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The Philadelphia Eagles had a bit of a rough season a year ago, finishing a distant second in the NFC East. But some slight changes to their roster, particularly on the offensive side, should make the group exciting to watch in 2022.
In this series, we will look at the most important fantasy football position battles for each NFL team. Opportunity is king in fantasy, as you can’t produce fantasy statistics without getting on the field. So, the first step when looking for value plays is to project — correctly — which players will win training camp battles.
Here’s a look at our picks to win the training camp battles for the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of your 2022 fantasy football drafts.
RB battle
Kenneth Gainwell vs. Boston Scott
The RB1 spot is already locked up, with Miles Sanders projected to be the guy to tote the rock the majority of the time in Philly. Still, behind him, there are two worthy backs that could get a lot of reps throughout the season. Gainwell and Scott both averaged the exact same amount of yards per carry a season ago at 4.3. Scott got 19 more attempts than Gainwell on the year and earned two more scores on the ground and 82 more rushing yards. But Gainwell is a much more versatile threat out of the backfield as a pass-catcher.
Our pick to win: Gainwell
These backs are similar in levels of production on the ground, but Gainwell’s ability in the passing game is what puts him over the top here. The Memphis grad had 33 catches for 253 yards and a score in 2021 while Scott had just 13 catches for 83 yards.
WR battle
Quez Watkins vs. Greg Ward vs. Zach Pascal vs. Jalen Reagor
The wide receiver position is set in stone at spots one and two, with AJ Brown and Devonta Smith the clear top two options. But there’s a gap behind them and questions to who picks up the slack. Ward had been solid in spurts last season, but never showed consistency enough to warrant being WR3. Reagor seemed to be tabbed to be the guy but hasn’t done nearly anything with the massive number of snaps given to him over the last two seasons. Sanps will be harder to come by now with Brown on the roster.
Our pick to win: Quez Watkins
Watkins has looked impressive over his first two seasons in the NFL, particularly in 2021. He caught 43 passes for nearly 700 yards and scored a touchdown. Those numbers aren’t incredible, but with Brown and Smith on the field that’s more than enough to keep defenses worried about all three pass-catchers on the outside.