The Philadelphia Eagles suffered their first loss in a game that Jalen Hurts has started and finished in over a calendar year this weekend, at the hands of the Denver Broncos. It is a quick turnaround with the team back in action on Thursday Night Football for an NFC East matchup with the New York Giants. This outlook got slightly more intimidating as Saquon Barkley popped onto the Eagles’ injury report and missed practice today due to a knee issue.
The news is just one day removed from Barkley having just six carries for 30 yards in the loss to the Broncos. While he did add three receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown, this marked the fewest rush attempts and overall touches he has logged in an Eagles jersey and the third-fewest touches he has logged in a game across his NFL career.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport did provide some positive news on the situation, saying that it is general soreness Barkley is dealing with, and that the plan is still for him to play Thursday night.
Eagles RB Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 6 vs. Giants
Keep an eye on Barkley’s status leading up to Thursday night’s opening kick, but the Eagles have some work to do with or without him in the rushing game. It was just last season that Barkley became the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing leader across the regular season and playoffs, and the ninth running back to rush for 2,000+ yards in a season. But through the opening five games this year, he has just 267 total rushing yards, or 53.4 yards per game. Philadelphia ranks 22nd in total rushing yards and 25th in net yards per rushing attempt on the season.
If Barkley does take a turn for the worse and heads for the sidelines, AJ Dillon and Will Shipley will be the biggest beneficiaries in the running game. Dillon has 11 carries for 58 yards this season, while Shipley has added 26 rushing yards on four carries.
But regardless of who is rushing the ball, the Eagles have some bigger problems to figure out up front. Last season, Barkley averaged 3.8 yards before contact per rush attempt. So far this year, he is averaging 1.9 yards before contact. Plenty of rushing attempts have been declared dead before Barkley has a chance, with him being hit behind the line of scrimmage or having no hole to run through. The Eagles’ offensive line is beat-up and still has not recovered from last year’s grind, with new injuries popping up seemingly every week.
They will look to change this against a New York Giants team with notable talent on the defensive front. Through their opening five games, New York has tallied 26 tackles for a loss, 32 quarterback hits, and nine sacks. The Giants rank 26th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and 29th in net yards per rush attempt, but this is still a bit distorted from the 220 rushing yards they allowed to the Commanders in the opening week. New York limited the Saints to 88 total rushing yards last week, as well as the Chiefs to 105 yards on the ground.
It is strange for a team that’s 4-1 and coming off a Super Bowl victory to be searching for an identity. But this feels to be the case with the Eagles. They have built through the trenches and invested in the offensive and defensive line for years, but this has not translated to success in the running game so far this year. If anything, limitations on Barkley may result in Philadelphia airing the ball out more and hopefully appeasing A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith’s growing frustrations.
To this point, Barkley is averaging 16.1 fantasy points per game, which ranks 13th among running backs based on DraftKings scoring. Neither Dillon nor Shipley is the caliber of pass catcher that Barkley is, and both would likely play a role if they are asked to make up for the star running back’s production.
If Barkley is not performing to his expected level, I am not backing the backups to be better. Look at the Eagles’ pass catchers as the biggest beneficiaries, should Barkley be limited at all, and keep an eye on the injury report as the game gets closer.
