Eagles RB Saquon Barkley drew season-high playing time in Sunday's loss to the Giants. He carried a team-high 13 times but turned that into just 22 yards (1.7 per rush) and a TD. Barkley added no catches amid 1 target. Elijah Mitchell carried three times for just 6 yards while beating Barkley 4-1 in targets. Mitchell tallied 3 catches for 20 yards.
Barkley Especially Quiet in Second Half
Barkley's work dropped considerably after the break, with just 3 carries and his lone target in the second half. That included only one opportunity -- a 3-yard carry -- in the fourth quarter.
But he didn't get replaced by Mitchell in the ground game. The backup didn't get a single second-half carry. Instead, the team apparently decided to go pass-heavy with first-time starting QB Joe Milton.
It didn't work.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: It's OK to Bench Barkley
Injuries obviously remain a factor here.
Barkley carried no game status on the week's final injury report, but he missed Wednesday's practice and stayed limited Thursday and Friday. And then came the limited workload.
Combine that surprisingly small number of opportunities with one of the league's worst offenses, and you get a star RB who's far from a must-start in fantasy right now.
The Eagles mercifully get their bye in Week 10, and team has reportedly said it won't trade Barkley before Tuesday's deadline.
We'll see about his practice participation after the break. Friendly matchups with Dallas and Indianapolis reside in weeks 12 and 14, but the remaining schedule looks unfriendly otherwise.
