Making The Most Of The Eagles Enigmatic Backfield
The Philadelphia Eagles let Miles Sanders walk in free agency, only to acquire D’Andre Swift via trade and sign Rashaad Penny as a free agent. Little did we know that the answer at RB was already on the roster, Kenneth Gainwell.
Leading up to the Eagles’ Week 1 matchup with the Patriots, Philadelphia revealed that Penny would be a healthy scratch. For took that as a ringing endorsement for Swift to run wild, you were sorely mistaken.
Embed from Getty ImagesKenneth Gainwell
Kenneth Gainwell out-snapped his backfield running mates, including “The Giant-Killer” Boston Scott, by over 150% combined (41-27). Shout out to the crew at Establish The Run for pointing out this possibility back in June:
Gainwell finished as a back-end RB-2 (in PPR) with 11.4 points. He did not find the end zone nor did he run particularly efficiently (3.9 yards per attempt). However, Gainwell caught all four of his targets for 20 yards.
It is important to remember that this is only Week 1 and the RB is one of the more fragile positions. This is even more evident when you consider that Gainwell is still nursing a ribs injury. Further, the Eagles are on a short week playing the Vikings on Thursday night!
D’Andre Swift
A mere 1.3 fantasy points (in PPR) on a whopping two touches in Week 1. To say Swift’s usage was a disappointment is an understatement.
During his time in Detroit, Swift did not prove himself to be a durable, bell-cow RB. Although, he is an explosive runner with receiving upside, the latter of which is highlighted by his over five targets per game in his career.
While it could just be lipservice, Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni responded regarding Swift’s usage, “I don’t ever want to come out of a game where D’Andre Swift has only two touches, either.”
I hope so, Nick, I hope so.
Rashaad Penny
Much can be said for or against Penny. Believers of Penny will point to what he could have done if active. While Penny’s detractors will say his being a healthy scratch is just the same old story. For better or worse, Penny was an affordable signing at a volatile position.
Penny’s abilities as a rusher are well-founded with a career 5.7 yards per attempt. However, in the last three seasons Penny has averaged six games played.
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I do believe Penny will make it to the active roster sooner rather than later, but the Eagles are first trusting the RBs with whom they are most familiar.
On To Week 2
After a ho-hum fantasy performance from the Eagles’ RBs, they will look to spread their wings against a Vikings team fresh off a loss to the Buccaneers.
The Vikings’ run defense was stingy, allowing the league’s second-lowest yards per attempt (2.2). However, per PFN the Buccaneers boast one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines (29th) and the Eagles find themselves atop this list.
I cannot speak to whether Rashaad Penny will be a healthy scratch, but look for D’Andre Swift to see increased usage behind the presumed RB-1 in Philadelphia, Kenneth Gainwell.
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