Week 17 vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Eagles have locked up home-field advantage in the postseason, and head coach Doug Pederson has indicated his offensive starters will not play the entire game Week 17. It's impossible to know how much LeGarrette Blount will play. Plus, Dallas is top-10 in aFPA vs. RBs. You can't start Blount with any confidence, given the circumstances.
Week 16 vs. Oakland Raiders
The Eagles play Christmas night (Monday), and anybody with Eagles players must be aware that Doug Pederson has hinted this week of resting starters if/when the Eagles lock up home field advantage. If the Vikings lose Saturday (a long shot at Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers), the Eagles will have already done that. Otherwise, the Eagles currently have the third-highest team total in Vegas this week. However, at this point, Blount is not playable, with three straight weeks of fewer than 10 touches.
Week 15 at New York Giants
The Eagles still have an implied team total in Vegas in the top half of teams this week despite starting back-up QB Nick Foles, and the loss of their starting QB could mean increased volume for the backfield. Here's the problem: LeGarrette Blount has played fewer than 20% of snaps in back-to-back weeks. That's a recipe for disaster if you are pondering starting him this week. Don't do it.
Week 14 at Los Angeles Rams
The Eagles-Rams game has the third-highest over/under in Vegas this week at 48 points. Here's how the backfield touches have broken down over the past three weeks: LeGarrette Blount-45, Jay Ajayi-34, Corey Clement-30. However, we saw a shift last week with Ajayi playing 41% of snaps and leading the Eagles backfield with 12 touches. Nevertheless, that's still not a lot of touches. This is a three-man RBBC and should be avoided in the fantasy playoffs.
Week 13 at Seattle Seahawks
The Eagles have the fourth-highest implied team total of the week at 26.25 points; however, the backfield split since Jay AJayi joined the Eagles is killing Blount's value. This is a full RBBC, with Blount averaging just 5.7 PPR points over the past three games. The matchup is also not a good one, as Seattle is top-five in aFPA versus RBs, and the Eagles could rely on Carson Wentz to attack a banged up Seahawks secondary. We can't recommend an Eagles RB this week.
Week 12 vs. Chicago Bears
Eagles RB touches since they traded for Jay Ajayi: LeGarrette Blount-22, Corey Clement-19, Ajayi-16. This appears to be a three-way RBBC. The Bears are also below-average in our aFPA vs. RB rankings. However, Blount is just not getting enough volume to be viable. Therefore, we are not considering Blount a starting option in Week 12.
Week 11 at Dallas Cowboys
Reports out of Philadelphia are Jay Ajayi will be more involved in the offense this week as the Eagles head to Dallas for Sunday Night Football. That means it's hard to expect enough volume from Blount to warrant fantasy starting consideration. Bench him. He's a touchdown-or-bust proposition.
Week 9 vs. Denver Broncos
The acquisition of Jay Ajayi by the Eagles clouds everything this week for LeGarrette Blount and also moving forward. The Broncos are also first in our aFPA vs. RB rankings, foreshadowing a tough day for Blount and a potentially even more segmented pool of backfield touches. He's best positioned on your bench this week.
Week 8 vs. San Francisco
The matchup doesn't get any better, as the 49ers are dead last in our aFPA vs. RB rankings, and the Eagles have the highest implied total in Vegas this week at almost 30 points. Plus, positive game script is expected with the Eagles as a heavy favorite. LeGarrette Blount is still touchdown dependent, but if there was ever a week to get a score, this would be it. Blount is an RB2 this week, keeping in mind the low floor is always there due to the RBBC nature of this backfield and Blount's lack of a pass-catching role.
Week 7 vs. Washington
Wendell Smallwood looks like he'll return this week. That puts a dent into Blount's ceiling, as he returns to more of a touchdown-or-bust fantasy proposition. Washington is also top-10 in our aFPA vs. RB rankings. In the past two games, Blount has averaged 5.3 and 4.8 yards per carry, but he's just not getting the volume to be anything more than a FLEX consideration this week, as owners hope he finds the end zone.
