Philadelphia Eagles 10-6
Welcome to the NFC East Week and the Philadelphia Eagles 2014 Fantasy Highs and Lows. Every week we will go division by division breaking down each team.
This write up was practically rendered useless when Chip Kelly decided to throw caution to the wind and pull some crazy off season moves. But still, this team deserves a year-end roundup like the rest of them. Do know that this is not the article where we talk about the DeMarco Murray, Sam Bradford and Ryan Mathews additions. The analysis for the team looking forward will come out after the NFL Draft.
Highs:
Jeremy Maclin Earns a NFL Contract
Even with the Quarterback uneasiness (which did slow him down in the later half of the year), Maclin still finished out the season with 85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s only 26 years old and based on talent he would be worth a long look in 2015 fantasy drafts (especially with a healthy starting Quarterback, sorry Marky Mark). However, his new Quarterback is Alex Smith and new team is the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City famously went all season in 2014 without a touchdown scored by a Wide Receiver. We will have to assess his boom or bust potential once we get a better idea of his Average Draft Position, but for now, congrats to Maclin for getting an $11 million per year contract.
Jordan Matthews Shows Promise
Matthews ended up one of the few members of the 2014 Eagles that will stay on the roster in 2015. During his rookie season, Maclin caught 67 passes for 872 yards and eight touchdowns. A majority of those catches came towards the end of the season and was aided by the chemistry he built with Mark Sanchez during the preseason. Supposedly Matthews is working with Cris Carter this summer to improve upon those numbers, so let’s all hope for the best.
Lows:
LeSean McCoy
He was disappointing. There is no doubt about it. He only scored five touchdowns all season. And oddly enough, all of those touchdowns were rushing. Sadly, McCoy was thought to be the most “sure thing” going into 2014 and a lot of fantasy owners got burned. It was weird year and McCoy was one of the poster boys for the oddity. So let us just say that we are extremely excited for a comeback next year when he plays in Buffalo with a “Chip” on his shoulder in a Rex Ryan “ground and pound” offense. The world is McCoy’s oyster.
Quarterback Play
The turnovers last season were inexcusable. It’s very difficult to maintain momentum when you hand the ball to the opposing team. Say what you will about Bradford and his durability (and we’ll probably agree), but he is NOT a turnover machine and it is very clear that Chip Kelly considers his ball protection skills an upgrade.