2024 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Philadelphia Eagles player outlooks, schedule, depth chart and more to know

The Eagles secured their third straight playoff berth last season, starting strong with a 10-1 record but stumbling towards the end, losing five of their last six games then falling short in the playoffs. Injuries to key players like A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts impacted their performance. To bounce back, they need to return to their run-first approach under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to once again reign supreme in the NFC East.  

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Eagles' entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Eagles players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

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Eagles 2024 lineup changes

Burning question: What type of impact will Saquon Barkley have on the offense?

Barkley's ability to create his rushing lanes was on full display last season as he managed to navigate his way to 962 yards and six touchdowns on 247 carries behind the Giants' porous offensive line. An average running back wouldn't have come close to Barkley's production under similar circumstances, which underscores the notion that he was a talented running back in a less-than-ideal situation. Despite the retirement of future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, this Eagles offensive line will likely be the best Barkley has ever played behind. Partnering with quarterback Jalen Hurts, a threat on the ground, further opens up lanes for Barkley. Not only does Barkley excel as a receiver out of the backfield, but he can also challenge linebackers and safeties downfield. If Barkley remains healthy, he could be the catalyst for another Eagles Super Bowl push.  

2024 NFL Draft class

Eagles 2024 schedule

Eagles 2024 player outlooks

By Heath Cummings and CBS Fantasy staff

QB Jalen Hurts

We are drafting Hurts as a top-three quarterback in all formats, worthy of a pick as early as Round 3 in one-quarterback leagues. Hurts' passing efficiency took a step back in 2023, with his yards per attempt and touchdown rate both falling more than 10% from his career highs in 2022. He made up for part of that dropoff with a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns. We expect the arrival of Kellen Moore to be a positive for Hurts' passing efficiency and Saquon Barkley should do more with his targets than the running backs did last year as well. That should help make up for any regression in terms of rushing touchdowns. After all, we aren't entirely sure the tush push will work as well without Jason Kelce. Hurts' Dynasty floor is helped by the long-term deals signed by A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith this offseason.  

QB Kenny Pickett

Pickett went from the starter for the Steelers to the backup with the Eagles this offseason. He's not worth drafting in the majority of leagues. Pickett, a former 2022 first-round pick, will now play behind Jalen Hurts this season, and the only reason to add Pickett in the majority of leagues is if Hurts were to miss any time due to injury. If that happens then just add Pickett off the waiver wire.

RB Saquon Barkley

Barkley left the Giants this offseason to join the rival Eagles. We're drafting him as a top-10 running back in Round 2 of PPR leagues. The situation in Philadelphia is a mixed bag. The offense is better, which is a plus, but Barkley may not see a big touchdown boost because Jalen Hurts rushes for double-digit touchdowns every year. Hurts has historically had a fairly low running back target rate as well, which could limit Barkley's receiving upside. One positive we're sure about is that the offensive line should open up bigger holes, even with Jason Kelce retiring. Barkley averaged 5.6 yards per touch his first two seasons in the league, he's been at 4.4 since and he averaged 4.3 last year. We expect a small bounceback, but we don't think he's the same guy he was in 2018. In Dynasty leagues, Barkley has reached the point in his career where he should only be rostered by a contender. Trade him if you're not.

RB Kenneth Gainwell

We expect Gainwell to begin the season as the No. 2 running back in Philadelphia, but he'll have competition for that role from rookie Will Shipley. Gainwell only had double-digit touches in two games last season and he only scored 17.2 PPR Fantasy points in the two games combined. You can leave him on the waiver wire in all leagues for as long as Barkley is healthy and we wouldn't break the bank for him if he gets the chance to start. We would expect a full committee in that case and believe there is more upside with Shipley.

RB Will Shipley

Shipley should be an afterthought in redraft leagues for as long as Saquon Barkley is healthy. The rookie is more appealing in Dynasty leagues and should be considered starting in Round 3 of rookie-only drafts. Shipley excelled as a pass catcher in college, catching 69 passes in his final two seasons at Clemson, but he also ran for 15 scores as a sophomore so he has three-down upside. If Barkley misses time we would expect a committee approach with Kenneth Gainwell leading the way, but Shipley could carve out a bigger role early in his career in Philadelphia.  

