The Philadelphia Eagles didn't let an injury get in their way Sunday. Starting quarterback Nick Foles left in the second quarter with what has been reported as a broken clavicle. The team still managed a 31-21 victory over the Houston Texans to improve to 6-2, first place in the NFC East.
Fantasy football recap: Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy lead the way in Eagles win
The team had to change quarterbacks Sunday, but it didn’t keep them from victory. We break down the fantasy implications.
Thomas B. Shea
The Eagles couldn’t put the Texans away Sunday, with Houston scoring to make the game 7-7, 14-14 and 24-21 in the game, but a touchdown late in the fourth quarter iced the game for Philadelphia. The Eagles have scored at least 20 points in every game this season.
Let’s look at the fantasy performances:
Mark Sanchez: Foles' injury meant a return to the NFL field for Sanchez, playing in his first game since 2012. He had a fine game, throwing for 202 passing yards on 15-of-22 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sanchez also ran for 5 yards. Foles, in his short time on the field, had 124 passing yards on 10-of-13 passing, with a touchdown and a pick of his own. Foles was never as good as he looked a year ago, more a product of the Philadelphia system as anything. If he is out as long as early reports indicate, Sanchez will be able to make use of the system as well, and will rank as a high-end QB2.
LeSean McCoy: The running back had his second-most rushing yards of the season Sunday, going for 117 on 23 carries. He had 6 receiving yards on two catches as well. It's not been the normally dominant season we're used to out of McCoy, though he has bounced back from his midseason struggles with 11.3 fantasy points a game in his last three. He's still a RB1, though not as close to the top of the list as he was at the start of the season.
Chris Polk: The running back got his first touches of the season a week ago, and improved upon that Sunday with his first score. Polk had 50 rushing yards on eight carries Sunday, scoring on an 8-yard run in the third quarter. The team was still working Darren Sproles back into the fold after his injury Sunday, so Polk's workload could see a hit as Sproles gets healthy, but he's at least made himself a super-deep-league consideration.
Jeremy Maclin: Maclin continued his dominant season Sunday, scoring two touchdowns and going for 158 yards on six catches. Maclin now has eight touchdowns in eight games this season, and he's on pace for more than 1,500 yards. After the miserable 16-yard game he had in Week 6, Maclin now has 345 in the last two games combined. He's a clear WR1 going forward.
Jordan Matthews: Matthews found the end zone Sunday for the first time since his two-score game in Week 3. He caught only three passes for 40 yards, but connected with Sanchez for an 11-yard score in the second quarter. You probably don't need to be starting Matthews in fantasy, but if you're choosing a Philadelphia receiver after Maclin is off the board, you want Matthews well before Riley Cooper.
Zach Ertz: It was easily the worst game of the season for Ertz, who caught only one pass for 4 yards. After looking strong in the season's first two weeks, Ertz only has one game with more than four fantasy points since Week 2. He's a mid-range TE2 at best.
