Player Outlook
Darren Sproles is expected to play his usual role for the Eagles this season as a pass-catching running back and contributor on special teams. New teammate LeGarrette Blount should handle the rushing downs, but you know what to expect from Sproles by now. In 2016, he was the No. 31 running back in standard leagues with 94 carries for 438 yards and two touchdowns and 52 catches for 427 yards and two touchdowns. This is the fifth time in his career he's had at least 800 total yards and four touchdowns and the sixth time he's had at least 50 catches. He's 34, but Sproles has shown no signs of slowing down and continues to thrive in his role. The problem for Fantasy owners, especially in standard leagues, is knowing when to use him. He should be viewed as a No. 4 Fantasy running back in standard formats with a late-round pick, and he's a No. 3 option in PPR with a mid-round selection. He's a better player for the Eagles than Fantasy owners, but he's still useful in deeper formats. And don't worry about the addition of rookie Donnel Pumphrey, who appears to be a younger version of Sproles. Pumphrey is likely to make more of an impact in 2018 than this season as long as Sproles is healthy.
Player News
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Sproles returned to OTAs on Monday after missing last week with a family obligation, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The veteran speedster returns to the practice field this week and should compete for first-team reps with newly acquired LeGarrette Blount, who also missed some time last week due to family obligations.
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Sproles was absent from practice Tuesday due to a family obligation, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The newly signed LeGarrette Blount is also absent with a family obligation, so the Eagles are currently down two tailbacks for the second week of OTAs. Expect Sproles, who is expected to once again serve his regular scatback role, to return to the team once his obligations are taking care of.
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In a press conference from the NFL Combine on Wednesday, March 1, head coach Doug Pederson confirmed that Sproles will return to the Eagles in 2017. Sproles entered last season as the club's change-of-pace back but became Pederson's most-trusted option in the ground game as the year wore on, as evidenced by him earning 45 percent of the offensive snaps, versus 25 percent for Ryan Mathews (neck). With the oft-injured Mathews perhaps on the way out of Philadelphia, the team will look to bring in additional talent to the backfield via the draft or free agency. However, with bigger needs elsewhere on the roster, the Eagles could end up using Wendell Smallwood (knee) as their primary ball carrier in the upcoming campaign. Either way, Sproles will probably be slotted in the same scatback role that he occupied at the beginning of this past season. He finished 2016 with 438 yards on 94 carries and added 427 more yards on 52 receptions. He also scored two touchdowns each on the ground and through the air.
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Sproles rushed for 32 yards on nine carries and added four yards on three catches in Sunday's win over the Cowboys. Who said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Sproles ended the 2016 season at 33 years old and setting a new career mark in rushing attempts. Often the scatback throughout his career, injuries, ineffectiveness and inexperience in Philadelphia's backfield led to Sproles taking the top job down the stretch. It sets up an interesting predicament in Philadelphia this offseason. On one hand, the Eagles can walk away from the $4 million owed to Sproles in 2017 with no cap penalty. On the other, the team would enter the season with little experience behind the oft-injured Ryan Mathews.
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Sproles (concussion) compiled 40 yards and scored a touchdown on seven rushes, while securing both of his targets for 23 yards in Thursday's 24-19 win over the Giants. Sproles opened the scoring with a 25-yard scamper in the first quarter, only his second touchdown of the season, both of which have come in the last three games he's been active for. Sproles saw limited work despite backfield mate Ryan Mathews' early exit from the contest with a stinger, but could be in line for a much bigger share of the tailback touches in Week 17 against the Cowboys if the latter's injury lingers.
Recent Tweets
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1:10 pm ET / @ZBermZach Berman
Also, Pumphrey getting a lot of work at punt returner. Eagles need to think about life post-Sproles in 2018.
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12:36 am ET / @RoobCSNReuben Frank
Sproles averaged 4.7 yards per carry last year actually, not 6.3. https://t.co/wytlfkOXuN
Completed Games
| WK | OPP | RUATT | RUYD | RUTD | RECPT | REYD | RETD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLE | 5 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | @CHI | 12 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | PIT | 2 | -1 | 0 | 6 | 128 | 1 | 18 |
| 4 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | @DET | 5 | 45 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | @WAS | 4 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | MIN | 3 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | @DAL | 15 | 86 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | @NYG | 13 | 57 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | ATL | 2 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 57 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | @SEA | 2 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | GB | 3 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | @CIN | 7 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 35 | 0 | 10 |
| 14 | WAS | 5 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 9 |
| *15 | @BAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | NYG | 7 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 12 |
| 17 | DAL | 9 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| PROJECTION | 80 | 346 | 1.9 | 54 | 388 | 2.2 | 82.6 | |
| * indicates player did not play that week | ||||||||
Scheduled Games
| WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK | OPP FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09/10 | @Washington Redskins | 29 | 20.50 |
| 2 | 09/17 | @Kansas City Chiefs | 17 | 17.59 |
| 3 | 09/24 | New York Giants | 7 | 14.88 |
| 4 | 10/01 | @Los Angeles Chargers | 27 | 19.88 |
| 5 | 10/08 | Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 14.38 |
| 6 | 10/13 | @Carolina Panthers | 4 | 14.50 |
| 7 | 10/24 | Washington Redskins | 29 | 20.50 |
| 8 | 10/29 | San Francisco 49ers | 33 | 27.13 |
| 9 | 11/05 | Denver Broncos | 20 | 18.13 |
| 10 | BYE | - | - | - |
| 11 | 11/20 | @Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 14.24 |
| 12 | 11/26 | Chicago Bears | 19 | 18.00 |
| 13 | 12/04 | @Seattle Seahawks | 5 | 14.78 |
| 14 | 12/10 | @Los Angeles Rams | 14 | 16.63 |
| 15 | 12/17 | @New York Giants | 7 | 14.88 |
| 16 | 12/26 | Oakland Raiders | 25 | 19.71 |
| 17 | 12/31 | Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 14.24 |
Team Trends
Red Zone Trends
Career Stats
| Season | RuAtt | RuYd | RuTD | Recpt | ReYd | ReTD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 94 | 438 | 2 | 52 | 427 | 2 | 109 |
| 2015 | 83 | 317 | 3 | 55 | 388 | 1 | 93 |
| 2014 | 57 | 329 | 6 | 40 | 387 | 0 | 106 |
| 2013 | 53 | 220 | 2 | 71 | 604 | 2 | 106 |
| 2012 | 48 | 244 | 1 | 75 | 667 | 7 | 138 |
| 2011 | 87 | 603 | 2 | 86 | 710 | 7 | 185 |
| 2010 | 50 | 267 | 0 | 59 | 520 | 2 | 90 |
| 2009 | 93 | 343 | 3 | 45 | 497 | 4 | 125 |
| 2008 | 61 | 330 | 1 | 29 | 342 | 5 | 103 |
| 2007 | 37 | 164 | 2 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 31 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 8 | 50 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 Year Avg | 78 | 361 | 4 | 49 | 401 | 1 | 106 |
| Career | 671 | 3305 | 22 | 525 | 4583 | 30 |