Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow (abdomen) is inactive for today's game against the Giants. That leaves Philly down its top two LBs, with Zach Cunningham already ruled out. Expect Shaquille Leonard to lead the position in playing time. Undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren looks like the next guy up. He has yet to play a snap on defense this season, though, so shouldn't be in anyone's IDP plans. Leonard makes for a solid LB3-level play.

The Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with LB Shaquille Leonard. That gives the veteran LB a strong opportunity to reach the starting lineup. Philly already has LB Nakobe Dean (foot) on IR and missed LB Zach Cunningham (hamstring) in Sunday's loss to the 49ers. That left Nicholas Morrow as the position's only full-timer and Christian Elliss next at 75% snap share. We'd guess that opportunity was a key to Leonard choosing the Eagles, and we'll watch for word on his immediate role. Of course, Leonard hit the open market in part because his performance -- and fantasy production -- lagged well short of past seasons in Indianapolis. So don't get too excited about the veteran in your IDP league. But he's OK to pick up in deeper formats.

Eagles S Reed Blankenship (ribs) put in a full practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering his injury in Week 6. Blankenship missed the whole week of practice leading up to the Sunday night game against the Dolphins that he missed. But he appears to be in line for a Week 8 return. Expect Blankenship to start next to new teammate Kevin Byard.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports that the Titans are trading S Kevin Byard to the Eagles for fifth- and sixth-round picks in 2024 and S Terrell Edmunds. Byard clearly upgrades the secondary for a defense that ranks just 17th in DVOA against the pass so far this season. Byard is working on a career-low Pro Football Focus coverage grade at the moment but finished the past two seasons ranked eighth and first among safeties in that category. Moving to Philly shouldn't alter Byard's IDP outlook. We'll see whether Edmunds steps right into Byard's vacated role in Tennessee. The Titans certainly look thin enough at safety for that to be the case. Just be careful about counting on it right away for fantasy purposes.

The Eagles have ruled S Reed Blankenship (ribs) out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. That means Philly will miss both starting safeties, with Justin Evans already on IR. Undrafted rookie Mekhi Garner stepped in for Blankenship last week, but rookie Sydney Brown will reportedly start in his place against Miami. The whole situation looks tough for a defense about to face Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Brown and Terrell Edmunds -- the other starter -- both make for iffy IDP options.

Eagles LB Nakobe Dean finished the week with a full Friday practice and looks ready to return from the foot injury that has kept him out since Week 1. The team still must officially activate him before 4 p.m. ET Saturday, but that seems likely. It's not yet clear whether Nicholas Morrow or Zach Cunningham will leave the lineup for Dean's return. But practice video showed Dean and Cunningham working together during the week. Cunningham was the starter next to Dean to open the season. You'll find Dean highest among Eagles LBs in our Week 6 rankings, though still projected cautiously for his first game back.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Eagles might miss DT Jalen Carter and CB Darius Slay for Sunday's matchup with the Jets. Carter sprained an ankle in practice this week, while Slay is dealing with an ankle injury. We'll watch for official game statuses on both players later today. It doesn't sound like either injury is overly serious. And neither is a high-level IDP, though there's upside to the Zach Wilson matchup.

The Eagles are opening the 21-day practice window on LB Nakobe Dean this week. Dean spent the past four games on IR after suffering a foot injury in Week 1. We'll see how soon he's ready to return to game action, but it's obviously positive that he's ready to practice at his earliest eligibility. Dean opened the season wearing the green helmet dot and calling plays in the defensive huddle. We'd bet on the second-year LB returning to that full-time role as soon as he's physically ready. We'll see what that means for the playing time of LBs Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham. Morrow began the year on the practice squad, with Cunningham starting alongside Dean. But Morrow has performed well in Dean's absence, grading out better than Cunningham in every category, according to Pro Football Focus. Cunningham previously played his way out of starting opportunities in Houston and Tennessee. Dean is worth grabbing this week on waivers if stashing him makes sense in your IDP league.

Eagles slot CB Avonte Maddox will have surgery this week for the pectoral muscle he tore in Thursday night's win over the Vikings. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Maddox is out "indefinitely" and could miss the rest of the season. That's usually the case for pectoral tears. Philly -- which is also dealing with injuries to starting CB James Bradberry (concussion) and S Reed Blankenship (ribs) -- turned to undrafted rookie Mario Goodrich after Maddox left. The Eagles have allowed each of their first two opponents to exceed 350 yards passing and could remain a favorable passing matchup.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo showed Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow wearing the green helmet dot during warmups for tonight's game against the Vikings. That indicates he'll take over play-calling duties in the defensive huddle, vacated with Nakobe Dean's injury. That matters because it points to Morrow likely staying on the field most among LBs. We've knocked Christian Elliss -- who wore the dot last Sunday after Dean left -- out of the LB rankings and installed Morrow in LB4 range. Morrow was just elevated from the practice squad earlier this week, when Dean landed on IR.

