Tim McManus reported that WR DeVonta Smith has missed practice all week due to a hamstring injury and will likely sit out Week 4 against the Rams. Bo Wulf of PHLY Sports added that Smith could miss extended time, noting, “It could be a two or three week hamstring injury.”
This is a major blow for the Eagles offense, especially with starting TE Dallas Goedert still sidelined by an MCL sprain. QB Jalen Hurts will have to lean heavily on WR Dontayvion Wicks, 1st Round rookie Makai Lemon, and 2025 UDFA Darius Cooper to shoulder the receiving load. For fantasy football gamers, this situation significantly boosts the streaming outlook for both Wicks and Lemon while Smith is sidelined. ~Jason Diaz
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) was ...
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) ...
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) ...
Dallas Goedert sustained an injury while blocking during the second quarter and has not yet returned
Eagles starting TE Dallas Goedert left the game early in the second quarter and was being examined by medical trainers for a potential knee injury and is officially questionable to return. Prior to leaving, Goedert had one catch on two targets for four yards.
Next up in the tight end pecking order is Johnny Mundt. With rookie second-round pick Eli Stowers currently on injured reserve, EJ Jenkins is the only other healthy option on the active roster. The nine-year NFL veteran Mundt is expected to handle the bulk of the snaps, Jenkins presents intriguing fantasy football upside if Dallas Goedert misses extended time. During his college career at Georgia Tech, Jenkins posted a 94th-percentile college dominator rating and a blazing 99th-percentile yards-per-reception (YPR) mark.
It only goes up from here. On a day in which the Eagles gained only 10 first downs, and the top receiver on the team was TE Dallas Goedert (4 catches, 77 yards), rookie first round pick Makai Lemon was unable to make his mark in a way fantasy football players were looking for. The good news is, Lemon was on the field plenty, at one point throwing a crucial block that freed up teammate Jalen Hurts to scramble for a first down on a third and long play.
Given the amount of time Lemon missed this summer, a slow debut is not overly surprising, but signs are there his role could be expected to grow. Lemon tied fellow WR Dontayvion Wicks in targets from Jalen Hurts (4), and gets a nice bounceback spot against the Titans in week 2.
Second-round rookie Eli Stowers sits fourth on the Philadelphia depth chart following a soft-tissue setback and an uneventful preseason line of three receptions on five targets. Even if Dallas Goedert vacates his 75.0-percent Snap Share, veteran blockers Johnny Mundt and Grant Calcaterra project to absorb intermediate work and limit secondary route participation.
Do not invest Year 1 redraft capital in Stowers until he proves his athletic profile can earn real-game Target Share. Stowers is even leaking value in fantasy football dynasty leagues. Ouch.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ tight end hierarchy remains stable, as Johnny Mundt holds down the TE2 role powered by trusted run-blocking utility. Rookie Eli Stowers missed critical development loops during spring workouts with a leg injury, which leaves his immediate path to snaps highly obstructed.
While Eli Stowers possesses an impressive prospect profile, his 2026 projection is suppressed as long as Dallas Goedert is healthy. Stowers is the quintessential “dynasty only” player and possible late-season waiver wire target in seasonal formats.
Jeffrey Lurie is blowing up the stale operations in Philadelphia by handing Sean Mannion total authority to install a Shanahan-style machine. Mannion plans to completely alter the structural DNA of this offense and install more under-center plays and under-center play-action passing, according to The Athletic’s Zach Berman.
Jalen Hurts is coming off a campaign where he still commanded a top-8 fantasy finish with 19.1 Fantasy Points Per Game, but will be tasked with improving his short-area passing acumen to feed tight end in Dallas Goedert and rookie Makai Lemon.
This heavy-motion paradigm shift should also be a boon for Saquon Barkley, who captured an 11.6-percent Target Share last season and is primed to recapture his 2024 fantasy football magic in 2026. Once the AJ Brown trade saga ends, Philadelphia’s fantasy projections should come in favorably for all offensive pieces.