Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

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.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday night's game vs. the Bills. He remained limited in practice all week but said Thursday that he feels better this week than last. We'll look for further updates on Barkley. We won't get New York's inactives until around 7 pm ET on Sunday.

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.

Patriots insider Greg Bedard believes the team will give QB Will Grier a shot if QB Mac Jones continues to struggle. "From talking to people around the team, I think if Mac Jones doesn’t succeed this week, if he doesn’t retain his job, I think it’s Will Grier’s," Bedard said in a Tuesday radio appearance. Grier has thrown 52 regular-season passes since being selected in the third round of the 2019 draft -- and none since his 2019 rookie season. He would not be an exciting fantasy option if he does take over in New England, but he might be worth stashing in deep superflex and 2-QB leagues.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) remained limited in Thursday's practice. "I feel like I'm trending every week," Barkley said. "Feel better this Wednesday and Thursday than last Wednesday and Thursday. ... Take it day-by-day." We'll see what Barkley does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report for Sunday night's game vs. the Bills.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He was limited all last week before missing the Dolphins game, so Barkley's availability for Sunday night's game vs. the Bills remains uncertain. We'll update Barkley's status again tomorrow.

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 WR A.J. Brown delivered 8 receptions for a team-high 127 yards in Sunday's win over the Rams. It was his third straight game with at least that many yards. Brown didn't even lead the team in targets this time. His 8 trailed TE Dallas Goedert by one and accounted for a lower-than-usual 21% of QB Jalen Hurts' total pass attempts. But it marked the fourth time in five games that Brown tallied at least 8 targets and 7 receptions. He's on pace for 125 catches and 1,839 yards. We'll take the under on those numbers, but we'll also gladly take Brown occupying a weekly starting spot across fantasy formats. WR DeVonta Smith, meanwhile, remained well behind Brown's share. He caught just one of 5 targets in Sunday's win. Smith has drawn a 20.2% target share through five games, compared with 30.4% for Brown.

Eagles TE Dallas Goedert racked up an 8-117-1 receiving line in Sunday's win over the Rams, easily his biggest fantasy outing through the first five games. Goedert drew a team-high 9 targets, led the team in receptions, and claimed the only TD reception. The yardage more than doubled his season total, which stood at just 88 entering the game. The upturn was somewhat predictable, at least, after HC Nick Sirianni said earlier this week that "we've got to do our jobs as coaches to get him going." Goedert probably won't have many more games as big as this one, but he should be a weekly starter in most fantasy lineups with TE slots. A Week 6 matchup with the Jets has been positive for TE scoring this season. After that comes a potential shootout with Miami. Washington and Dallas matchups beyond that have been negative for TE scoring. We'll see about Goedert's outlook as we get closer to those.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw for 303 yards, 1 TD, and an INT in Sunday's win over the Rams. He added 72 yards and a goal-line TD for a strong fantasy outing. It marked Hurts' second straight game with 300+ passing yards and his third game among the past four with at least one rushing score. Hurts visits the Jets in Week 6 before meetings with the Dolphins, Commanders (rematch), and Cowboys.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Dolphins. RB Matt Breida should lead the backfield again but is just a RB3 or flex play in a struggling New York offense.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett "won’t have his full mobility" as he plays through a bone bruise to his knee vs. the Ravens today, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. If you needed a reason to avoid Pickett in Week 5 fantasy lineups, there it is.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) is not expected to play vs. the Dolphins today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Barkley remained limited in practice all week and didn't sound optimistic about his status when speaking to the media. Rapoport adds that Barkley is "closer" to a return. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 6. His absence today again leaves New York's backfield to Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell. Breida has tallied 18 carries and eight targets to Brightwell's eight carries and five targets over the last two weeks. See where both guys land in the updated Week 5 RB Rankings.

The Colts have ruled LB Shaquille Leonard (groin) and Edge Kwity Paye (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Titans. Leonard has fallen way down our rest-of-season IDP rankings and is droppable in many leagues. Paye's absence comes as no surprise after concussion symptoms arose after Week 4. E.J. Speed has passed Leonard in regular playing time and becomes a more attractive option with Leonard out. Paye's absence leaves snaps for Samson Ebukam and Dayo Odeyingbo.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins. He was limited in practice all week. HC Brian Daboll said Friday that Barkley could be a game-time decision. He won't be at 100% if he plays. New York will also be without offensive linemen Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, and John Michael Schmitz this weekend.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (knee) is not listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He put in full practices on Thursday and Friday, so it’s possible that the knee isn’t an issue this weekend. Still, Pickett is a weak fantasy play vs. the Ravens.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (knee) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. It's confirmation that he'll be able to play vs. the Ravens this weekend. Pickett sits at the very bottom of our Week 5 QB Rankings.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He told reporters afterward that his ankle "is in a better spot than it was last Thursday" but stopped short of saying that he'll play vs. the Dolphins this weekend. "Each day it gets better," Barkley said. "It's a tough injury. Just taking it one day at a time. Trying to improve each day. ... Definitely encouraged but don't want to make guarantees. Just continue trusting my body and trusting the training staff." We'll see what Barkley does in Friday's practice and how he's listed on the final injury report. But fantasy owners should make sure they have a backup plan in place for Week 5. Barkley seems no better than 50/50 to play against Miami.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He was limited in all three practices last week before missing the Seahawks game, so this doesn't tell us much about his availability for Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins. Barkley seemingly has a shot to play in that one, but we'll keep you updated on his progress over the next few days.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (knee) told reporters Wednesday that he'll be "ready to go" for Sunday's game vs. the Ravens. We'll track his status throughout the rest of the week after he suffered a reported bone bruise in last week's loss to the Texans. Pickett will be a bottom-barrel QB2 if he suits up this weekend.