Dallas

Goedert

Goedert paced the Eagles in most receiving categories again this week. Sans A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, he has stepped into a de facto WR1 role for Jalen Hurts. While that has worked for his fantasy production, it hasn’t gone as well for Philly’s offense. They have been held to 31 points over the last two weeks. The Eagles get their bye next week and both wideouts should return on the other side versus Cleveland. With a healthy receiving room, Goedert will slide back to the TE1/2 border in Week 6.

Goedert was bound to be more involved in his second game sans A.J. Brown, but the Eagles asked even more of him after DeVona Smith left this game with a concussion. He stepped up in a big way with a 61-yard catch-and-run inside the two-minute warning. Saquon Barkley punched in a four-yard touchdown on the next play to give Philly the lead. He set career highs in receptions and yards, blowing past his previous high in yards by 35. The statuses of Smith and Brown are unclear for Week 4. If one or both of Philly’s top wideouts remain sidelined, Goedert will remain in the TE1 ranks for another week.

That now makes just nine total targets for the veteran tight end through two games, with fantasy managers likely looking for more production in a Week 2 game played without their alpha wide receiver in A.J. Brown. It will be tough for a tight end with a minimal red zone role to return consistent production, particularly if he’s not seeing enough volume between the 20s.

Goedert’s five looks in the passing game were good for third on the team but only accounted for 15 percent of Jalen Hurts’ pass attempts. On the bright side, Goedert was the only Philly pass-catcher other than A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to see more than two targets. It’s clear that he is still the third target in this offense, but the gap between him and Philly’s elite receiving duo is a chasm. Goedert will be a touchdown-dependent TE2 for his Week 2 game against Atlanta.

The Eagles will host their first formal regular season practice on Tuesday so Goedert’s early return bodes positively for his Week 1 availability. Goedert totaled a career-high 59 regular season receptions last season, finishing as the PPR TE14. Rookie WR Johnny Wilson (concussion) likewise participated in team drills.

It’s unclear when Goedert picked up the injury, though we expected the Eagles to be careful with their stud tight end two weeks before their season opener against the Packers. Goedert could see more work from the slot this season in OC Kellen Moore’s offense. Last year, Goedert saw his yards per target drop to a career-low 7.1.

Fowler outlined some of the possible changes we could see in Philadelphia after the team replaced offensive coordinator Brian Johnson with Kellen Moore. He mentioned more involvement for the tight ends which would bode well for Dallas Goedert. Fowler also mentioned Jalen Hurts embracing a more multiple offense. The Eagles haven’t featured running backs in the passing game with Hurts under center and the Tush Push is the best play in the league at gaining one yard, so it would take a monumental change in their offense for Barkley to approach anything resembling McCaffrey levels of usage. Still, minor shifts in how the team uses its top running back would go a long way in justifying Barkley’s RB6 ADP in early best ball drafts.

Although Goedert managed to score late in the second quarter, his night was mired by poor efficiency, mental mistakes, and capped off with an offensive pass interference penalty that also saw left the veteran tight end injured. Goedert missed three games this season with a broken arm, somehow avoiding injured reserve on his way to a TE12 finish in PPR points per game. That left him well below value against his September ADP, potentially opening the door to a buy-low opportunity with two years remaining on his contract.

Goedert didn’t do much before he was pulled with other starters after the game was out of reach. The Eagles’ offensive game plan going forward may call for more Goedert if A.J. Brown misses anytime.

Goedert’s nine-yard fourth quarter score, which required some fancy footwork in the end zone, was his first since Oct. 22. His six targets were three off his marks from Weeks 15 and 16 but another uptick could be coming after DeVonta Smith suffered a foot injury. The Eagles get the Giants for Week 18. Goedert went 7/71 against the G-Men on Christmas Day.