2025 Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Preview: Jalen Hurts and the band will continue to win however they want

NBC Sports

a day ago

Mike Florio explains why the Eagles are going to hit a hard reset after they get their Super Bowl rings and why Nick Sirianni has the right mindset by taking everything one day at a time.
The Eagles were a fantasy football goldmine in 2024 and this time had the defense to match which led to them destroying the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The band is back and the roster is still loaded with not a single projected starter coming from free agency in 2025. Nick Sirianni has his share of haters for how he operates, but his results cannot be denied. He and Jalen Hurts have been the perfect coach-quarterback marriage on the field as they've not missed the playoffs since Hurts has been the starter in Philly.
The Eagles can and will win games by how they see fit whether it's big days from Saquon Barkley or the passing game with Hurts, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. With so many fantasy relevant players, the Eagles will continue to provide our roster with top-tier upside this season.
2025 Philadelphia Eagles Stats (Ranks)
Points per game: 27.2 (7th)
Total yards per game: 367.2 (8th)
Plays per game: 65.5 (3rd)
Dropbacks per game: 33.6 (31st)
Dropback EPA per play: 0.17 (8th)
Rush attempts per game: 36.5 (1st)
Rush EPA per play: 0.06 (1st)
Coaching Staff
The Eagles started 10-1 in the 2023 season then stumbled down the stretch and subsequently were dominated by the Buccaneers in the Wildcard round of the playoffs. After that, Nick Sirianni was sort of put on an imaginary 'hot seat' by football fans on the internet. It was odd, but the vibes were there. Sirianni and GM Howie Roseman made the biggest splash of the 2024 offseason and brought in Saquon Barkley. Another big pivot was moving off of Brian Johnson and onto Kellen Moore at offensive coordinator. Both moves paid heavy dividends as the Eagles' rushing offense was historically great. The defense going from one of the worst in the NFL (26th ranked) in 2023 to the absolute best in 2024 didn't hurt either. Capping the season off with a blowout win over the Chiefs has put Sirianni amongst the league's best head coaches, if he wasn't already.
With success in the NFL comes the losses of players and staff members who go on to get bigger contracts and promotions respectively. In this case for the Eagles it was the loss of Moore. Kevin Patullo, formerly the passing coordinator, is set to take over as offensive coordinator. He's been with the Eagles since 2021 (Jalen Hurts' first season as a full-time starter) and will look to let the good times roll. While he may add a few wrinkles, don't expect the Eagles to get away from what they do best and that's getting the ball to his best players and putting them in a position to excel. Patullo's familiarity with Hurts and the offense was a big reason he got promoted. The Eagles offense shouldn't miss a beat in 2025.
Passing Game
QB: Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee
WR: A.J. Brown, Johnny Wilson
WR: Devonta Smith, Ainias Smith
WR: Jahan Dotson, Terrace Marshall Jr.
TE: Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra
Jalen Hurts attempted just 24 passes per game last season while ranking 22nd in total attempts with 361. Almost half of the Eagles' wins (six) last season being double-digit points played a large role in this. Despite this and as one of the elite quarterbacks (fantasy or otherwise) in the NFL, Hurts keeps his pass catchers highly relevant on a weekly basis in fantasy. As a passer, his decision making, deep ball accuracy (46% completion on passes thrown 20 or more yards) and the ability to extend plays will always give him the chance to come up with big gains. Frankly put, the Eagles don't need to throw the ball a million times a game to have a good and effective passing attack.
This is evidenced by the fact A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith finished as WR12 and WR17 in fantasy points per game respectively. For good measure, Dallas Goedert was TE10. Here were their final stat lines for the season:
Brown: 67-1079-7…13 games played
Smith: 68-833-8 TD…13 games played
Goedert: 42-496-2…10 games played
Don't fall for the 'Brown isn't a WR1 because all they do is run' tales when the numbers and the on-field visuals stare you right in the face. When it comes to Jahan Dotson, I'd look for him to have a better year, but as long as everyone is healthy he shouldn't be considered for a spot on your fantasy roster. He's in a contract year so the motivation will certainly be there, but the opportunities won't (again, barring injury). Johnny Wilson is likely the Eagles' WR4 and will be used in red zone situations to utilize his 6-foot-6, 235-pound frame while Ainias Smith is solid backup slot receiver. Terrace Marshall Jr. was also brought in to provide further depth.
There were questions about whether or not Goedert would still be on the Eagles in 2025, but those were answered when he agreed to a re-worked deal with the team. As noted above, he'll once again be a decent, but not good or great fantasy option who can give you big weeks here and there. He hasn't played a full season of games since his rookie year in 2018 due to various injuries. In the event he does get banged up, Grant Calcaterra immediately becomes an interesting streaming option as he's coming off of a season in which he was the Eagles' fourth leading receiver (24-298-1). If the Eagles were to ever be in a string of games where they all of sudden become more pass oriented, whoever the tight end is (and not the WR3) would be the third option in the passing game.
Running Game
RB: Saquon Barkley, A.J. Dillon, Will Shipley, Keilan Robinson
OL (L-R): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson
Regression is easy to talk about when you're discussing a player who became just the ninth man in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards. If you're reading this article you likely know that's what Saquon Barkley accomplished last season which led to him finishing as fantasy's top running back. I will have Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson ranked ahead of him, but why can't Barkley do it again? Because of regression? Sure, I'll take a 1,500-yard, double-digit touchdown season from him with no problem. There should be no worries about 'wear and tear' or regression when it comes to Barkely, I mean, are you going to play fantasy football like a chicken? Or are you going to get the best players? The only concern you should maybe have is that he won't catch as many passes, but when knew that would be the case coming into 2024. His 33 receptions last season were his lowest in a season outside of 2020 when he missed 14 games due to an ACL injury. Now, injuries do happen and Barkley has had his share. In the event he does miss time (knock on wood), you'd likely see a committee approach with Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon.
The Eagles strong offensive line that is considered at this point the best in the league, will be bringing the whole band back with the exception of Mehki Becton (who started 15 games). Tyler Steen will step into his spot at guard full time and the unit should keep on rolling. Expect the Eagles to once again be a top five rushing offense, if not the best.
Win Total (O/U 11.5)
Getting 12 wins in the NFL is tough and it's a high number, but that's the life of a champion. After finishing the regular season 14-3 last season, it should be noted that a late blunder vs. the Falcons (aided by a Saquon Barkley drop) in Week 2 and a game in which Jalen Hurts did not finish (Week 16) were two of those three losses. They'll have to replace some starters on the defensive backend, but overall the roster is still strong and the rest of the NFL let them have another good draft. Outside of the division they'll face teams like the Chiefs, Bills, Lions, Cowboys and Buccaneers (who beat them early last season), but as of today the Eagles are better than all of them and for all these reasons is why I'm taking the over on 11.5 wins for the champs.
Chris Simms explains to Ahmed Fareed why Jalen Hurts is ranked No. 10 in the "Truth Hurts" tier of his QB countdown due to his strong ability to be a clutch leader but his lingering areas for improvement.