much competition for carries, but the Giants should use Vereen a fair bit, who likely feels he was underused in New England.
Beckham a sell high or setting up to be a perennial Top 5 WR? His hamstrings appear they will dictate the best answer. Our initial projections have him 7th at WR, 3-4 spots below his current ADP.
More was expected of Rueben Randle to this point of his career, and last year was a prime opportunity for him with Beckham out until Week 5, and Cruz out after Week 6. He disappointed. Continuing good opportunity for him starting this season. I’d draft him as a late pick with upside, but not holding out a ton of hope.

Philadelphia Eagles

Who is going to quarterback this crew? Its Sam Bradford until we are certain he can’t. And if Bradford can stay in for 16 games, he’s in line for the best season of his career. Mark Sanchez awaits in the wings.
449 touches for DeMarco Murray last season, excluding the playoffs, he can still get a heavy workload in this offense, but not that crazy. Not with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles needing to get their touches. But that is okay, as last season was Murray’s first playing 16 games. We have him at 300 carries, 25 receptions, still worthy of a high pick.
We have Mathews at half the carries of Murray, and Sproles less than half of that, but Sproles dominates the pass targets. All three get drafted but Mathews and Sproles only become reliable fantasy starters if Murray misses time, or the Eagles have a game where they run roughshod over their opponent.
By all accounts Jordan Matthews lived up to his rookie draft hype last year with a solid season, but whether he can improve on those numbers will be challenged by the new rookie addition, Nelson Agholor. While I may pass on drafting Matthews, I have a hard time projecting him behind Agholor until we see what positions Chip Kelly settles on for each come training camp.
We have modest improvements for Zach Ertz in this third season. There is still upside available there if he can become a red zone threat.

Washington Redskins

In a surprising bit of news, head coach Jay Gruden had numerous good things to say about Robert Griffin III. It is still somewhat baffling how fast RG3 fell from rookie sensation to subpar fantasy asset. Injury and work ethic were the problems. Injury must be over by now. Work ethic? Maybe he’s getting it, keeping a lower profile, and maybe it is time to consider buying low.
Alfred Morris keeps on chugging along. A classic underrated RB in fantasy circles because of his lack of catches, so short of a monster 1,600-12 line (which he surpassed in 2012), he won’t earn a 1st round grade, but don’t turn your nose up at 1,100-8 in the thick of the RBBC era. Rookie Matt Jones backs him up, but not expecting Jones to unseat Morris.
Griffin has good receivers. Makes you think more about RG3 being a value pick, doesn’t it? I’ve traditionally considered DeSean Jackon an every other year player, but he has now strung together two consecutive good seasons. Pierre Garcon needs more targets, especially with the 11.1 yards per catch he had last season.
A better third receiver and/or a healthy Jordan Reed would go a long way to helping this offense. Now I’ve come full circle. RG3 has good starting receivers, but not enough pass catching skill around him to be better than a bye week filler, unless he really ramps up the rushing yards again. Not sure the Redskins will push for that.

Initial 2015 Projections Release and Commentary Series

Philadelphia Eagles Team Report

June 12, 2015 By Dave Leave a Comment

It is a crowded backfield on the Philadelphia Eagles with former-Cowboy DeMarco Murray and former-Charger Ryan Mathews coming to town. It will be very tough for Murray to duplicate his 2014 numbers, but he’s still a solid 1st round pick in fantasy football drafts.

QB Sam Bradford

Heading into 2015, Bradford is entering what seems like his third consecutive make or break year. Just this time it’s in Philadelphia as an Eagle. Here’s to hoping that he leaves his lengthy injury history (25 missed games over the past two years and 31 missed games over his five-year career) behind in St. Louis. That seems like wishful thinking but if Bradford somehow stays upright for 16 games, he has the potential to top 4,500 passing yards with between 25 and 30 touchdowns and that is mid-tier QB1 territory. Of course, he will need to enter the season fully recovered from the ACL tears that ended both his 2013 and 2014 seasons. A mobile quarterback coming out of Oklahoma, Bradford will likely suffer a loss of agility as a result of his injuries but he is a smart passer who has shown an ability to avoid turnovers and that should serve him well in Philadelphia. However, he will have to increase his risk appetite somewhat in order to fit into head coach Chip Kelly’s offensive system. While the Eagles have lost some key playmakers over the past two seasons, their offensive weapons remain more impressive that what Bradford worked with during his days as a Ram. He rates as a mid to lower tier QB2 with major upside that can only happen if he is somehow able to stay healthy for 16 games.

RB DeMarco Murray

After posting league highs with 1,845 rushing yards and 2,261 total yards behind the Cowboys solid offensive line in 2014, Murray takes his talents to Philadelphia for the 2015 season. While Murray has proven to be one of the league’s most dynamic running backs over the past two seasons, he faces an uncertain future as an Eagle for several reasons. First off, their offensive line might be solid but it doesn’t compare to the line Murray ran behind in Dallas. Second, Murray will fight with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles for touches, a pair of players far superior to Murray’s backups last season in Dallas. Third, it is premature to completely write off his history of injuries. Fourth, players coming off 450 touch seasons have not fared well in the following season. Add it all up and Murray lands as a mid to lower RB1 in 2015.

