Bradford missed the entire 2014 NFL season after sustaining his
second serious knee injury in five seasons with the Rams. Injuries
have proven to be the downfall of the former first overall selection
former the University of Oklahoma star. When healthy, Bradford
has been a solid fantasy performer as referenced by his 3702 yard,
21 touchdown performance in 2012. Although he finished the season
out of the top-12 for fantasy quarterbacks, he did beat out a
few big name performers like Jake Cutler and Philip Rivers. The
problem is that he has managed to play 16 games only twice in
his career and he enters camp this summer still rehabbing the
knee injury that forced him to miss all of 2014.
On the plus side, he is joining an excellent offensive scheme
that will take advantage of the experience he gained running a
similar spread offense as a Sooner. He also is surrounded by the
best offensive line and skill position players of his career,
and a coach with a history of making subpar players like Nick
Foles into fantasy stars. For owners looking for a quarterback
ranked outside the top-12 who has the upside of delivering a top-10
season, look no further than Bradford. But be sure to have a viable
second option given his injury risk.
Mark Sanchez and newly acquired Sam Bradford will compete for
the starting quarterback role for head coach Chip Kelly. Although
Sanchez has nine games under his belt running Kelly’s offense
last season, the Eagles made a big splash this offseason by acquiring
Bradford via trade with the Rams for former starter Nick Foles,
making it clear that Bradford will be the starter if he can stay
healthy. Staying healthy has been a difficult task for Bradford,
after sustaining a second severe knee injury last season as a
member of the Rams. If Bradford is not able to stay on the field,
Sanchez will take the wheel on an offense that ranked sixth in
passing yards per game in 2014. Although Sanchez did post a career
high 64.1% completion percentage in nine games in 2014, including
an impressive 374-yard, two-touchdown performance against the
Redskins in Week 16, he is only worthy of a late-draft pick considering
the depth of the quarterback position. However, an injury to Bradford
would make Sanchez a viable streaming option later in the season.
DeMarco Murray enters 2015 as the reigning NFL rushing champion
after posting a career high 1845 rushing yards in his final season
with the Cowboys. Now a member of the Eagles after signing a lucrative
free agent deal in the offseason, Murray’s value has taken a significant
hit due to the fact that the Eagles also signed former Chargers’
running back Ryan Mathews to help carry the load. Veteran tailback
Darren Sproles is also in the mix as a change-of-pace and third-down
back, adding to the reduction in value for Murray.
It remains to be seen how the division of carries will be handled
by head coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
A 60-40 split is possible for first and second down carries, with
Sproles working in on third downs. The one certainty about Murray
is that he will not reach his 393 carry total from last season
that allowed him to post eight-straight 100-yard games to open
the season, unless Mathews sustains an injury that forces the
Eagles to rely on one back. Although Murray’s value is down
from what it was at the end of last season, he is still worthy
of an early round selection and could be a nice low-end number
one running back for fantasy owners in 2015.
Mathews played in just six games last season, a fitting end to
an injury-riddled career with San Diego. Mathews managed to play
a full 16 games just once in five seasons with the Chargers, as
knee, ankle, hamstring, head, and collarbone injuries kept the
former first-round pick on the sideline. When healthy, Mathews
proved to be a solid tailback with a nice mix of power and speed.
He posed a career high 1,255 yards on 285 carries in 2013, with
a respectable 4.4 yards per carry average. As a member of the
Eagles, Mathews will work as a complimentary back to DeMarco Murray,
who also joined the team this offseason via free agency. Murray
will be the primary back, with Mathews filling a backup role.
It is possible Mathews could earn the goal line carry duties,
making him a viable flex play in standard leagues and has high
value as a handcuff for Murray owners. Mathews’ high-ceiling
makes him a valuable target in the mid-to-late rounds of your
draft.
At 32 years of age, Darren Sproles is in the twilight of his
career and appears to be losing his fantasy relevance after posting
a career low 40 catches for 387 yards as the third down and change-of-pace
back for the Eagles in 2014. Perhaps most surprising, Sproles
did not post a single receiving touchdown last season, the first
time he failed to score a receiving touchdown since 2007. He did
score six rushing touchdowns on just 57 carries, making him one
of the more efficient TD scoring backs in the league. That will
likely change in 2015, as the Eagles added both DeMarco Murray
and Ryan Mathews via free agency. His change-of-pace role may
stay the same, but age and reduced opportunity have reduced Sproles
to a flex play in only deep leagues this season. His value will
increase significantly should Murray or Matthews sustain an injury.
The departure of former number one wide receiver Jeremy Maclin
has opened the door for second-year wide receiver Jordan Matthews
to assume the top receiving role with the Eagles in 2015. The
team added first round pick Nelson Agholor from USC to help add
depth to a depleted corps that includes veteran Riley Cooper.
Matthews’ size and athleticism makes him a tough red zone target
and the likely favorite of newly acquired quarterback Sam Bradford.
The former second round pick from Vanderbilt caught 67 balls for
872 yards and eight touchdowns on 103 targets as a rookie in 2014.
With Maclin now a member of the Chiefs, look for Matthews to receive
more targets and catches, while approaching the century mark in
yards and double-digit touchdowns. Owners should be aware of the
possibility of Agholor emerging as the primary target instead
of Matthews, as he is a smart player who runs excellent routes,
and is a versatile wide receiver with excellent speed.
Agholor joined the Eagles as the 20th selection in the 2015 NFL
draft after an impressive college career at USC. The Tampa, FL
native caught 104 passes for 1313 yards and 12 touchdowns in his
senior season with the Trojans. He is similar in size and talent
to former starter Jeremy Maclin who signed with the Chiefs this
past offseason. He is a polished route runner who has excellent
speed and hands, making him a nice fit in Chip Kelly’s up-tempo
offense. Veteran wide out Riley Cooper is currently listed as
the number two wide receiver opposite of Jordan Matthews, but
Agholor’s superior speed and athleticism will likely open
the door for him to surpass Cooper by midseason.
A trendy breakout candidate in 2014, Ertz failed to meet his
expectations primarily due to the fact his poor blocking skills
kept him off the field for too many plays. After an offseason
working with Tony Gonzalez and focusing on becoming a more complete
tight end, Ertz is once again a trendy upside pick in 2015. Fantasy
owners need only to look at his 15-catch, 115-yard performance
Week 16 against Washington as what type of player Ertz could be
in Kelly’s system. His mix of size and speed make him a
tough matchup in the spread offense. If Ertz is able to stay on
the field for more this season, look for the third-year pro to
deliver a career season and flirt with top-5 tight end fantasy
points.
