Is there fantasy football value with Eagles running backs?
No three words scare fantasy managers like “running back by committee,” but smart players can find points in a shared backfield, even from teams like the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here is what each player on the depth chart brings to the table for fantasy football owners.
Rashaad Penny
Pro Football Focus considers Penny a “high-risk, high-reward sleeper.” The risk involves his extensive injury history. In five NFL seasons, Penny has missed 40 games due to injury and played in only five games last year.
If he stays healthy, the rewards could be great. Penny averaged 5.7 yards per carry for his career in Seattle, and according to multiple reports, he worked with the first team to open training camp.
Penny will start 2023 as the team’s RB1, but with just 27 receptions in 42 career games, he should be no better than a FLEX on your roster. Ranked as RB37 by ESPN this year, Penny is worth a shot somewhere around the seventh round.
D’Andre Swift
If you want receptions, Swift has you covered. In three seasons with Detroit, he had 156 catches for 1,198 yards and seven touchdowns. Philadelphia hasn’t thrown to its backs much in recent years, but the Eagles didn’t give up a fourth- and seventh-round pick to run Swift between the tackles either.
Swift’s abilities as a pass-catcher make him ideal for PPR leagues. As ESPN’s RB28, he’d be a steal in the fourth or fifth round, especially if Penny misses time.
Kenneth Gainwell
Drafting Gainwell is tricky. He spent most of 2022 backing up former Eagle Miles Sanders, but in the team’s last four games, he and Sanders practically split carries. Gainwell has skills as a receiver but nowhere near Swift’s abilities.
In the likelihood that Penny or Swift miss time with injury, Gainwell’s role could grow exponentially. Not ranked among ESPN’s top-50 running backs, he should be available in the final rounds of fantasy drafts. Don’t take him before the Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon, but draft him ahead of players like Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren and San Francisco’s Elijah Mitchell.
Boston Scott
With Penny and Swift now aboard and Gainwell picking up playing time down the stretch last year, Scott isn’t worthy of a draft pick, but he should be your top waiver priority before the Eagles face the Giants in Week 16. With two of his last three games against the New York Giants this year, Scott could actually win you a fantasy championship.
Scott has 10 touchdowns in eight games against New York in his career, while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. For whatever reason, he just has the Giants’ number. Give him a pass on draft night, but give him a look as the season winds down.
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