Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Eagles and WR DeVonta Smith agreed to a three-year $75 million contract extension with $51 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smith had two years remaining on his rookie deal but is now signed with Philadelphia through the 2028 campaign. The 2021 first-round pick has opened his NFL career with WR29, WR9, and WR16 PPR finishes. The presence of WR A.J. Brown (signed through 2026) caps Smith's upside a tad. But he's a rock-solid fantasy WR2 in the short and long term. The contract extension is also excellent news for QB Jalen Hurts' dynasty value.

The Steelers traded QB Kenny Pickett and the 120th overall pick of this spring's draft to the Eagles in exchange for pick No. 98 and a pair of 2025 seventh-rounders, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Pickett wanted out of Pittsburgh after the arrival of QB Russell Wilson, according to Schefter. So Pickett goes from Wilson's backup ... to Jalen Hurts' backup. He still has two years left on his current contract, so it'll be at least 2026 before Pickett has a chance to sniff a starting job. Considering his lackluster play in Pittsburgh, it's more likely that Pickett settles in as a career backup.

A day after being released by the Patriots, WR DeVante Parker inked a one-year, $4.69 million deal with the Eagles, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a bit surprising that Philadelphia made this move so quickly and might make Parker the favorite for the No. 3 WR job this season. Even then, though, he'd need an A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith injury to sniff reliable fantasy value. Parker hasn't topped 539 receiving yards in a season since 2020 and turned 31 in January.

The Patriots informed WR DeVante Parker that he'll be released, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Parker was a bust in New England, averaging just 36 receiving yards per game with three total TDs over the past two seasons. Now 31, Parker is a longshot to be a fantasy football factor wherever he lands next.

The Eagles have agreed to a three-year contract with RB Saquon Barkley. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Barkley will get $37.75 million over three years, with $26 million of that fully guaranteed at signing. The pact could be worth up to $46.75 million. That money shows Philly plans to turn Barkley into the kind of lead back the franchise hasn't had for a long time. D'Andre Swfit ranked just 24th in PPR points per game at the position as Philly's top back last year. But he underperformed on TDs: five rushing scores vs. 8.2 expected, according to Pro Football Focus. Barkley should also do better than Swift's 3.06 targets per game. Philadelphia -- with QB Jalen Hurts -- isn't the optimal spot for Barkley's receiving volume. But it should present easily the best offense he's played in. No Giants offense has ranked higher than 15th in points or higher than 17th in yards since Barkley entered the league.

The Giants will not use the franchise tag on RB Saquon Barkley, allowing him to hit the free-agent market later this month, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Barkley is coming off a RB9 finish in PPR points per game, compiling 1,242 total yards and 10 TDs across 14 games. He averaged just 3.9 yards per carry but ranked a solid 13th among 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats' Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. The 27-year-old might no longer be an elite RB, but he's still a good bet to capture a big workload wherever he lands next.

The Giants used the franchise tag to keep Saquon Barkley on the 2023 roster but never worked out a longer-term pact. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reports that the team won't do so in 2024 and that "it seems like this is headed for Barkley to hit free agency." That would be the first trip into the open market for the six-year veteran, who turns 27 this week. Barkley has rebounded after losing 20 games to injury from 2019 through 2021. He has missed just four total contests over the past two years despite posting his two largest carries-per-game rates (18.4 and 17.6). Barkley's 2.91 yards after contact per carry in 2023 also was his best mark since 2019. The guy can still play and should be a good fit in any system because of his versatile skill set. Barkley sits inside Round 2 in both Underdog and FFPC ADP so far. You might be able to get him at a nice discount in dynasty, however, where managers often over-emphasize youth.

New Steelers OC Arthur Smith talked up QB Kenny Pickett a little in his first interview since taking the job. "It's exciting to hear the way that this offense is built with a lot of young players and, obviously, where Kenny Pickett is at going into his third year," Smith said to Missi Matthews of Steelers.com. "There's a relationship that's got to be built between me and Kenny, and that's so paramount between the playcaller and the quarterback. I've got to earn Kenny's trust and vice versa as we build this offense and all the things we want to work on, and we want him to work on and take command of this offense." Does this mean Pickett is guaranteed to start Week 1 in 2024? Of course not. HC Mike Tomlin told reporters in January that Pickett heads into the offseason as the top QB but "will be challenged." Until and unless Pittsburgh acquires a significant challenger, though, Pickett is the likeliest 2024 starter. Early best ball drafting has him going outside the top 32 at the position on both Underdog and FFPC. That makes Pickett worth a look as your QB3, especially if you've drafted a Steelers pass-catcher or two.

