Is Wendell Smallwood the RB to own in Philadelphia?

The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the most surprising teams of the 2016 season thus far. Doug Pederson, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, was brought in to fill the void following Chip Kelly’s firing. Pederson’s coaching resume is rather lackluster, considering he has only been an NFL coach since 2009. Added to his inexperience is the fact that most experts were unimpressed by the move to trade five draft picks, including two first-rounders, to draft the FCS quarterback, Carson Wentz. Fast-forward to Week 3 and the experts are now singing a different tune. The Eagles are 3-0 coming into their bye week with an efficient offense and a ferocious defense. The only noticeable question mark comes in the form of their running back situation. So let’s answer that question.

Philadelphia’s offensive play scheme has been rather balanced this season, with 96 rushing attempts and 102 passing attempts. While Wentz has already solidified himself as the starter for the rest of the season, Ryan Mathews has not shown the same domination, leaving room for his counterparts, Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles, and Kenjon Barner, to chip away at his lead running back title.

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The main worry with Ryan Mathews is, and always has been, his health. Dating back to his tenure at California State University-Fresno, Mathews has shown a consistent trend of getting injured, missing eight games in three of his collegiate years. Since his entry into the NFL, Mathews has only played the entirety of a season once, dating back to 2013. The injuries shape up as so: Four concussions, one MCL sprain, one fractured foot, two fractured clavicles, three right ankle sprains, and two calf strains. If you do not understand the point I am trying to make, let me break it down for you: Mathews is going to get hurt, multiple times, in fact. Mathews is missing an average of 3.8 games per season, giving his teammates at the running back position numerous opportunities to unseat him as the lead back. With these injuries in mind, let’s delve into Mathews’ competition on the Eagles’ depth chart.

Our first candidate is the33-year-old spark plug known as Darren Sproles. He is five-foot-six, weighing 190 pounds, and is well-known for his pass-catching and punt returning abilities. He is the least likely of the three backup running backs to take the starting role from Mathews, due to his frame and lack of ability to run between the tackles. Through three games, Sproles has rushed 19 times for 51 yards, averaging 2.7 yards per carry. The yards per carry statistic is somewhat deceiving here, considering if you take away Sproles longest run of 14 yards, he is only averaging 2.1 yards per carry. Those are not starting running back numbers. With that being said, Sproles is currently an integral part of the Eagles’ passing game, where he has racked up 10 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. Sproles’ main positive attribute in comparison to the other running backs is the fact that he has multiple (13) targets in the passing game – Mathews, Barner, and Smallwood have two targets combined. The receiving statistics are impressive, but the fact is he lacks the ability to threaten Mathews for the lead role.

Next man up. Kenjon Barner. Barner made a name for himself in his senior year at the University of Oregon, where he ran 278 times for 1,767 yards and 21 touchdowns. Add his 20 receptions for 256 yards and two touchdowns and you have yourself a multi-dimensional running back. These statistics, along with his track-star speed and stocky frame led the Carolina Panthers to draft him in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, his opportunities to produce did not transfer to the NFL, where he has totaled 48 carries in his first three years. Barner also has a reoccurring right ankle sprain that led to him missing five weeks in 2013, as well as a few games during his collegiate career. However, in three games this season he is already on pace to triple his career high in carries. With the opportunity to produce, Barner has amounted an admirable 6.1 yards per carry, most of which came in Week 3 where he rushed eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown. These rushing statistics, along with Barner’s larger stature, immediately gives him an advantage over Sproles for the role of a between the tackles back, but his main competition will most likely come from what’s behind door No. 3.

*Opens door number 3*  Welcome to the party, Wendell Smallwood! The rookie became known to the fantasy world in Week 3 with a 17-carry, 79-yard and one-touchdown performance. On the year, Smallwood has totaled 20 carries for 96 yards and one touchdown, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. These productive numbers are no surprise for the five-foot-ten, 208-pound running back out of West Virginia University, mainly due to his productive college career. The Eagles selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft after his junior year, where he lead the Big 12 in rushing with 1,519 yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging nearly 6.5 yards per carry. Smallwood also added 26 receptions for 160 yards, showing his versatility at the running back position. These impressive numbers led to the most important statistic of all in Week 3, his usage. Smallwood out-touched Barner 17 carries to eight, providing Smallwood with what he needed – opportunity. This early-season success, along with Smallwood’s collegiate statistics, lead me to believe he is the main threat to take over Mathews’ lead role.

The news coming out of Philadelphia is that Mathews is bound to hold on to the starting job. This makes sense, considering he is being paid six times more than Smallwood, five times more than Barner, and, as we have established, Sproles is not a three-down back. This information has certainly appeased the media, but I am wary of “coach-speak,” considering in Week 2, Doug Pederson said he was going to feed Ryan Mathews the ball, while in reality he only carried the ball nine out of the the total 26 rushing attempts. So, the real question here is who has the most upside, who will receive the true opportunity to produce fantasy numbers and possibly win you a week, or maybe the season.

Ryan Mathews is certainly the lead back today, but with his injury history, he cannot be trusted to lead your fantasy team to victory. Sproles is a great PPR running back, but only has a role in 14+ team standard leagues. Barner has the ability to produce if given the opportunity, but will most likely never receive enough of a role. That leaves us with Wendell Smallwood, the running back this administration, the “post-Chip Kelly” Eagles, chose in the fifth round. I understand the fifth round does not have a flashy upside feel to it, but the fifth-round pick was actually the Eagles third-overall pick. I say this to influence you into looking past the tarnish that comes with the fifth-round pick label. Smallwood is talented and trusted by the Eagles in all aspects of the offense, whether it be running, receiving, or pass blocking. This trust leads me to believe Smallwood is the back of the future for the Eagles, and with the team’s quickly amounting success coming in 2016, the future is now.

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Ben Graul is a correspondent for FantasyPros. For more from Ben, check out his archive or follow him @bgraul89.