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Matthew Berry offers cautious optimism on D'Andre Swift
D'Andre Swift Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Berry offers cautious optimism on D'Andre Swift

While sitting in a car after his son’s lacrosse game, fantasy football personality Matthew Berry pondered the fantasy implications of the trade of running back D’Andre Swift from Detroit to Philadelphia. As a Commanders fan, Berry hates the move.

From a fantasy perspective, Berry -- who works for NBC Sports -- believes Swift has less value than last year but more than he’d have if he had remained with the Lions for 2023. In 2022, the Lions featured Jamaal Williams (1,006 yards, 17 TDs) over Swift (542 yards, five TDs).

After Detroit added David Montgomery and took Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday, Swift was the odd man out.

Swift joins an equally crowded backfield in Philadelphia, which includes Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. Gainwell and Scott have the advantage over Swift because of a familiarity with Philadelphia's system. Penny, meanwhile, may be a better pure runner than Swift. In PPR leagues, however, Berry believes Swift should be the target of fantasy owners.

Swift caught at least 46 passes every year in Detroit. Penny, meanwhile, had just 27 catches in five seasons with Seattle. Gainwell and Scott combined for 28 catches and 184 yards for the Eagles in 2022.

Of course, Swift hasn’t played a full season since joining the NFL, but neither has Penny. Together, the two have missed 50 games over the past three years, making each better suited for a running back-by-committee approach.

According to lineups.com, Swift ranked 16th for running backs last year with 13.7 fantasy points per game using Yahoo scoring. Penny scored just 5.4 fantasy points per game last season but outperformed Swift in 2021 by averaging 11.6 fantasy points.

Drafting a running back in a shared backfield is always risky, especially one with an injury history like Swift's. But Berry believes Swift has the clearest path to fantasy stardom of any Eagles running back. 

In his latest tweet, Berry said Swift should be treated as a low-end RB2 or FLEX. He puts him in the 20-25 range for running backs, which is about where he ranked Swift in February among RBs. So, according to Berry, other than a uniform, not much will change for Swift in 2023.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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