Examining Ryan Mathews' role

Aug 08, 2015

Although Mathews has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he entered the NFL in 2010, Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, and other coaches alike, have nothing but praise for the 12th overall pick from Fresno State (see more on that here).

“I had a little smile on my face when he came here,” Shurmur said of Mathews’ decision to sign with the Eagles. “I’ve spoken to Norv Turner about him and I know he had a lot of really good things to say, much like Mike McCoy.”

Fantasy Impact:

Mathews’ decision to join the Eagles raised some eyebrows this offseason. After trading Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, Chip Kelly went out and signed 2014 rushing champion DeMarco Murray from division rival Dallas. The Eagles also had veteran running back Darren Sproles coming off a productive year of his own in which he was selected to his first-ever Pro Bowl, the story said. The Eagles like to run a lot of plays, so Mathews may get a few more carries as the team's RB2 than most other teams' RB2. The problem is the pass-catching role likely goes to Sproles. We predict Mathews for about 8-9 carries a game. He's especially valuable to a Murray owner as a handcuff but could have some deep-league value as well.

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Chargers set to open window for RB J.K. Dobbins (knee)

Daniel Popper on X

0 minutes ago

Chargers will be opening J.K. Dobbins' 21-day window today, Jim Harbaugh tells reporters.

Related players: Gus Edwards

Fantasy Impact:

Dobbins has been on IR for the past four games with a knee injury. He's not a lock to play this week and he's not a lock for a safe workload even if he does play. The Chargers travel to New England in Week 17, so the matchup isn't a bad one. It's an early window game on Sunday, so owners should have plenty of notice. We'll also keep an eye on the practice reports this week.

Dolphins unsure of WR Jaylen Waddle's (knee) status for Week 17

Barry Jackson on X

5 minutes ago

McDaniel non-committal on whether Jaylen Waddle (knee) will practice this week: "I'm expecting to get everything from Waddle that he can do... I've [talked to] the trainer to make sure we protect him from himself. We will see how the week progresses. I don't know exactly what it will look like."

Fantasy Impact:

Waddle owners should probably not count on Waddle for Week 17, or at the very least have a backup plan. Waddle and the Dolphins play the Browns in the later window on Sunday so it could further complicate things for owners who were hoping to play him.

Texans WR Tank Dell tore ACL, dislocated knee

DJ Bien-Aime on X

9 minutes ago

DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell tore his ACL along with dislocating his knee.

Fantasy Impact:

No surprises here as it was a terrible injury to watch during the game. While he's obviously out for the season, the bigger question is what will his status be for 2025. It's a huge question mark at this point given the seriousness of the injury. Even if Dell is able to play next season, he may take a while to get back to 100%.