Philadelphia

Eagles

Gainwell saw an uptick in usage last week against the Steelers (ten touches) but was relegated to breather back status this week against Washington. Saquon Barkely had 150 yards on 29 rushes in his regular workhorse role. Gainwell logged just five pass routes on the day.

Calcaterra ran 27 routes on 40 Philadelphia drop backs but did not see a target as AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith dominated looks from Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett. Calcaterra, with four catches over the past three games, has proven not to be fantasy viable even with Dallas Goedert sidelined.

Pickett acquitted himself well in his firs extended work of the 2024 regular season. He entered the game near the end of the first quarter after Jalen Hurts exited the game with a head injury. Pickett targeted AJ Brown relentlessly both in the intermediate and deep areas of the field. He nearly connected with Brown for a couple downfield shots if not for pass interference penalties. Pickett was seen nursing what appeared to be a rib injury at one point, and a shoulder injury at another point. He could get the nod in Week 17 against Dallas if Hurts is unable to clear the league’s concussion protocol by the end of the practice week. Pickett would be a reasonable superflex option if he plays against the Cowboys.

It was the A.J. Brown Show from start to finish against Washington. Brown was targeted 15 times while Smith was an afterthought, especially in the second half. Smith dropped what would have been a third down conversion in the fourth quarter — one that might have ended the game for the Commanders. It was a letdown performance after Smith’s 111-yard, one-touchdown outing last week against Pittsburgh, but he remains in the top-30 among fantasy wideouts as the Eagles head into Week 17 against the Cowboys. Smith had 14 yards on two grabs the last time he faced Dallas.

Brown showed no ill effects from the knee injury that caused him to miss practice time last week. He was targeted relentlessly by. Jalen Hurts and Kenny Pickett, who took over at QB after Hurts left the game in the first quarter with a brain injury. It could have been a much bigger stat line for the dominant Brown: He had 70 yards on pass interference penalties, mostly in the third quarter on downfield shots from Pickett. There will be more pass attempts to go around for Brown and DeVonta Smith if Pickett is forced to start for the Eagles next week against the Cowboys. That makes Brown a potential top-three option for fantasy championship week.

Barkley had a patented long (68 yard) touchdown sprint in the first quarter, eclipsing the century mark on the ground with two minutes to go in the first frame. No one, apparently, is as fast as the 28-year-old Barkley. It was Barkley’s fifth game of the 2024 season with multiple rushing scores. He was mostly bottled up in the second half with Jalen Hurts (concussion) sidelined and the Washington defense focusing on stopping the Philly rushing attack and forcing Kenny Pickett to make crucial late-game throws. Barkley will end the season with 296 rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Commanders alone. He has a date with the exploitable Dallas defense in Week 17.

Hurts tried to re-enter the game after suffering a head injury in the first quarter but went through further testing and was determined to have a brain injury. Kenny Pickett has played well in Hurts’ place, completing five of seven attempts for 70 yard, a touchdown, and an interception. Hurts will have to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol if he’s going to be active next week against the Cowboys.

Hurts took a wicked shot to the head/neck area on a first quarter rushing attempt and exited the game for the blue injury tent. Hurts tried to re-enter the game a few minutes later but was corralled by Eagles trainers, who may have wanted to test him for a brain injury. Kenny Pickett in the meantime threw a touchdown to A.J. Brown and the Eagles appear on their way to an easy victory against the severely overmatched Commanders.

Brown, who missed practice time this week with the knee issue, will be OK for Week 16 against Washington. He’ll look to build on last week’s 110-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Steelers. He had five grabs for 65 yards last time he faced the Commanders. The Eagles declared QB Tanner McKee, WR Britain Covey, CB Eli Ricks, OL Nick Gates, OL Darian Kinnard, and OL Trevor Keegan inactive against Washington.

Smith did not practice on Wednesday because of the back issue, but the team also listed it as a rest day. Unsurprisingly, it was just a maintenance day for the veteran wideout. He is good to go for Week 16. Coming off an 11/109/1 day versus the Steelers, Smith is climbing up the WR2 ranks as the fantasy season nears an end.