If you play fantasy football, there’s a good chance that you or one of your opponents drafted Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery signed a four-year, $57 million extension with Philadelphia to serve as the team’s top wide receiver.
However, a lingering shoulder injury forced Jeffery to miss Week One, and he might not be back soon. Jeffery already said he’ll miss Week Two and still has “a couple more visits with the doctor” scheduled. With his status uncertain, fantasy footballers everywhere are asking what they should do with the injured wideout.
Fantasy Football: How to Handle the Alshon Jeffery Situation
The obvious downside here is that Jeffery is out at least one more week. Since neither he nor the Philadelphia Eagles have released a timeframe, it’s possible Jeffery misses more than just the first two weeks of the season. That said, he will return sooner rather than later. It’s hard to imagine Jeffery missing more than the next two or three weeks, at worst.
Holding on to a player without Antonio Brown upside is hard to do, so many players will feel the temptation to cut Jeffery and sign an inferior, but healthy, player. While that may make sense on a case-by-case basis, you’d be smart to hold on to Jeffery, at least for a little while.
Jeffery is far and away the most talented receiver on the Eagles roster and will be the WR1 for Philadelphia the second he comes back into the lineup. In Week One, Nelson Agholor was the only Eagles wide receiver to catch more than one pass. He caught eight passes for a highly inefficient 33 yards.
Once Jeffery returns to the lineup, he should be the focal point of the Philadelphia Eagles passing attack. Back in 2017, Jeffery finished the season with 57 receptions for 789 yards and nine touchdowns, despite being in his first year with the club. He also did this while playing through the very same shoulder injury which is currently sidelining him. Once he’s healthy, this injury shouldn’t drastically limit his production. If history is any indicator, he should produce similarly to 2017 once he’s healthy enough to play.
Last Word on Alshon Jeffery
While Jeffery’s continued absence is obviously worrisome, giving up on Jeffery entirely is a short-sighted move. The team still expects him to come back sooner rather than later, so it’s not like you’re stashing this guy for half the season.
When he’s healthy and going strong, Jeffery offers starting wide receiver upside. Chances are, there’s nobody out on the waiver wire who can match Jeffery’s ceiling. He’s easily the most reliable receiver on the Eagles and has shown great chemistry with both Nick Foles and Carson Wentz. Unless your team has been drastically affected by injury, hold on to Jeffery. The payoff in a few weeks will be worth it.
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