The Baltimore Sun reported Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews was "the best player on the field" at a joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens.
Jordan Matthews fantasy football hype train at full steam ahead
Jordan Matthews might be the Michael Jordan of fantasy football hype for 2015. OK, maybe not, but all owners should be taking notice.
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This pretty much fits the narrative on Matthews all offseason. He had a marvelous finish to his rookie season in 2014, ending it with an eight-catch, 105-yard game on Dec. 28. Additionally, the Philadelphia Inquirer said this week that Matthews would be the focal point in the passing game, and basically every Philly reporter said the same thing.
Besides the hype, Matthews looked great with 44 yards on just two catches in his preseason opener. His quarterback couldn't get him the ball, but Matthews was getting open easily. The Eagles will be playing him in the slot in three-wide sets, so that means he'll be looking at more receptions for fantasy PPR leagues. He's also the best red-zone threat, especially with tight end Zach Ertz (knee) on the shelf right now.
What's more, the Eagles will be running an up-tempo offense, with quarterback Sam Bradford joining forces with coach Chip Kelly. Bradford has been able to get the ball to his receivers and his biggest weakness has been his health, as he's coming off his second ACL tear.
OK, so what should fantasy owners do? As you can imagine, the average draft position (ADP) is on some kind of incline right now (via Fantasy Football Calculator):
Whew. He’s going in the third round now and this is for standard formats. Matthews is already approaching the No. 30 pick neighborhood and it’s probably justified. He has a solid floor, and a massive breakout could be in reach. If you miss out on the big dogs at receiver, Matthews is a fine target and would be a nice value in the fourth round.
