Few players had a more divisive season in 2025 than Hurts. The
reigning Super Bowl MVP was extremely careful with the football
-- he threw just six INTs -- but topped 300 yards passing in a
game only once all year and finished with a middling 3,224 yards
through the air. His running trailed off markedly as well, much
to the chagrin of fantasy owners, dropping from an average of
695 yards and 13 touchdowns over his previous four seasons to
421 yards and eight scores in 2025. The Eagles clearly didn't
like what they saw, dismissing first-year offensive coordinator
Kevin Patullo and replacing him with Sean Mannion, who served
as the Green Bay Packers' quarterbacks coach a year ago.
That was the big move off the field. On it, the team decided
to move on from top wideout A.J. Brown, who had grown increasingly
frustrated with his role. In Brown's place, Philly drafted Makai
Lemon in the first round, traded for Dontayvion Wicks, who showed
flashes while serving as WR4 in Green Bay, and signed veteran
Hollywood Brown. Whether that's a net improvement over Brown and
Jahan Dotson, last season's nominal No. 3 receiver, remains to
be seen, but the hiring of Mannion should inject some life into
the passing game.
Given his ability as a runner, you can make a case that Hurts
deserves consideration once Josh Allen has been drafted. His passing
numbers have been underwhelming, however, which pushes him below
Lamar Jackson and perhaps Joe Burrow as well. Hurts still offers
legitimate top-5 appeal, though where exactly he falls depends
on how you view him relative to ascending talents Drake Maye and
Jayden Daniels -- I'd consider him a safer choice than anyone
other than Allen, though his ceiling may not be as high as Jackson,
Burrow, or perhaps even Daniels and Maye.
Barkley was on another level in 2024, compiling 2,283 combined
yards and 15 touchdowns in 16 games on his way to earning Offensive
Player of the Year honors. He logged an absurd 479 combined touches
in the process, including the postseason, and savvy owners were
wary about what kind of hangover effect that would have on the
veteran back last season. Even the most skeptical owners had to
have been taken aback by the level of regression, however, as
Barkley saw his numbers crater to 1,413 yards and 9 TDs; within
that, Barkley ran for 60 yards or less nine times in the first
12 games.
He finished the season on an upswing, but it's hard to sort out
what, if anything, that means for 2026. Barkley turned 29 years
old in February, and he's carried a heavy burden since entering
the NFL back in 2018. The team's personnel moves suggest they'd
like to feature the passing game more. None of these developments
portend great things for Barkley. On the flip side, fantasy owners
that banked on similar results from the former All Pro a year
ago could devalue him based on their disappointing return on investment,
which could potentially push Barkley down draft boards.
There aren't a lot of sure things at the running back position
once you get past Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs -- even surefire
RB1s like Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor carry durability
concerns, and how much will teams stack the box to slow De'Von
Achane? You might be able to grab Barkley around the RB10 slot,
but he could return top-5 value at the position.
Acquired from Jacksonville early in 2025, Bigsby eventually overtook
AJ Dillon as RB2, though he only saw meaningful action in two
games: a blowout win over the Raiders and a meaningless Week 18
matchup with Washington. While it's possible, he'll see a bit
more playing time this season, there's no doubt the Eagles want
Barkley operating as the focal point of the ground game. As such,
Bigsby only offers value as a handcuff for owners that snap up
Barkley as their lead back.
During his four years operating alongside A.J. Brown, Smith averaged
80 receptions, 1,026 yards, and 6.5 touchdowns. Now, he'll be
tasked with moving from a complementary piece to the lead receiver.
The Eagles handed Smith a three-year, $75 million extension that
kicks in this year, and they'll be counting on him to justify
that level of financial commitment. A former first-round selection,
Smith has the talent to fill an expanded role, though he can't
match Brown in terms of physicality or working downfield -- Brown
averaged 14.8 yards per catch in four seasons with the Eagles
compared to 12.8 for Smith.
Like everyone else in Philadelphia's offense, there's hope that
Mannion will design a more varied and dangerous passing attack
after Hurts and company struggled under Patullo. If you're a “glass
half full” type, you can lean on Smith ascending to the No. 1
receiver role, and his ability to operate as a volume option,
as reasons why the former Alabama standout can push towards WR1
status in fantasy circles. The “glass half empty” crowd, meanwhile,
can point to four solid but unspectacular years while benefitting
from the attention secondaries paid to Brown as a sign that perhaps
Smith has topped out. Consider him a midrange WR2 that offers
some potential to surpass that designation.
Philadelphia traded up to grab Lemon with the 20th overall pick
in April's draft. Some draftniks consider the move something of
a coup as the USC wideout was expected to be drafted earlier in
Round 1. On paper, Lemon appears well positioned to inherit many
of the quick-hitting routes that Brown excelled on during his
time in Philly -- viewed another way, if Mannion brings some of
Green Bay's playbook along, Lemon could step into the Jayden Reed
role with a focus on yards after the catch.
The rookie was lauded for his toughness in college, displaying
a willingness to work over the middle and sacrifice his body to
make the catch. He also has excellent speed and is a capable deep
threat that can outfight defensive backs in contested ball situations.
While newcomers like Wicks and Marquise Brown might log more snaps
early on as Lemon adjusts to life in the NFL, the rookie has a
considerably higher ceiling than either of them. As your WR4,
Lemon could be a sweet addition.
During three seasons with the Packers, Wicks flashed his talent
with some big performances. He never sustained production from
one week to the next, though, averaging 36 receptions, 443 yards,
and 3.7 TDs per year. The question is whether that lack of consistency
traces back to Wicks, who had issues with drops, or an overcrowded
receiver room in Green Bay that gave Jordan Love too many options?
For now, assume it was a bit of both. Wicks didn't see reliable
involvement each week, but he also never did anything to separate
himself from Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, or Christian Watson.
Wicks has shown enough that owners in deeper leagues would do
well to see if a change of scenery unlocks his full potential,
though a spot on the watch list is adequate, especially when you
take into account the presence of Marquise Brown, who will challenge
for snaps. If Wicks plays well early on, though, don't hesitate
to pounce. The former Packer is entering the last year of his
rookie deal, and playing for a contract is always a strong motivator.
Heading into Year 9 in the NFL, Goedert is coming off arguably
the best season of his career, having set personal bests in both
receptions (60) and touchdowns (11) in 2025. He's been a nice
safety blanket for Hurts over the years, and that's a role he
should continue to fill during the upcoming campaign. He turns
32 in January, however, and he's had issues with durability, missing
a combined 17 games over the past four seasons. Goedert was also
very touchdown-dependent for his fantasy appeal last year, topping
50 yards in a game just three times, which could be an issue if
the veteran reverts to previous norms -- he managed 11 TDs combined
in four previous campaigns.
Goedert is the type of player to target later in drafts when
you've focused on other positions. He's a fringe TE1 with a decent
floor but marginal upside in the same vein as players like Mark
Andrews and T.J. Hockenson. Other names to consider in that tier
with more downside but higher ceilings would be Dalton Kincaid
and Isaiah Likely.
