Fantasy camp battles: Jalen Reagor vs. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Update August 31: Reagor tore his labrum in practice and is expected to miss four weeks while he recovers. His injury won’t require surgery and he’s expected to have a significant role in the offense when he returns. It appears like Arcega-Whiteside could be a Week 1 starter alongside Jackson.

Update August 25: Both Reagor and Arcega-Whiteside have had positive camps, but Reagor has, by all accounts, been great. You can check out a taste of the hype here. While Alshon Jeffery remains out, it looks like DeSean Jackson and Reagor will line up outside while Greg Ward works out of the slot.

In this series we will look at the most important fantasy football position battles for each NFL team. Opportunity is king in fantasy, as you can’t produce fantasy statistics without getting on the field. So, the first step when looking for value plays is to project, correctly, which players will win training camp battles.

The Eagles wide receiver situation is better than last season but still a mess to figure out. Alshon Jeffery’s foot isn’t ready, which will likely keep him out of the start of training camp. It does appear DeSean Jackson will weather the storm he created outside of football, so he’ll likely be set up as a mainstay on the outside. For now, we’ll assume Jeffery is ready by Week 1, but if not, things get more interesting.

The question is, who slides in after those two? The easy answer is Jalen Reagor, who was drafted in the first round. Reagor’s draft capital gives him the inside track. J.J. Arcega Whiteside was drafted in the second round, 57th overall, last season, so they won’t give up on him yet. Marquise Goodwin broke out as a deep threat in 2017 but injuries have hurt, as he’s missed 12 games over the last two seasons and has only played one full season out of seven. (UPDATE: Marquise Goodwin has opted out of the 2020 season)

Reagor is raw, even for a rookie, but he will really need to falter to not start the season on the field. If Jeffery isn’t ready, then Reagor gets a big boost and should see targets as long as he’s healthy. That would also help one of Whiteside or Goodwin see more time. Whiteside has a year in the organization under his belt, so he likely has the inside lane, but if Goodwin can stay healthy, he’s got the experience.

Verdict

Reagor will get every chance possible to start and see significant usage while Arcega-Whiteside and Goodwin will need Jeffery’s recovery to hold off for a few months.