The NFL season is quickly approaching, and fantasy drafts are in full swing. At DraftKings, you can play an array of different season-long fantasy contests.
Below, I take a look at the fantasy value of all the players in the Philadelphia Eagles’ backfield.
Philadelphia Eagles Backfield
The defending Super Bowl champions are favorites to repeat and win a second-straight Lombardi Trophy. The Eagles were the best rushing team in the NFL last season, ranking first in EPA/rush. The Eagles have a great offensive line and a quarterback who is dangerous with his legs, but Saquon Barkley is the star of the show. In his first season with Philadelphia, Barkley had a historic 2,000-yard rushing season. It will be hard for Barkley to keep up that same insane level of production, but the Eagles are set up for sustained success. They didn’t lose any major pieces on offense and should be in positions to feed Barkley and get him massive numbers again, as long as he stays healthy.
Last season, Jalen Hurts was effectively the backup running back. Saquon Barkley got a dominant share of the carries, and when it wasn’t him running the ball, it was typically Hurts. Barkley and Hurts combined to take 79.5% of the carries last season. Kenneth Gainwell was the RB2 and finished the season with just 290 rushing yards and one reception per game. Gainwell is now with the Steelers, which means last season’s RB3, Will Shipley, should get the promotion to the RB2 role. However, as long as Barkley is healthy, there won’t be many touches for any other running backs.
Running Back Handcuffs: Will Shipley
Will Shipley is going to be the primary backup to Saquon Barkley. In the backup role last season, Gainwell only got 75 carries and 22 targets despite playing in all 17 games. That is not a good indicator that Shipley will play a significant role in this offense. Shipley was an Eagles fourth-round pick in 2024. In his rookie season, he saw extremely limited action, but he did end up breaking a 57-yard rushing touchdown in garbage time of the NFC Championship Game, his only touchdown of the entire season.
Shipley seems prepared to take on a larger role, and the Eagles value him as they used a fourth-round pick on him. Gainwell only scored one touchdown during the regular season in 2024-25, so there will still be limited chances for Shipley to find the end zone next season. However, if there were an injury that kept Barkley out of a game or two, it would be Shipley taking the bulk of the carries, making him the clear choice to handcuff to Barkley.
