Fantasy Football: Monday Night Football Takeaways

Fantasy football Week 2 is in the books after Monday Night Football. What were the major takeaways from the Eagles shellacking the Bears?

Great googly moogly this was Monday Night Football ugly game from a fantasy football perspective. The Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears combined for 43 points, but 19 of them were from special teams.

With that said, some key fantasy football players scored some points, but it was not pretty.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the in-between from Monday Night Football’s game between the Eagles and Bears.

The Good

Bears WR Alshon Jeffery (5 receptions, 96 yards) – The one and only bright spot for the Bears is Jeffery. He is their best and most consistent playmaker and he proved that once again on Monday. Through two games he only has nine receptions but he’s averaging over 100 yards. He’s a WR1/2 as long as he stays healthy.

Eagles QB Carson Wentz (21-34, 190 yards, 1 TD) – The stats will not pop out at you, but Wentz played a lot better than they show. His wide receivers hurt him with a few horrific drops. If it weren’t for them, he could have easily finished with 250+ yards and two touchdowns. He could be a good fill-in option with bye weeks starting up in Week 4.

Eagles RB Ryan Mathews (9 carries, 32 yards, 2 TDs) – For fantasy football purposes, Mathews had a good game. He had two touchdowns so how can you say he didn’t? However, if you watched the game you can’t feel that great about him. He only had 10 total touches and Darren Sproles led the team with 12 carries for 40 yards. With all of the running back injuries around the NFL, Mathews could be a sell-high candidate to a needy team.

Eagles TE Trey Burton (5 receptions, 49 yards 1 TD) – The former Florida Gator had an expanded role with Zach Ertz not playing and he took advantage of the situation. He’s an intriguing option (especially in DFS) as long as Ertz is on the sidelines, but once he returns Burton’s stock will take a serious hit.

The Ehhh…

Eagles WR Jordan Matthews (6 receptions, 71 yards) – For the second straight week, Matthews led the team in targets and receptions. The reason he’s in the “Ehhh” category is because he dropped a 35-yard touchdown pass. Matthews has a history of bad drops, but either way, he’s outperforming his ADP. At worse, he’s an every week starter as a FLEX option.

Bears RB Jeremy Langford (11 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD) – The only reason he’s not in the “Bad” category is because he was able to score a one-yard touchdown. Going into the season, Langford’s biggest perceived friend was volume. After two weeks, it’s clear he lost that friend. With the Bears offense struggling, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they try to get more touches to other guys to provide some sort of spark. After two weeks Langford is averaging 3.04 yards per carry and owners need to be worried.

Eagles RB Darren Sproles (14 touches, 48 yards) – Sproles surprisingly led the team in carries a week after Ryan Mathews dominated the Eagles backfield in carries. I don’t anticipate this outcome happening again in most or any games for the rest of the season. However, the Eagles do want to get Sproles involved in the offense. In PPR leagues with bye weeks coming up he could be a decent plug and play in certain situations.

The Bad

Bears QB Jay Cutler (12/17, 157 yards, 1 INT, 1 fumble lost) – In what appeared to be a favorable matchup on paper, Cutler imploded. The Eagles only dressed three CBs for the game but that was three cornerbacks too many for Cutler’s liking. Unless your’e in a 16-team, two-QB league, Cutler cannot be rostered in fantasy football. His thumb injury might make that decision for you, though

Next: Fantasy Football Week 2: 5 Biggest Takeaways

Keep an Eye On…

Bears RB Jordan Howard (5 touches, 31 yards) – Earlier I mentioned the Bears might try to get other guys touches to provide a spark. Howard could be that guy. The fifth-round rookie did well with him limited snaps and didn’t do anything to hurt himself. Langford did hurt himself by not running well and fumbling on Monday.