New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles
New England Patriots
Quarterbacks
- Tom Brady: 26/47, 216 yards | 1 carry, -1 yard
Tom Brady looked as good as ever but it certainly took the Patriots’ offense awhile to heat up. They only had about 25 total offensive yards in the first quarter. It also didn’t help that the Eagles began piecing together long drives and did well keeping the Patriots’ offense off the field. The Patriots continued to have trouble finding the end zone and ended up settling for field goals in the first half. Brady ended up with his second-worst performance of the season with 8.5 fantasy points. It certainly did not help when Edelman threw the only Patriots ariel touchdown of the night.
Running Backs
- Sony Michel: 10 carries, 33 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
- Rex Burkhead: 5 carries, 14 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 34 yards
- James White: 5 carries, 20 yards | 7 targets, 4 receptions, 16 yards
Sony Michel was trusted with most of the early-down work but his efficiency was lacking in the first half with about 2.2 yards per carry. It seemed like the Patriots wanted to give their other backs opportunity after Michel had poor efficiency. Rex Burkhead and James White both had better efficiency with the same amount of carries as Michel in the third quarter. The Patriots fed Michel more in the fourth quarter but he still finished with only ten carries and about seven fantasy points. White was still the main receiving option out of the backfield, catching two of his four targets in the first half. White had his worst fantasy performance of the season, finishing with his first single-digit fantasy output this year. Overall, none of these backs were reliable in fantasy leagues.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Julian Edelman: 10 targets, 5 receptions, 53 yards | 1\1, 15 yards, 1 TD (Throwing)
- Phillip Dorsett II: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 33 yards, 1 TD
- N’Keal Harry: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards
- Mohamed Sanu: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards
- Ben Watson: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 52 yards
N’Keal Harry didn’t have a reception until there were about 12 minutes left in the first half and it seemed like the Patriots were trying to ease him in. Mohamed Sanu didn’t see a target until the second quarter. He had a scare in the first half where his ankle got twisted up on a kick return but he was fortunate enough to return to the game shortly after putting some tape on it. Sanu had a good target in the red zone just before the half but the wind made Brady overshoot his target by just a bit.
Julian Edelman had some good catches up the middle in the first half, each for about 10 yards. He should have had a touchdown reception just before halftime but he dropped the pass. He made up for it in the third quarter when he threw a touchdown pass to Dorsett. Just shy of 15 fantasy points isn’t ideal for fantasy owners but Edelman was the clear target leader in this game. Fantasy owners have nothing to worry about.
Ben Watson hasn’t been overly impressive this year but he had a pair of great catches in the first half. His second catch was a beautiful diving grab to set up the Patriots in the red zone. He’s only getting a mention because he had his highest fantasy output of the season. He’s had pretty consistent targets the past four games and could be worth monitoring in deeper leagues. Phillip Dorsett II only had one target in the first half and he couldn’t come down with it. It’s looking like Dorsett will be difficult to predict on this team when Brady is spreading the ball around so much. He had his first catch of the game early in the second quarter for a short gain. Then he had another catch for a touchdown early in the second half. It was a trick play where Edelman threw the pass and Dorsett was wide open but the points are the only thing that matters in fantasy football. It isn’t encouraging he only had three catches but his touchdown should ease fantasy owners’ minds.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterbacks
- Carson Wentz: 20/40, 214, 1 TD | 3 carries, 17 yards
Carson Wentz started a bit slow but was able to put some long drives together by the end of the first quarter. Just when it seemed like the Eagles were beginning to take control of the game, Wentz fumbled the ball and the Patriots recovered just before the half. He also couldn’t capitalize when the Eagles were given the ball again before the half. Wentz only had about six-and-a-half fantasy points at halftime. Wentz didn’t do much more in the second half but he did well to escape a safety with about three minutes left in the game to keep the ball away from the Patriots. He didn’t have many flashy plays but that’s often what it takes to beat a team like the Patriots; playing some unremarkable yet effective football.
Running Backs
- Miles Sanders: 11 carries, 38 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
- Boston Scott: 7 carries, 26 yards
With Jordan Howard inactive, Miles Sanders was trusted with the starting role in this one. Sanders had solid efficiency on the ground and a pair of catches for about 10 yards in the first half. Still, Miles was going up against a very stout Patriots rush defense and only racked up about six or seven fantasy points in the first half. Still, the Eagles trusted the rookie with most of the rushing work. Overall, Sanders was mediocre and there were times when it seemed like the rookie wasn’t on the same page with Wentz in the passing game. Surprisingly, Boston Scott (your guess is as good as mine) seemed to be the second back in rotation instead of Jay Ajayi. Scott only had three carries in the first half and isn’t likely to reach fantasy relevance this year. Ajayi didn’t get one carry against the Patriots.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Jordan Matthews: 6 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
- Zach Ertz: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 94 yards
- Dallas Goedert: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards
- Nelson Agholor: 9 targets, 4 receptions, 40 yards
Zach Ertz got involved early with three targets in the first quarter, but Dallas Goedert was still cutting into some of Ertz’s opportunity with some big catches. One of those catches was highly contested in the end zone and Goedert did well to come down with the touchdown when the play was originally ruled an interception. Still, Ertz was easily the most dependable Eagles receiver and had more than double the caches as any other receiver. Ertz finished the night with his second-best fantasy performance of the season.
Jordan Matthews had two targets in the first half but couldn’t come down with either. Matthews continued to have a quiet game, catching only one reception all night. Nelson Agholor had a pair of good catches in the first half, including a highly-contested catch just before the half where he used his strength to turn the play into a reception instead of an interception. Agholor had a few more catches in the second half, including arguably the most important completion of the game to give the Eagles a fresh set of downs with a few minutes left.
–Ryan Kruse (@ryanpkruse)