Saquon Barkley’s Fantasy Impact with the Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles broke tradition by shelling out the dough for a running back with their top free-agency acquisition, Saquon Barkley. The team agreed to a three-year/$37.7M deal with the former Giant, banking on his playmaking abilities. Barkley’s signing is pivotal for the team and fantasy football. This year’s draft class is shallow at the position, and Kenneth Gainwell was the only running back under contract with the Eagles for 2024. Barkley should be a workhorse for the team this season.

Saquon Barkley Joins The Philadelphia Eagles

For fantasy football, the move has Barkley’s arrow pointing up. In 14 games last season, Barkley logged 962 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns for the 6-11 Giants. Despite running behind a poor offensive line, he finished fifth overall in yards before contact with 749. Barkley will now run behind an offensive line that ranked first in run block win rate. Lane Johnson (82%), Landon Dickerson (81%), and Jordan Mailata (80%) ranked first, second, and third in that category in 2023.

With the 6’0″ 232-pound Barkley in the backfield, a more powerful runner than his predecessor, D’Andre Swift, the Eagles can become a more balanced offense. New OC Kellen Moore has a history of having his quarterbacks operate mainly from under center. That means the team could lean on a more traditional ground game with their RB. Quarterback Jalen Hurts‘ rushing attempts would decrease, but it would help keep him clean. The retirement of All-Pro center Jason Kelce should also mean more handoffs to Barkley at the goal line and fewer “tush pushes.”

If Barkley, 27, can stay healthy, he should have a banner year for fantasy. He can easily surpass last year’s ranking of RB9 in fantasy points per game (15.9). While Hurts’ rushing stats will take a hit, Barkley’s presence will open up play action, and the QB’s passing numbers should rise. It will likely be the same for the top receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Their targets could dip slightly, but they could find themselves wide open with defenses respecting the run. 

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