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The Philadelphia Eagles receiving core has received a lot of attention this off-season. WR Jeremy Maclin tore his ACL and won’t be playing at all this year. While WR Riley Cooper has quickly become the most hated man in America for his racial comments at a country music concert.
Despite all the attention, though, WR DeSean Jackson continues to slip through the cracks in fantasy football drafts this summer.
The loss of Maclin leaves Chip Kelly’s high-powered offense without many deep threats to stretch the field, which by itself will cause Jackson’s value to skyrocket. Jackson is fast, elusive, and has great hands. These are all traits that Kelly loves to utilize in his fast-paced offense and Jackson has the chance to put up Pro Bowl numbers in this system.
Jackson hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass in the team’s first preseason game against the New England Patriots. He was able to get behind the secondary and the veteran laid out for a beautiful touchdown. It just shows the potential Jackson has in Kelly’s offense and the duo could be very exciting to watch this fall.
The increase in workload this season should help the former California star regain his value as a starting fantasy wideout, so don’t sleep on him. Jackson will lead the team in targets every week and thus is the best fantasy receiver to grab on the Eagles.
Jackson’s numbers have gone down slightly in each of the past four seasons (1,156 yards/ 9 TDs in 2009 down to 700 yards/2 TDs in 2012), but the constant quarterback controversy in Philly has not exactly helped the situation. The receiver seems much more comfortable this season, though, and he looks ready to have another huge fantasy season.
D-Jax is currently being taken well after the first couple rounds and I consider him a steal in the middle of the draft. I fully anticipate Jackson rebounding this season and once again becoming a reliable WR2. If you can grab him after the sixth round, I recommend adding the speedster.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