The Eagles are set to hire Kellen Moore as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Moore is coming off a disappointing season in Los Angeles, where his Chargers finished an underwhelming 18th in total yards and 21st in points. He had a much more productive stint in Dallas the four years prior, with three of those Cowboys teams ranking top-6 in points, including first- and fourth-place finishes in his final two seasons. Moore deployed a slightly run-leaning offense (in terms of Pass Rate Over Expected) in Dallas and went slightly pass-leaning in Los Angeles last year. But his offenses have consistently played fast. In fact, all five of them ranked top-4 in both pace and situation-neutral pace. That should mean a significant shift in Philadelphia after the Eagles finished 18th in pace and neutral pace last year. We'll see exactly how much say Moore has in the offense under HC Shane Steichen.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (finger) is not listed on the final injury report for Monday night's Wild Card game vs. the Bucs. He put in full practices on Friday and Saturday, which would seemingly suggest that his right finger injury will not be a major problem. We'll look for further updates on his status ahead of kickoff.

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (ankle) put in a full week of practice and is not listed on the final injury report for Monday night's game vs. the Bucs. It looks like he'll be at least close to 100% for that one and has a chance to see a big target share with WR A.J. Brown out.

The Eagles will be ruling WR A.J. Brown (knee) out for Monday night’s game against the Buccaneers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Brown "wants to fully heal as much as he can and give it a go next week." Philly would obviously need to win at Tampa to make that second game happen. Brown’s absence leaves targets available for WR DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert. WR Julio Jones gains intrigue as a DFS play. QB Jalen Hurts loses upside without his top wideout (and is dealing with his own finger injury). Brown makes for a weak play across playoff fantasy contests.

Update: Brown missed practice again on Saturday and has officially been ruled out.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (finger) was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice. He's on track to play vs. the Bucs on Monday. We'll look for more info on how big a factor that injured right finger will be.

Eagles WR A.J. Brown (knee) remained sidelined on Friday. We still have no details on his injury, but he's seemingly in real danger of missing Monday night's Wild Card game vs. the Bucs. We'll see if Brown practices on Saturday and how he's listed on the final injury report.

Eagles WR A.J. Brown (knee) did not practice on Thursday. We still surprisingly have no details on his knee injury. We'll see if Brown gets back on the field on Friday, but he's certainly not a lock to play vs. the Bucs on Monday night.

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (ankle) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. He'll play vs. the Bucs on Monday night -- and evidently be close to 100%. That's particularly important with WR A.J. Brown dealing with his knee injury.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (finger) put in a limited practice on Thursday. He told the media that it was his first time throwing since leaving the Week 18 loss to the Giants. We'd be shocked if Hurts didn't play vs. the Bucs on Monday night, but we'll keep tabs on how big a factor this finger injury will be.

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said Monday he's "hopeful" WRs A.J. Brown (knee) and DeVonta Smith (ankle) will be ready for Monday night's game against the Buccaneers. Brown left Sunday's loss to the Giants early. Smith went inactive. We'll see about the practice participation for both players this week and watch for updates on their outlooks.

X-rays found no fracture in QB Jalen Hurts' injured right middle finger, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hurts dislocated the finger and says he's taking it "day by day," heading into next Monday night's playoff opener. We're betting Hurts will play but will certainly watch for more on his outlook this week.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts said that he's never experienced anything like the right middle finger injury he suffered in the Week 18 loss to the Giants. “It popped out," Hurts said, adding that he'll take things "day-by-day" this coming week. “He’s tough as heck," HC Nick Sirianni said of Hurts. "He came back and ripped it.” But Sirianni only said, "we'll see" when asked whether Hurts will be available for next weekend's Wild Card game vs. the Bucs. We should learn more about Hurts' injury and availability on Monday.