The Philadelphia Eagles made news today by announcing Dallas Goedert will be returning to the team next season after an offseason in which his future was largely in question. The defending Super Bowl champions had plenty of decisions to make, with Goedert taking roughly a $4 million pay cut to remain with the lone franchise he has spent his career with. Entering his eighth NFL season, Goedert will be looking to add to his solid career, but is he still as relevant from a fantasy football perspective as he once was?
Injuries have become a more common concern when discussing Dallas Goedert’s outlook. The 30-year-old played just 10 games last season after logging 14 and 12 the two seasons prior. Overall, he tallied 42 receptions for 496 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This marks Goedert’s fewest catches since 2020, fewest yards since 2018, and the fewest touchdown receptions of his career.
Looking at the fantasy output based on DraftKings scoring, Goedert tallied 106.6 total fantasy points or 10.7 fantasy points per game. This ranked 25th among tight ends in total fantasy points, although his 10.7 fantasy points per game still ranked ninth. Goedert still showcased what he could do for stretches, such as the 30.0 fantasy points he tallied in Week 3 against the Saints by pulling in 10 receptions for 170 yards.
So was this just a down season, or the sign of Father Time catching up with Dallas Goedert?
The Case Against Dallas Goedert:
There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Eagles’ offense. They have established their identity as a run-first football team with Saquon Barkley receiving plenty of opportunities with the ball and Jalen Hurts pitching in with his legs as well. Their 36.7 rush attempts per game led the NFL last year, with only seven teams rushing over 30 times per game. Don’t expect this to change as the organization continues to commit to building up their offensive line, and after giving Saquon Barkley a nice raise and extension this offseason. It will be a high bar to clear after leading the NFL with 125.3 rushing yards per game and becoming the ninth player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a regular season, but don’t count it out with his caliber of talent.
When looking at the passing attack, AJ Brown will see the most targets and will let you know if he isn’t. DeVonta Smith also continues to produce as one of the more underrated players in the league and would be the most talented wide receiver on plenty of other NFL rosters. The two combined for 1,912 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns last season.
With the injury concerns regarding Goedert also a factor, the Eagles’ tight end does not have nearly the ceiling that players of lesser talent possess due to his limited role in the offense. He still has a solid floor with at least two receptions in each game he was not impacted by injury. Jalen Hurts trusts Goedert on key plays, and he still will play a role in the Eagles’ season outlook. But we may be at the point where it is worth acknowledging that Goedert will play a larger role as a true football player than his impact in fantasy football results at this stage of his career.
The Case For Dallas Goedert:
While the role may be more limited than most would like, there is a convincing case for the caliber of talent that Dallas Goedert is. He is a complete football player who serves as a key blocker in the run game and has reliable hands with a more advanced route-running tree than many tight ends can say about themselves. Goedert has tallied 42+ receptions and 496 or more receiving yards over each of the past six seasons. He has also tallied 24 receiving touchdowns across his seven seasons, with the two he produced last year marking a career low.
There is a world where things break differently this season, and Dallas Goedert becomes a more regular red-zone threat. Philadelphia produced 27.2 points per game across the regular season, which ranked seventh in the NFL. Barkley and Hurts combined for 27 rushing touchdowns to headline this, but the continued movement to take out the “tush-push” could be a factor in this being scaled back. If this play is taken off the table, the Eagles will need to find different ways of consistently scoring in the red zone, and this should directly and positively impact Goedert.
The Verdict: No
The number of impressive offensive talents and the lack of clear opportunities should have Dallas Goedert drop below the top 10 tight ends heading into this fantasy football season. While there is still an argument to be made about him as an individual talent, there is no pathway to him seeing the level of opportunities to compete with tight ends like Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, George Kittle, or Sam LaPorta. There is also much more upside to taking a swing on players like Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland due to their likely higher usage in their offense.
With this said, Goedert should not be taken off your draft boards completely. He has a much higher floor than a lot of tight end options, including some of the names mentioned above. Goedert will still have his throwback games where he makes a notable impact for this Eagles team. Tight end has become one of the most inconsistent positions in fantasy football, and the clear sample size of who Goedert is as a football player and the level of opportunity he will receive is comforting.
He is still worth taking a chance on in the later rounds as a low-end starter or as a backup. Expectations should be tempered for Goedert a bit this year, but both he and the Eagles will be relieved he is remaining in Philadelphia, and keep your eye out on him as a fantasy option on a week-by-week basis.
