Week 4 vs. New York Giants
After a solid Week 2 game, Sam Bradford had numbers in Week 3 that reflected our expectations of Minnesota's passing offense. He had 171 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Bradford has played well through his first two starts, but has only had one fantasy relevant performance.
This week he'll test the Giants, and although they have been tough against quarterbacks so far, the team is injured heavily in the secondary. The Giants had offensive players learning defensive roles this week in case there's an emergency.
In the end though, we're not expecting much from Bradford, and he'll be a poor quarterback option this week.
Week 3 at Carolina
Sam Bradford played surprisingly well in his debut, falling just 14 yards shy of 300 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. While we may have to rethink how Bradford will act as a fantasy option moving forward, we'll have to wait until after this week.
That's because Bradford gets a tough matchup against the Panthers, who own one of the toughest defenses in football. We have a hard time imagining Bradford going too crazy against this team, which is why we project he'll be one of the poorer options at quarterback this week.
Week 2 vs. Green Bay
Mike Zimmer won't officially announce who will start at quarterback, but Sam Bradford has received the majority of first-team snaps in practice, so he's the safe assumption. For fantasy purposes, it really doesn't matter who starts. Neither one will amount to relevance.
Shaun Hill started last week, but had no touchdowns on 236 yards. He did avoid turning the ball over, though. Still, this is a run-first offense, and even in a possible high-scoring game with the Packers, we don't expect much production from the QB position.
Fantasy Upside
Sam Bradford really started to come on during the second half of last season. He finished as QB24 in 2015, but did struggle very early on in the season. In his first seven games he threw for 9 TDs and 10 INTs, but from Week 9 on he tossed 10 TDs to just four INTs. Over his last three games, he averaged about 345 yards per game and threw five TDs during that span. Bradford also started to show some mobility in the pocket, which bought him time and allowed him some longer completions. With a line that struggled at times last season, Bradford finds himself behind one which should be improved. The team is expected to go back to a more traditional running game rather than one run out of the pistol or shotgun. Bradford should also have the ability to audible more at the line this season.
Fantasy Downside
Bradford comes into this season having to learn another new system with head coach Doug Pederson taking over for Chip Kelly. While Bradford did show more mobility toward the end of last season, he's far from a mobile QB and at times last year went down rather easily. There aren't a lot of proven WR weapons either. Jordan Matthews has been productive out of the slot, but the team lacks outside threats and will be counting on Nelson Agholor to show his first-round worth and Rueben Randle to live up to his potential. TE Zach Ertz appears ready to take off, but we thought the same last season and he started slowly. Perhaps most notable is the team drafted QB Carson Wentz second overall and he can only be held back so long.
Bottom Line
Bradford ranks 32nd on our QB list. The big fear here is Wentz takes over sooner than later. Right now, the team is committed to Bradford, but with what seems like a lack of weapons around him, he's a risky fantasy play until we see how the new offense works. Bradford should be available very late in drafts, but is more of a third QB option right now.
Week 17 at New York Giants
Sam Bradford threw for 380 yards and a TD last week in a loss to the Redskins that ended the team's playoff hopes. It also ended Chip Kelly's coaching career in Philly as it turned out.
Bradford played pretty well, again, in the loss. For not having a lot of weapons, Bradford was continuing to improve in Kelly's system. This week, the team travels to take on the Giants in a pretty friendly matchup. The G-Men are 29th in allowing fantasy points to QBs and Bradford climbs our charts a bit and comes in 14th, giving him higher-end QB2 value for Week 17. There could be some points scored in this game with both teams out of the playoff picture. As for Bradford's future, he'll be a free agent. With no head coach at the moment, the Eagles will have a decision to make as far as opening up the checkbooks to keep Bradford. If he stays, the team will need to get him more weapons, however, Bradford hasn't really strongly indicated he wants to stay in Philly.
Week 16 vs. Washington
Sam Bradford threw for 364 yards and two TDs last week against the Cardinals as the Birds had to play from behind in much of this game. Bradford did throw two INTs. It was his first multi-INT game since Week 6.
He continues to look a little better each week but this was the first time it really paid off from a fantasy perspective. This week, Bradford gets a pretty nice match up against the Redskins at home on Saturday night. It's a must-win game for the Eagles in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Redskins are around the middle of the pack when it comes to allowing fantasy points to QBs, so it's not a bad matchup. But Bradford remains a lower-end QB2 option. Earlier this year, Bradford threw for 270 yards and three TDs against Washington.
Week 15 vs. Arizona
Sam Bradford threw for 247 yards and a TD last week against the Bills. He had his first interception since Week 7 at Carolina on what was a tipped ball.
Bradford has played better since the early season but isn't lighting it up from a fantasy perspective like we've seen past Eagles QBs do in this system. He has five TDs over his last four games with just one INT. He's certainly nothing more than a QB2 option even when playing well. This week's matchup is just an average one as the Cards are 14th in allowing fantasy points to QBs. The Birds are at home in prime time and it's likely some points are going to need to be scored in this game. But Bradford is still just a QB2 option.
Week 14 vs. Bills
Sam Bradford threw for 120 yards and two TDs last week in a strange game for the Eagles. The Birds used three defensive/special team TDs to help upset the Pats, but for fantasy owners it just meant the offense wasn't on the field all that much to produce.
Still, Bradford tossed two TD passes, giving him 13 on the year and four in his last three games. He hasn't thrown an INT in that same span and has played well overall despite not producing great fantasy numbers. Bradford comes in ranked 25th on our list this week, facing the Bills at home who are eighth in allowing fantasy points to the position. It's not a great matchup for Bradford, but he is ranked as a lower-end QB2 play.
Week 13 at New England
Sam Bradford could be back this week against the Patriots. If healthy enough, Bradford would get the start over Mark Sanchez, who threw for 199 yards and two TDs last week. The Patriots are 10th in allowing fantasy points to QBs so this isn't a great matchup no matter who starts for the Eagles. Bradford was playing pretty well before a concussion and left shoulder sprain.
Week 10 vs Miami
Sam Bradford is coming off what many think is his best game of the season last week against the Cowboys. He's had better fantasy performances, but the hope is this mini-stretch of playing well leads to better fantasy games. Last week he was 25-for-35 for 295 yards and a TD. His TD came in overtime.
This week, Bradford hosts the Dolphins who are 12th in allowing fantasy points to RBs. Bradford comes in as a lower-end QB2 this week as a result. Last week he got more help from his WRs, who didn't drop nearly as many balls as they did in Week 7. But his WR group isn't the most talented so it will tend to affect his final fantasy numbers. There are probably better options to go with this week.
