The Philadelphia Enquirer reports that Eagles RB Rashaad Penny is expected to be a healthy scratch for today's opener vs. the Patriots. That'd leave the backfield to RBs D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott.
The Eagles released RB Trey Sermon. Philly will carry RBs D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott into Week 1. We're expecting that to be the order in terms of snaps to start. But this figures to be an ever-evolving backfield throughout the season.
Eagles RB D'Andre Swift "is still one of many in the running back room, not the main guy," The Athletic's Bo Wulf writes. It's confirmation of how we've been projecting the Philly backfield all along. Swift is the best fantasy bet of the bunch, but he figures to lose too much work to RB Kenneth Gainwell and others to be a real fantasy difference-maker. Check out our full projections for the Eagles backfield.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said not to read too much into the backfield usage in Saturday's preseason opener vs. the Ravens. RB Kenneth Gainwell was held out of that one, while RBs D'Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny played. That could be interpreted as Gainwell being atop the depth chart. But Sirianni said that's not necessarily the case. "We wanted to see Rashaad go. Rashaad hasn't played in a little bit," Sirianni said. "My plan with the backs ... I always like those guys getting tackled, so the first time they get tackled isn't in game one [of the regular season.] So, next game, [Boston Scott] or [Kenny Gainwell] will get a couple carries, like Swift did today. And the next game the other one will get a couple carries." So don't expect to learn too much about the Eagles' backfield plans the rest of this preseason. We know that it'll be a committee attack -- but exactly how touches will be divvied remains uncertain.
"Signs are pointing to a running back by committee in Philadelphia," ESPN's Tim McManus writes. Five Eagles RBs -- D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Trey Sermon -- have received first-team reps in camp. McManus expects Swift, Penny, and Gainwell to all be in the mix for regular-season touches, "with matchups and in-game performance likely to sway how much each player is utilized in a given week." That sounds like a fantasy nightmare. On the plus side, we know this will be a productive offense and running game. And an injury to any one of those top three would make the other two much better fantasy plays. This is still a backfield to invest in at the right price. Penny remains our favorite value on the bunch, with an ADP in late Round 9.
Kenneth Gainwell has been the Eagles' "featured RB during the two-minute drill" in training camp, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Josh Tolentino. Gainwell has played plenty in that role over the past two seasons, but it's surprising to hear he's still in it after the Eagles acquired RB D'Andre Swift. Losing that work would be a blow to Swift's fantasy value. We'll see if preseason action reveals anything else about the Eagles' backfield plans.
Pro Football Network's Adam Caplan says based on the early practices of training camp, new Eagles RB D'Andre Swift "will easily be the Eagles' most targeted running back." That's been the assumption of most people, of course, since Philadelphia acquired the former Lion in the middle of the NFL Draft. This semi-confirmation is worth noting, though, for anyone wondering if Kenneth Gainwell might fight off Swift in that area. Caplan adds that "most of the passes Swift caught last week appeared to be designed pass plays to him." That would help Swift's receiving volume in an offense that sported the league's second-fewest RB receptions last year. Of course, it's also worth noting that Caplan didn't talk about Swift being the all-around touch leader for the Eagles. We've preferred Rashaad Penny at ADP so far and consider him much more of a fantasy football sleeper than Swift. See how all Philly backs stack up in our RB rankings.
The Lions are trading RB D'Andre Swift to the Eagles, according to multiple reports. Detroit gets a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a 30-spot move up in Round 7 this year. A move has been expected since Detroit drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round. Swift joins a crowded backfield in Philly but is also likely the best player in the group. We'll see exactly what he can command in terms of regular workload, but we're drafting Swift ahead of Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell. The other two remain in play for best ball rosters but should come off the board in double-digit rounds. Check our 2023 fantasy football RB rankings for the initial projection on Swift and adjusted numbers for his new backfield mates.
The Lions selected Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Georgia Tech speedster took a chance on himself in 2022 by transferring to SEC powerhouse Alabama. The gamble paid off as Gibbs led the Crimson Tide with 44 receptions and ranked 4th on the team in receiving yards (444). Oh, and he’s an excellent runner as well. Some will question how much of a rushing workload he’ll be able to manage at the NFL level given his 5’9, 199-pound frame, but don’t count Gibbs out because of his size. He shows excellent vision at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the field, possesses plenty of speed (4.36-second 40-yard dash time), and has a keen sense of timing cuts against potential tacklers. This move makes it likely that the Lions will move on from D’Andre Swift. Gibbs would then enter a clear change-of-pace role behind David Montgomery while handling a healthy receiving role. Current projections have him for 56 receptions.
The Lions and RB David Montgomery reached an agreement on a three-year, $18 million contract (with $11 million guaranteed) late on Tuesday evening. The long-time Bear will be moving across the NFC North and running behind a Lions offensive line that ranked 7th in Football Outsiders' adjusted line yards in 2022. Montgomery is more than capable of shouldering a sizeable workload as well, as he's handled 200+ carries in each of his four professional seasons to date. A logical conclusion to draw from this signing is that free agent RB Jamaal Williams is unlikely to return to the Lions at this point. We'll keep an eye out for news regarding where he lands. Where this situation gets dicey is how it potentially affects RB D'Andre Swift, who posted a career-low in touches (147) in 2022 after battling through yet another season of nagging injuries. Couple this Montgomery contract with a subpar injury history, and we may be looking at a significant dynasty value loss for a former NFL second round pick in Swift. He's already starting to slip down our dynasty RB rankings.
Lions HC Dan Campbell suggested from the Combine on Wednesday that the team is still trying to figure out how to best manage and deploy RB D'Andre Swift. "We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn’t work out," Campbell said. “He got a little bit banged up and then by the end of the year he started to feel better and his production started to go up." Swift appeared in 14 games last year but was limited in the majority of them by ankle and shoulder injuries. "Let’s find another way to see if we can help him stay on the field, you know? I already know he’s doing that for himself, so we’ve got to do that on our end," Campbell added. "What can we do better by him? Can we? Because he’s too talented. He’s too talented to not have out there. He’s an explosive athlete.” It sure doesn't sound like the Lions plan on giving Swift a ton of touches in 2023. But if he can at least hang on to a significant passing-game role, he'll keep himself in the RB2 mix in PPR leagues.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift delivered a pair of TDs in Sunday's lopsided win over the Bears. He rushed 11 times for 78 yards, including a 17-yard TD early in the 2nd quarter. Swift added a 21-yards TD catch midway through the 3rd quarter, accounting for most of his 39 receiving yards on 4 catches (4 targets). The 15 touches marked Swift's 3rd most of the season. It was just his 2nd game with double-digit carries since the season opener. It was also Swifts 1st multiple-TD game since December 2020. He'll face a generous Green Bay RB defense in Week 18.
Lions RBs combined for just 22 rushing yards on 12 carries in Saturday's loss at Carolina. RB D'Andre Swift rushed 4 times for 12 yards and caught just 1 of his 5 targets for 13 more. Jamaal Williams posted 7-11 rushing and caught both of his targets for 3 yards. The whole Detroit offense gets a positive matchup back home with Chicago in Week 17, but the RBs won't be exciting plays.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift led the team in rushing yards for Sunday's win over the Jets, tallying 52 on 8 attempts (6.5 per rush). He trailed RB Jamaal Williams by 5 carries (13-33) and watched another 6 go to Justin Jackson (for 16 yards). Swift garnered 9 targets, a season high and 2nd most on the team. He caught 5 for a mere 23 yards (4.6 per reception). Only WR Amon-Ra St. Brown drew more looks. He caught 7 of his 10 for 76 yards.
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