At this point in the fantasy football season, you may be asking yourself “Why did I decide to play fantasy at all this year?” And I get it, I do. It’s been a brutal season and we’re only in Week 6. However, you’re not alone. Other fantasy managers are struggling too, and the way you succeed is by putting in more effort than the other guy. One way to do that is to grind the waivers week in and week out and stay ahead of your league-mates. For today, let’s look at Jalen Reagor’s fantasy value once he returns to the Philadelphia Eagles and see if he can help save your season.
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Jalen Reagor’s rough 2020 start for fantasy
Reagor’s rookie campaign was shaping up to be one for the record books. He was coming to a high-powered offense that desperately needed WR help and had the skillset to make an impact right out of the gate.
In Week 1, Reagor flashed on a single play where he caught one ball for 55 yards. That was all he did that week, but it was enough to get fantasy managers excited about what could be coming up.
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Reagor followed that up with a four-catch performance for 41 yards in Week 2, again showing his skills on the field as a pass-catcher. Unfortunately, Reagor suffered a torn ligament in his thumb during the game. He pushed through the pain, but after the game it was clear that he would need some surgery to correct things. The team held Reagor out of their Week 3 game and placed him on IR later that week, forcing him to miss a minimum of three games.
Drew Brees suffered a similar injury last season and was out five weeks, but a thumb is much more important to a quarterback than a receiver. The timetable for Reagor’s return was estimated at 3-4 weeks, and he had already missed one prior to going on IR. This means he could be ready to return as soon as Week 7 against the New York Giants on Thursday night. From a fantasy standpoint, this makes Jalen Reagor a prime stash candidate, but is he worth the risk?
Eagles pass-catching woes
The entire Philadelphia Eagles receiving corps has struggled so far in 2020. Veteran WR Alshon Jeffery hasn’t even seen the field yet this year due to his foot surgery from last season, and DeSean Jackson is still nursing a hamstring injury of his own. The team also sent Dallas Goedert to the IR with an ankle fracture that could end up ending the young tight end’s season.
Through five games, the leading receiver on the team with 209 total receiving yards is a previously unknown 25-year-old out of Old Dominion: Travis Fulgham. Fulgham only recorded 57 yards in Week 4 but blew up in Week 5 with 152 yards and a touchdown. He’s likely already been grabbed off waivers in most leagues, but it’s hard to imagine him being a great long-term solution for the team as well as fantasy managers due to his pedigree.
Related | Fixing the WR corps might not have been enough for the Eagles
Behind Fulgham, the Eagles have WR Greg Ward with 172 yards, TE Zach Ertz with 145 yards, and RB Miles Sanders with 97 receiving yards as their remaining healthy options to catch passes from Carson Wentz. If Jackson or Goedert make a return they should move Fulgham and Ward back down on the depth chart, but through five weeks this is not at all what the Eagles or fantasy managers expected. All signs point to Jalen Reagor easily becoming a fantasy flex starter whenever he’s ready to return.
Jalen Reagor’s fantasy outlook
Jalen Reagor wouldn’t just be great for fantasy, he’d also be great for the Eagles and their long term NFL aspirations. He was the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Reagor had a RAS score of 6.06, putting him 48th in WRs this year, but his speed and explosion are really what teams were after.
Reagor’s dynasty outlook is terrific, largely due to opportunity but also due to his own talent. “Reagor has the chance to be Carson Wentz’s dream target as he is not only able to get deep, but he can create space off of his cuts as well.” He’s easily a hold candidate in dynasty leagues because he hasn’t done enough to get the value back of the pick you spent on him. His redraft value is a little different though.
Anyone who drafted Reagor was likely looking at the depth chart and assuming that he would eventually step up and take over the WR group. Due to his injury, and the uncertainty that this season has brought due to the new bye week adjustments, his current FleaFlicker rostership is only 52%, meaning odds are very good that he’s on your waiver wire right now.
While he can’t help your team in Week 6, he’s definitely worth a stash in redraft leagues if you can afford the roster space. In leagues with expanded IR slots or deeper benches, he’s easily worth adding. I’d even recommend trying to trade for him depending on your current record and roster make-up. If you can get him for cheap enough, Jalen Reagor will help your fantasy team win weeks down the stretch, and that’s all you can ask for at the moment. Keep grinding, the season isn’t over yet!
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Andrew Hall is a writer for PFN covering the NFL and Fantasy Football. You can follow him on Twitter: @AndrewHallFF.