The Week 5 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles features two teams still finding their identities. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 5: Saints-Eagles featuring Drew Brees, Willie Snead and Jordan Matthews
We break down the Week 5 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles.
New Orleans Saints
Very few football pundits expected the New Orleans Saints to be winless heading into Week 4. But that’s exactly where the team found itself before topping the Dallas Cowboys in overtime last week. It’s a good thing quarterback Drew Brees found his way back into the lineup after dealing with a shoulder injury, because the Saints have a heck of a hill to climb in the NFC South. Brees’ statistics would’ve been average last week had it not been for an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime to running back C.J. Spiller, which also happened to be the 400 touchdown of Brees’ career. It looks like he’s past his shoulder injury for now, which is great news for fantasy owners.
Another positive for the Saints is the emergence of wide receiver Willie Snead. With Jimmy Graham now a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Marques Colston well past his prime, the Saints needed somebody to step up. He may only have one touchdown and season, but it seems Snead catches nearly everything thrown his way. Now that he and Brees have some chemistry going, look for both the yardage totals and touchdowns to increase as the Saints continue to try and salvage the season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Coach Chip Kelly and his team haven’t exactly given fans anything to cheer for this season. The team has struggled significantly in the passing game and the running game in achieving absolutely any rhythm at all. Fantasy owners are fortunate that quarterback Sam Bradford had a big game last week. In trying to mount a comeback against Washington, he threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. The stat line represents his best of the year. Hopefully he can continue building on that momentum against the Saints, a team that’s been awful friendly to offenses this season.
In order to keep succeeding, Bradford will no doubt have to rely on the most consistent player on the team: wide receiver Jordan Matthews. Take his consistency with a grain of salt, however. He’s got nine catches and 99 receiving yards in the last two weeks combined. It’s clear that Matthews’ production levels are going to be dependent on his quarterback and offensive line, two things not in his control. Still, if anybody in the Eagles’ lineup is worth starting, it’s the team’s sophomore receiver.
