2019 Summer Sleeper: Philadelphia Eagles
In our annual 32-part Summer Sleeper series, DLF scribes identify a lightly-touted player on each NFL roster who may be worthy of your consideration. Our subjects all have varying levels of “sleeperness,” but each merits a bit of in-depth discussion here in the Premium Content section.
To help everybody along, we are going to be categorizing our sleepers under one of three headings:
Super Deep Sleepers – Players who aren’t roster-worthy in 12-team leagues, but are still worth keeping an eye on.
Deep Sleepers – An end of the roster player who is more often than not on the waiver wire in 12-team leagues.
Sleeper – A likely rostered player who makes for a good trade target. Their startup ADP puts them out of the top-175 or so.
Because we aren’t going to give you the likes of mainstream sleepers, most of these players will undoubtedly fizzle. All we are asking is for you to keep an open mind and perhaps be willing to make room for one of these players on your bench. You never know when the next Adam Thielen is going to spring up. Feel free to add your own thoughts about our choice for the designated sleeper, or nominate one of your own in the comments below.
The Philadelphia Eagles are stacked. In the passing game, JJ Arcega-Whiteside adds to an impressive group of mammoth receivers in Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz, and Dallas Goedert. DeSean Jackson will provide the speed the team lacked last season.
In the backfield, it’s all change: Out goes Jay Ajayi, and in come Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders. With Carson Wentz healthy heading into camp, this attack looks outstanding on paper.
Outside of the big names, which player further down the depth chart could have a fantasy impact?
Boston Scott, RB
Category: Super Deep Sleeper
It’s a new-look backfield for Philly this season. In Wentz’s rookie season, there was a Ryan Mathews/Darren Sproles/Wendell Smallwood trio. In the team’s Super Bowl-winning 2017, LeGarrette Blount led the way, Jay Ajayi made a second-half impact, and Corey Clement came up clutch in the postseason.
But last season was a mess. Undrafted rookie Josh Adams finished with the most rushing yards (511) and Smallwood chipped in with 364, but injuries caused Clement, Ajayi, and Sproles to miss most of the season.
This summer, the team didn’t take a passive approach to a position that has become increasingly devalued by the league and fantasy owners alike in recent years. They set out trying to improve.
First, they traded for Jordan Howard – who has had at least 250 carries, 900 yards, and six touchdowns in each of his first three seasons in the league. They then used a second-round pick on Miles Sanders, Saquon Barkley’s successor at Penn State.
With those two acquisitions, and Ajayi’s release, the position group looks like this:
- Jordan Howard
- Miles Sanders
- Corey Clement
- Wendell Smallwood
- Josh Adams
- Donnel Pumphrey
- Boston Scott
So where does Scott fit in?
A sixth-round pick by New Orleans last season, Scott ended up on their practice squad, and the Eagles poached him in December. He was involved in the return game last season but didn’t turn any heads.
Scott’s college scrimmage stats from sports-reference.com.
He’s listed as 5-foot-6, 203 pounds so clearly, he’s not an early-down pounder. In fact, he’s the same height (and slightly heavier) than 36-year-old pass-catching and return ace Sproles, who is currently a free agent and deciding if and where he wants to play next season.
Not every short, shifty back is ‘the next Darren Sproles’ but there are comparisons to be made here. Eagles running backs coach (and assistant head coach) Duce Staley said in late June: “I’m very high on Boston. Being able to see him in OTAs, I’m excited.
“I’m excited about how quick he is, the way he picks up the offense. He does look like a little Sproles right there at times.”
Head coach Doug Pederson said: “He’s a guy that can kind of fill a Darren Sproles [role]. He’s in that same body type and same quickness. We’re working him in a couple of different situations as a runner, as a punt returner…”
“… He’s kind of been the one that, if you say you’re going to try to replace Darren, which you really can’t, he would be the guy that has kind of taken that role over right now.”
No one will be able to match the achievements of Sproles, who ranks sixth in all-purpose yards in NFL history (19,520). However, if Scott can be the third-down pass-catcher in a top-five offense, is he worth your attention? Definitely.
Howard is not regarded as a strong receiver. He has made 72 career receptions, with just 20 last season. Adams won’t fill that role either, so that leaves us with Sanders, Smallwood, Clement, Pumphrey, and Scott.
Sanders’ receiving chops have yet to be determined – he caught 32 balls for 193 yards (6.0 average) in college – while Clement is more of an all-rounder than a specialist. He impressed in the Eagles’ Super Bowl run but lacks the athleticism and explosiveness to be a consistent game-changer.
Importantly, both Sanders and Clement (and Adams) have missed time with injuries this off-season, allowing Scott more reps and a chance to shine.
Five observations from Day 1 of OTAs:
1. Carson looks fantastic (and with no brace)
2. RB Boston Scott is a quick, elusive little receiver
3. TE Dallas Goedert is a beast
4. Real good start for CB Sidney Jones
5. S Andrew Sendejo was active and made a lot of plays— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) May 21, 2019
Smallwood – although he has found himself involved by default in his three seasons in Philly – does his job well, but like Clement, simply doesn’t have the star power.
The first question that comes up when you Google Pumphrey is: “Is Donnel Pumphrey still in the NFL?” The answer is: barely. A fourth-round pick in 2017, he missed his entire rookie season with a torn hamstring. The Eagles waived him before last season, he had a stint on the Lions’ practice squad, then returned to Philly.
Scott’s particular skills, impressive workout metrics, and a kick return ability that might give him the edge over other backs on the roster make him a good fit to be a Sproles-lite in Philly’s offense. That means screens, outside catches and some runs here and there.
However, he wouldn’t be in this DLF series – and classified as ‘super deep’ – if there weren’t any hurdles in the way. Here are just a few:
- Scott isn’t a proven pass-catcher himself! He caught 32 balls for 307 yards at Louisiana Tech, with just one touchdown. The projection comes more from his physique and return/open-space ability.
- Will the running backs be that involved in the passing game? Sproles had 52 catches on 71 targets in Wentz’s rookie season, but last year no back had more than 35 targets and the year before, it was 18 (Smallwood both times). Perhaps Pederson and Wentz simply prefer to utilize their big, strong targets on the outside.
- If the Eagles need a third-down back in the game who can block too, Scott may not be the best man for the position.
- There’s a good chance Sanders gets a crack at being involved in the receiving game while Howard takes care of the early-down work, and if Sanders is being groomed as a long-term three-down back, why put Scott in there ahead of him?
- Everything positive we have on Scott has come off the field: coach speak, camp buzz from writers, and positive ‘traits’ are all fine now, but will he genuinely get the ball when push comes to shove?
He is a long shot, but taking everything into account, it seems Scott may have a part to play in 2019. How big that part might be? We don’t know yet. But it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled, and potentially finding a space for him at the end of your roster.
As well as editing for DLF, James writes for Sky Sports and can be found on Twitter at @JS_Football
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