Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Outlook
Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) runs past Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller (23) during the second half at Soldier Field. Dallas won 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
DeMarco Murray:
It is no secret that the Eagles want to have a very physical running game next year and DeMarco Murray will lead the Eagles three headed monster in 2015.
Last season, the Eagles averaged nearly 30 rushing attempts per game and I expect that the Eagles will average more than 30 attempts per game in 2015. In fact, with Sanchez at the helm for the last nine games of 2015, the Eagles averaged slightly more than 30 attempts per game, averaging 30.38 attempts per game.
Last season, LeSean McCoy carried the ball 312 times for a 4.2 yards per attempt average. DeMarco will see almost as many touches as McCoy did in 2015, but I don’t expect that he will reach quite that many as predict that he will carry the ball 310 times, but average 4.5 yards per attempt. This translates to Murray getting nearly 20 carries per game, which is what every fantasy owner wants from their starting running back week in and week out.
Predicted Murray Stat Line: 1395 yards on 310 carries (4.5 average) with 9 TDs, also adding 78 receiving yards on 26 receptions.
Fantasy Points in an ESPN Standard League: 201.3
This production would have made Murray the 8th running back in fantasy football last year, behind Jamaal Charles and narrowly above Justin Forsett. I think Bradford will be a solid RB1 in 2015, but his value will be in the second and third round, rather than the first.
Ryan Mathews:
Mathews will see a considerable drop off in fantasy value in 2015, as he will be backing up DeMarco Murray. With that said, Mathews will get a fair amount of carries.
Predicted Mathews Stat Line: 400 yards on 85 carries (4.7 average) with 5TDs, also adding 35 receiving yards on 10 receptions.
Fantasy Points in an ESPN Standard League: 73.5
This production would have made Mathews the 46th best running back in fantasy football last year, behind Pierre Thomas and just above Jonas Gray. I think Mathews has some value as a bench option, but he will most likely go undrafted and be a free agent in most fantasy leagues.
Darren Sproles:
Sproles, while maybe lower on the depth chart than Mathews, will have much more fantasy value. Sproles is a swiss army knife, as he will pick up points as a runner, a receiver and a returner — he will see plenty of the ball week in and week out.
Predicted Sproles Stat Line: 303 yards on 55 carries (5.5 average) with 4TDs, also adding 347 receiving yards on 37 receptions.
Fantasy Points in an ESPN Standard League: 107
This production is practically the same fantasy production out of Sproles as we saw in 2014 (107.6 points in 2014). Sproles ranked 31st in fantasy last year making him a solid fantasy flex option or a below average RB2.
***All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com unless credited otherwise.***
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