The Eagles have ruled S Reed Blankenship (ribs) and CB James Bradberry (concussion) out for Thursday night's game against the Vikings. Terrell Edmunds operated as the third safety in the opener and would seem to be next up in Blankenship's spot. Second-year CB Josh Jobe is expected to fill in for Bradberry. That's a matchup upgrade for Vikings wideouts.

Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the right foot injury that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the Patriots, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler each call Dean a candidate for short-term IR, which would cost the second-year LB at least four games. If Philly doesn't place Dean on IR this week, he might be back sooner. Zach Cunningham led LB playing time for the Eagles in Week 1, but LB Christian Elliss took over the green helmet dot and play-calling duties in relief of Dean. We'll have to see who stays on the field more between them while Dean is out. Both look like low-level IDP options against the Vikings and Buccaneers the next two weeks. Dean is OK to drop in most IDP leagues. But you can consider stashing him -- at least for now -- in deeper formats.

Eagles LB Nakobe Dean left with a foot injury in the second half of Sunday's game at New England. He's questionable to return. Christian Elliss took over play-calling duties in Dean's absence. That role would make Elliss worth a look in deeper IDP leagues if Dean's injury proves serious.

Eagles Edge Haason Reddick is having surgery to address a thumb injury he sustained in Monday's practice. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says, "This is all so that he is ready for the start of the season." Perhaps Reddick opens the year at a little less than full strength. But it sounds like he should be ready for the opener. We've nudged Reddick down the IDP rankings but still like him in DL1 territory.

The Eagles took Edge Nolan Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Smith opened eyes with tremendous testing at the Scouting Combine. He delivered a 4.39-second 40 time, third fastest ever among edge players. Smith also posted a 95th-percentile broad jump and 98th-percentile vertical. But he’s also tiny for the position: 2nd-percentile weight and 15th-percentile height. More importantly, we don’t love Smith’s college production. He tallied just 15.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks total over the past two years. Smith did lose seven games to injury in his senior season, when he was on track for bigger numbers. We'll see how soon he can work into a prominent role in a loaded front seven. See where Smith sat in our pre-draft IDP rookie rankings.

The Eagles traded up one spot to select DT Jalen Carter ninth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Carter has been widely viewed as one of the top talents in the class but carried some off-field questions. Philadelphia clearly isn't worried on that front. Already having former teammate DT Jordan Davis on the roster can't hurt. Carter didn't put up big numbers for the Bulldogs. But Pro Football Focus graded him elite as a pass rusher each of the past two years. Don't be surprised if he turns into a solid-to-good fantasy producer for DT-required IDP leagues.

The 49ers have agreed to a four-year deal with DT Javon Hargrave. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it's worth $84 million overall, with $40 million of that guaranteed at signing. Hargrave delivered a career-high 11 sacks in 2022, his third season with the Eagles after arriving as a free agent. He racked up 34 QB hits over the past two years after topping out at 8 over his first five seasons. Hargrave's arrival could challenge the role of fourth-year DT Javon Kinlaw. The former first-round pick played in just 10 total games over the past two seasons because of injuries. Arik Armstead remains as well. Hargrave played 64.4% and 68.4% of the snaps over the past two years, so there's room for a three-man rotation. Hargrave should be the first (and maybe only in most cases) among the three to go in 2023 IDP drafts.

The Bears have agreed to a three-year deal with LB T.J. Edwards, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The length of the deal and timing -- right at the start of "legal tampering" -- points to Edwards taking a starting role in Chicago. The Bears have 2022 starter Nicholas Morrow hitting free agency, so there's room for 2022 rookie Jack Sanborn to remain in the starting lineup with Edwards. We'll see, of course, how the rest of free agency and the NFL Draft play out. The deal solidifies Edwards' short-term dynasty outlook, giving him a bump up our dynasty rankings. We'd hang on to Sanborn for now as well. He proved quite productive across five full outings after Roquan Smith left, before an ankle injury cost Sanborn the final three games.

Eagles EDGE Josh Sweat went to the hospital after leaving Sunday's loss to the Saints on a stretcher with a neck injury. He was treated and released by the end of the night, though. He said afterward via Twitter that he expects to return this season. HC Nick Sirianni didn't offer details at his Monday press conference, saying the team is taking it day-by-day with Sweat's injury. We wouldn't bet on him making it back for the Week 18 game against the Giants, which Philly still needs to land the top playoff seed and a Round 1 bye.