Philadelphia Eagles’ Offense
The strongest argument for Wicks begins with Philadelphia’s redesigned offense. Under Kevin Patullo last season, the Eagles ranked 27th in pass-play percentage, 26th in passes per game and 23rd in passing yards per game. They also finished 29th in motion rate, while Hurts had the league’s lowest under-center dropback rate among qualified quarterbacks. Hurts was effective. He completed 64.8% of his passes for 3,224 yards with a career-high 25 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 98.5 passer rating.
But the passing game lacked consistency. Sean Mannion’s new system is emphasizing motion, under-center play-action, timing routes and wide-zone concepts. Mannion worked with Wicks in Green Bay, while new run-game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey previously coached Packers receivers. Combined with Chris Kuper replacing longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, this is a legitimate schematic change rather than a minor tweak to last season’s playbook. It should create more defined reads for Hurts, which can definitely benefit Wicks.
Wicks’ 2026 Fantasy Football Upside
Despite Wicks’ lackluster personal production, his opportunity will still do most of the heavy lifting. He followed a promising 39-catch, 581-yard rookie season with 415 yards in 2024 and career lows of 30 receptions, 332 yards, and two touchdowns last year. His 1.39 yards per route run and 19% target-per-route rate were ordinary, and one Thanksgiving breakout accounted for 94 yards and both of his touchdowns.
The Eagles still traded two draft picks for him, gave him a $12.5 million extension, and have seen him develop early chemistry with Hurts. A.J. Brown’s departure removes the player who commanded 121 targets last season, and Wicks is currently listed as a starter.
The problem is that those opportunities vacated by Brown will be heavily contested. DeVonta Smith is the unquestioned lead receiver after producing 77 catches for 1,008 yards, while Dallas Goedert recorded 60 catches, 591 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Philadelphia also signed Hollywood Brown, who posted a 49-587-5 line last year, and used the 20th overall pick on Makai Lemon, another WR with some upside. Lemon’s missed camp time gives Wicks an early advantage, but his draft capital makes him a serious threat to Wicks’ role as the season progresses.
Wicks can definitely become Hurts’ second-best receiver in fantasy this season, and is probably the early favorite for the job, but he hasn’t come even close to securing the spot. At the very least, Wicks knows the offense, has Hurts’ trust, and should have a decent role to kick off the season. He’ll be an appealing late-round swing.