RB Ryan Mathews

Mathews goes from being the top dog in San Diego’s offense (when healthy, at least) to a reserve role in Philadelphia behind DeMarco Murray. In fact, he may not out-produce Darren Sproles, who figures to handle the majority of the pass catching out of the Eagles backfield. While the party line is that Murray and Matthews will split the workload on obvious rushing downs, it’s worth noting that Murray received a five-year, $42-million contract while the Eagles are paying Mathews $11.5-million over three years. Although Mathews should earn close to 10 touches per game in Philly’s offense, he likely won’t handle the goal line duties, rendering him little more than a low end flex option barring a Murray injury. He does rate as a key handcuff for Murray owners.

RB Darren Sproles

After a pair of solid fantasy seasons in 2011 and 2012, Sproles has seen his fantasy value decline over the past two years as he failed to top 1,000 total yards in either 2013 or 2014. Last season, he averaged 7.1 PPG but was aided by a career-high six rushing touchdowns (his previous high was three). More noteworthy were his yardage total of 716 and his touches of 97, lowest since the 2009 season. At 32 years of age on opening day, Sproles isn’t getting any younger and the competition for touches in the Eagles backfield is getting tougher due to the presence of DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. Sproles isn’t worth drafting in standard scoring leagues and rates as a low end flex option in PPR formats.

WR Jordan Matthews

In 2013, DeSean Jackson posted career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns as the Eagles leading wide receiver. In 2014, Jeremy Maclin posted career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns as the Eagles leading wide receiver. In 2015, Jordan Matthews is projected to be the Eagles leading wide receiver. It’s not hard to connect the dots on this one, folks. Matthews is in line for close to 140 targets, over 80 receptions, between 1,100 and 1,300 yards and 8-10 touchdowns. The 6’3″, 209 pound Vanderbilt product possesses solid speed and uses his size well, traits that helped propel him to a 67 reception, 872 yard, eight touchdown season as a rookie. We have little doubt regarding his ability to handle a leading role in 2015. Provided the quarterback situation holds up, consider Matthews a high end WR2 with upside and an outstanding dynasty league prospect.

WR Nelson Agholor

Taken by the Eagles in the 1st round of this year’s draft, Agholor possesses solid yet not outstanding speed and lacks ideal size at 6’1″ and 190 pounds. In Philadelphia, he will compete with veteran journeyman Riley Cooper and 2nd year player Josh Huff for a spot in the starting line-up. While Agholor can line up outside, he often lined up in the slot at USC, where Jordan Matthews played the majority of his snaps last year for the Eagles. Given Matthews heavy workload during his rookie season, we don’t foresee head coach Chip Kelly having any reservations about handing Agholor a key role as a rookie. However, Kelly drafted Cooper for his blocking ability, Matthews is the team’s leading wide receiver and the team is clearly going to lean heavily on its trio of outstanding running backs. That limits Agholor’s upside during his rookie season. We consider him a WR5 in redraft formats and an excellent dynasty league prospect.

WR Riley Cooper

After a breakout season in 2013 when he caught 47 passes for 835 yards and eight touchdowns (all career highs which earned him a five-year, $25-million contract), Cooper crash landed last year, catching 55 passes for 577 yards and just three touchdowns. Truth be told, Cooper is a marginal talent who would be relegated to a backup role in most offenses but he earns plenty of snaps in Philadelphia’s heavily run based offense due to his blocking ability. Since we expect another 500-600 yards season with 4-5 touchdowns, don’t bother looking Cooper’s way on draft day.

WR Josh Huff

Eagles coach Chip Kelly selected Josh Huff from his alma mater in the 3rd round of last year’s NFL Draft and Huff proceeded to disappoint as a rookie, catching just eight of his 18 targets for 98 yards. Possessing good but not outstanding speed and less than ideal size at 5’11” and 206 pounds, Huff will attempt to earn a starting role in his sophomore season, a possibility only due to the departure of Jeremy Maclin. However, we expect Riley Cooper and Nelson Agholor to earn the starting spot opposite Jordan Matthews, with Huff once again relegated to a minor role. He is worth monitoring in the preseason but unless Huff shows some playmaking ability, he is best left on the waiver wire.

WR Miles Austin

Austin produced a bit of a bounce back season in his only year in Cleveland, catching 47 passes for 568 yards and a pair of scores in 12 games before finishing the season on injured reserve. While subpar quarterback play contributed to his marginal production, the truth is that Austin is little more than a backup at this point in his career with injuries having robbed him of his explosiveness. Signed by the Eagles in the offseason, he figures to enter training camp 5th on the depth chart although it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Riley Cooper, rookie 1st round pick Nelson Agholor and disappointing 2nd year player Josh Huff struggle somewhat in 2015. Consider Austin as a potential waiver wire pickup if he somehow leapfrogs his way into the Eagles starting line-up.

TE Zach Ertz

Entering his 2nd season in the league last year, Ertz generated a fair amount of buzz in the fantasy community but he failed to produce TE1 production, finishing the season as the 13th ranked tight end despite relegating Brent Celek to a backup role. While Ertz’s role in Chip Kelly’s offense helped generate the buzz, it was Kelly’s strong reliance on running the football coupled with Brent Celek’s superior blocking ability that helped keep Ertz nailed to the bench far more than most expected entering the season. His overall numbers looked decent with 58 receptions for 702 yards and three touchdowns but he was targeted more than six times in just two games and caught 15 of his receptions in one week. Since Celek remains on the roster to handle the bulk of the blocking duties, we don’t expect a breakout season from Ertz, although his skill set as well as the departure of Jeremy Maclin certainly makes it possible. Consider him a lower tier TE1 with a high ceiling and a high floor.

Also see: Philadelphia Eagles IDP Team Report | Washington Redskins