'No surprise' if LeSean McCoy matches '13 workload

Jul 17, 2014

Philly Mag's Sheil Kapadia...

The pressing question: Will Chip Kelly lighten LeSean McCoy’s workload?

On his way to setting the franchise record for rushing yards, McCoy led the NFL in carries (314) and touches (366). Only Chicago's Matt Forte played more snaps. The Eagles added Darren Sproles in the offseason. Does that mean they want to give McCoy more of a breather in 2014?

The answer, as I see it, is no. McCoy often mentions how his running style lends itself to fewer big hits, and the numbers suggest there could be something to that. In the Eagles' final four regular season games, he piled up 519 yards and averaged 6.3 YPC. In the fourth quarters of games, he led the NFL with 441 yards and averaged 6.0 YPC, according to STATS, Inc. In other words, there were no signs that his production took a hit because of the heavy workload.

McCoy is only 26 years old and the focal point of the Eagles' offense. Matching last year's number of touches would be no surprise. Assuming health, he's as close to a lock as there is to finish as one of the top three rushers in the NFL.

Fantasy Impact:

Due to the arrival of Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews, and the expected emergence of Zach Ertz, we would be surprised if the Eagles didn't lighten McCoy's workload a bit. We currently have him projected for 337 touches, which represents an 8 percent drop in touches. He's still a top 3 RB in both PPR and standard formats.

yesterday

Jets place WR Allen Lazard on IR

Ian Rapoport

yesterday · 3:42 PM EDT

The Jets are placing WR Allen Lazard on Injured Reserve because of a chest injury, sources say. Aaron Rodgers’ good friend and trusted target is out at least four games.

Fantasy Impact:

The long-awaited Mike Williams trade feels very unlikely to happen now, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a fantasy target, either. Lazard is an easy drop anywhere he's dangling on the roster bubble, and we should see some heightened red-zone usage out of Wilson, Adams, and Tyler Conklin moving forward.

Browns TE David Njoku (ankle) misses practice with recurring injury

Mary Kay Cabot

yesterday · 3:37 PM EDT

Browns TE David Njoku missed practice today with his ankle injury. He missed 3 games with it earlier this season.

Related Players: Cedric Tillman, Jerry Jeudy, Jordan Akins

Fantasy Impact:

It would be a huge bummer if Njoku were forced to miss time after putting up great back-to-back performances sans Watson at quarterback. Jordan Akins would be interesting for deep leagues in this scenario, though he only crested 9.0 half-PPR points in one game during Njoku's absence.

Eagles TE Dallas Goedert still absent from practice

Jeff McLane

yesterday · 2:25 PM EDT

DT Jalen Carter (shoulder) and G Landon Dickerson (knee) are at Eagles practice. Neither practiced on Wednesday.

TE Dallas Goedert (hamstring) and CB Darius Slay (groin) are still absent.

Related Players: Grant Calcaterra

Fantasy Impact:

It's looking like another Calcaterra week, which can be ignored in nearly all fantasy formats. Calcaterra crested 50 yards last week but delivered a 1-5-0 line back in Week 7. If Goedert is cleared before Week 9, he is very startable against a soft Jaguars defense.