Week 8 - Matthews vs. Arizona
Back in Week 6, Jordan Matthews caught four balls for 50 yards on six targets.
It was Mathews and Riley Cooper who were the productive WRs while Jeremy Maclin was shut down. QB Nick Foles also targeted the TEs more against the Giants. But Matthews continues to get his looks, averaging just over seven targets a game his last four games. Outside of Week 3, it hasn't really equated to great fantasy numbers, though, but eventually the final numbers could start to creep up if he and QB Nick Foles start to connect a little more.
Week 6 - Matthews vs. NY Giants
Jordan Matthews caught four balls for 35 yards on seven targets last week. He also saw a drop in snaps to 45% after seeing around 65% three of the previous four weeks.
Matthews has averaged about 7-9 targets over the last three weeks so the plays are there but the numbers aren't. There are still no plans to move Matthews to the outside to replace Riley Cooper, and Cooper made a great TD catch last week to perhaps buy himself some more time. Starting Matthews still comes with some risks.
Week 5 - Matthews vs. St. Louis
Jordan Matthews had just four catches for 28 yards on seven targets last week. It followed a two-TD performance the following week.
Matthews has the potential to be a fantasy starter but it's probably best to stash him until we see if the Birds can figure out their O-line as well as their running game. Matthews has a good matchup this week as the Rams are just 22nd in allowing fantasy points to WRs. It looks like Matthews will continue to only see time in the slot for now and the team is sticking with an invisible Riley Cooper on the outside. Keep an eye on that situation because if Matthews moves to the outside his value will likely go up.
Week 4 - Matthews vs. San Francisco
Jordan Matthews busted out last week after being a popular name in camp this summer. He caught eight balls for 59 yards and two TDs and was targeted nine times.
He passes an invisible Riley Cooper in our rankings this week - in terms of Eagle WRs. The 49ers D ranks 32nd in allowing fantasy points to WRs - which is dead-last in the league, so it's again a good mathup. Given the struggles of the Eagles run game, the Birds may throw a lot again this week. Matthews wasn't much of a factor Weeks 1 and 2, but keep in mind did have some drops (and even in preseason) and if not for those maybe we're talking about Matthews being on fantasy radars a lot sooner than this week.
Matthews is worth a grab off the wire and should begin to get more playing time with Cooper not offering much so far this season.
Week 3 - Matthews vs. Washington
Jordan Matthews had one catch for 17 yards and was targeted four times. Matthews dropped a couple of catchable balls, which makes two weeks in a row now with that issue. Matthews was the talk of the town in camp and preseason but so far hasn't lived up to expectations. The team is still high on him but he's not a safe fantasy play.
Week 2 vs. Colts
Jordan Matthews had two catches for 37 yards on four targets last week.
Matthews was apparently wide open on a couple of the plays but QB Nick Foles didn't have a lot of time thanks to a banged up offensive line. Matthews is still the real deal according to those who cover the team. He has a chance to get much more involved this week in what should be a shootout with the Colts, who rank 27th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. If you can afford to keep him around, especially in deeper leagues it may pay off in a few weeks.
Week 1 vs Jaguars
The big question about Jordan Matthews is how quickly will he make an impact. There are a lot of targets on this Eagles team and it may take a while before he's fantasy lineup worthy, at least on a consistent basis. He doesn't have much competition at the WR3 spot aside for veteran Brad Smith, but owners are going to have to worry about TEs Zach Ertz, Brent Celek and RB Darren Sproles stealing away his fantasy stats. He's a wait-and-see candidate even in a good matchup against the Jags.
Fantasy Upside
Jordan Matthews is expected to jump right into the Eagles WR3 role as a rookie. He could have some value right away, too, as there are a lot of question marks around Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin, who have both missed time in camp with injuries. Matthews excels in yards after the catch and spent a lot of time in college catching short passes and turning them into big plays.
Fantasy Downside
Matthews will have to fight for targets with Cooper and Maclin as well as TEs Zach Ertz and Brent Celek and RBs LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. Jason Avant wasn't much of a factor last year as the team's WR3, but a younger Matthews could very well alter the team's game plan and attract more targets.
Bottom Line
Matthews is ranked 55th on our WR list and seems to be getting some late round draft action with an ADP of the 13th round. I think he's going to contribute, but in a typical 10-team league I think you can find some better value at that point in the draft. He's worth keeping an eye on, but it's best to take a wait-and-see approach. His real value lies in a Maclin or Cooper injury, pushing Matthews into a starting role.
