Week 3 - Maclin vs. Washington
Maclin caught four balls for 45 yards and a TD last week. That makes two TDs in two games. He was targeted 11 times in the contest which shouldn't go unnoticed.
Maclin was getting open on Monday night, Foles missed him on a couple of potential big plays that really could have padded his stats. It's a good sign for owners to know Maclin is getting open and perhaps it's just a lack of time together in live action for QB Nick Foles and Maclin. It's a pretty good matchup this week against Washington at home and Maclin is ranked 24th on our WR list, although he's been a bit touchdown dependent.
Week 2 vs. Colts
Jeremy Maclin's one big TD catch saved an otherwise average day for owners. He was wide open for an easy score in the second half as part of the team's rally. He finished with four caches for 97 yards and a TD.
This week he's ranked a little higher in a good matchup. He comes in 21st which equates to a high end WR3 in 10-team formats. The Colts rank 27th in allowing fantasy points to WRs and this is shaping up to be a shootout as the Eagles passing defense is even worse than that. Maclin should be a good play for that kind of spot in your lineup.
Week 1 vs Jaguars
With DeSean Jackson now in Washington, Jeremy Maclin is the default WR1 for the Eagles. He didn't play at all last year, and has been a little banged up in camp, but seems to be on pace to be full strength Week 1. He's probably not an NFL WR1, and he's certainly not in fantasy.
This is a good first week matchup against the Jags, but it's hard to get a feel for how involved Maclin will be. There are a lot of balls to go around in Philly and now Maclin will be drawing team's top CBs. Right now, consider him depth with the potential to be much more than that once some questions are answered. He's a decent WR3 play.
Fantasy Upside
This is the first year Jeremy Maclin gets to play in Chip Kelly’s explosive, fast-paced, lots of plays run, offense. We forget about Maclin because he didn’t play last year, but in four seasons he has averaged 64 catches, 863 yards and over 6 TDs a season, so the resume is there and he’s certainly primed to break out this year as possibly the Birds WR1, replacing DeSean Jackson.
Fantasy Downside
Maclin isn’t Jackson in terms of speed so don’t expect that aspect to transfer into the team’s offense. Maclin will also have to battle for targets with Riley Cooper, Zach Ertz at TE and RBs LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. He’ll also now likely draw team’s top corners in matchups and hasn’t really logged game time with QB Nick Foles. Maclin has had trouble staying on the field in his five year career.
Bottom Line
We project Maclin for right around his career average this year: 65-870-7. There is some upside in the Eagles offense, but also risk, when you consider he didn't play in a single game in 2013. In terms of use for your fantasy team, he should probably just be considered depth at least to start the season. He’s ranked 36th which makes him a WR4 on your squad in a 10-team league. His ADP of the 7th round is at least a full round higher than guys ranked around him like: Marvin Jones (12.07), Brandin Cooks (9.9), Sammy Watkins (8.1) and Rueben Randle (10.3). It indicates to me he’s probably going a little too early for his value.