WR A.J. Brown

Brown is a consensus top-six wide receiver worthy of a selection in the first round of PPR leagues. While the rest of the Eagles offense struggled at times, Brown was their consistent alpha, setting a career-high with 106 receptions. The only downside was his low touchdown total, but we expect that was just a blip, not something that will carry over into 2024. His 2,883 receiving yards since he arrived in Philadelphia trail only Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb and his long-term contract ties him to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles for the foreseeable future. Dynasty managers should expect the 27-year-old to be one of the best wide receivers in football for at least the next three seasons.

WR DeVonta Smith

We view Smith as a No. 2 Fantasy wide receiver worthy of a pick around the 2-3 turn in PPR leagues. In leagues that reward less than one point per catch, he should be drafted no earlier than Round 5. Smith struggled with consistency last year, failing to top 10 Fantasy points in six of his 16 games, but at the end of the season, his production was not far off his breakout 2022 season. Perhaps more concerning is that three of his biggest games came when Dallas Goedert was out. If A.J. Brown and Goedert stay healthy, it may be tough for Smith to deliver value at his ADP. Because he's still just 25 years old and he signed a new deal tying him to this offense in the future, Smith is a borderline WR1 in Dynasty leagues.

WR Ainais Smith

The Eagles drafted wide receivers in Round 5 and Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft and they couldn't look much different. Smith, the Round 5 pick, stands nine inches shorter than Johnny Wilson and weighs 40 pounds less. They'll both compete with Parris Campbell for WR3 snaps, though Smith will also be looking for a job as a returner. He did a little bit of everything in five years at Texas A&M with 2,407 yards receiving, 836 yards on punt returns, 405 yards rushing, and 360 yards on kickoff returns. We don't expect he'll matter in redraft this year, but we're willing to speculate in Dynasty with a pick after Round 4 in rookie-only drafts. If you're in a league that rewards return yards Smith could have slightly more value.

WR Johnny Wilson

One look at Wilson's 6-foot-6 frame will have you asking if he's a tight end or a wide receiver. For now, it's the latter, and that makes him slightly less appealing in Dynasty leagues and a complete afterthought in redraft. Wilson is also an older prospect whose best season came in 2022 when he led the Seminoles in catches (43), yards (897), and touchdowns (5). He'll be battling Parris Campbell and fellow rookie Ainias Smith for playing time in 2024 but even if he wins that battle as a big slot we won't have much interest as long as A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are healthy. In Dynasty Wilson is a fine dart throw after the first three rounds of your rookie draft.   

TE Dallas Goedert

We're viewing Goedert as a borderline TE1 this season, worth a draft pick as early as Round 10 in redraft leagues. Goedert's skill-set in this offense should produce starter results, but injuries have impacted him each of the last two years, with his efficiency falling off a cliff in 2024. A fair expectation for Goedert in 2024 is somewhere around 10 Fantasy points per game, and if he happens to get a few more red-zone looks you could get upside beyond that. Goedert's true upside probably comes from an injury to A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith. Without that it's hard to imagine him cracking the top five tight ends on a regular basis. Goedert is even more risky in Dynasty leagues because another injury at age 29 could sink what little value he has left.  

K Jake Elliott

We view Elliott as a borderline top-12 kicker who is worth a pick in the final round of Fantasy drafts. Elliott had a spectacular year in terms of accuracy last year, making a career-high 93.8% of his field goals. The problem for Elliott hasn't been accuracy but volume as the Eagles score a lot more touchdowns than they attempt field goals. Last year, Elliott finished sixth in Fantasy points but 16th in field goal attempts. The year before Elliott only attempted 23 kicks and didn't rank as a top-12 kicker. That type of volume impacts his upside if it continues.

Eagles DST

One of the biggest surprises in football last year was the downfall of the Eagles defense. They were a top-five DST in Fantasy Football in 2022 and fell outside the top 20 in 2023. The man tasked with fixing that will be Vic Fangio, a coach who has led many dominant defenses in the past, though recently the results have been more uneven. The Eagles used their first three picks on defensive players in the 2024 NFL Draft including cornerbacks in Round 1 and Round 2. We are cautiously optimistic and rank the unit as a top-10 option worthy of a pick in the final two rounds of Fantasy drafts.