The Philadelphia Eagles have Sam Bradford struggling heading into a bye week, but Chip Kelly said that he has not considered making a change to Mark Sanchez at quarterback. The team is dealing with some injuries to Ryan Mathews, Jordan Matthews and Jason Peters and into Week 9 Demarco Murray is the best fantasy starter for the team.
The Eagles come into the bye after a loss to the Carolina Panthers and now the team is 3-4 after the defeat. Bradford has been up and down to start the season and he struggled last week against the Panthers with an interception and a passer rating below 60. Bradford was acquired in a trade with the Rams for Nick Foles in the offseason and Chip Kelly said that he still has confidence in the quarterback. According to CSNPhilly.com, Kelly said that he is not thinking about making a quarterback change at this time.
Mark Sanchez is the backup for Bradford and Kelly said that he has not considered making a move this season despite Bradford's struggles at times. Kelly also cited the drops on Sundays night as an issue, as the Eagles had multiple instances of receivers dropping passes. Jordan Matthews was one of those players and according to the Philadelphia Daily News, Matthews has been dealing with a hand injury and he suffered a hand ligament injury three weeks ago. Matthews has six drops this season and the injury may have contributed to some of his drops on Sunday night.
The Eagles have Ryan Mathews and DeMarco Murray as their top running backs and overall this season Mathews has been performing more consistently than Murray. Mathews had over 100 total yards against the Panthers on Sunday, but Murray was used more by Kelly on offense. According to Pro Football Talk, Kelly said Mathews suffered a groin injury against the Panthers early in the game and that was one reason why he was used less than Murray.
According to 97.5 The Fanatic, Kelly said that Mathews is "injured right now" but he did not say whether or not that he will be able to play against the Dallas Cowboys after the bye week. Murray has been getting carries for the Eagles after complaining about his touches earlier in the season and if Mathews is limited, fantasy owners should start Murray against the Cowboys. Murray had more carries in the game against the Panthers, but Mathews finished with more yards and Mathews scored a touchdown.
This season Murray is averaging 3.5 yards per carry and Mathews is averaging over six yards per carry and overall he has been more effective. Bradford needs both players to perform, as that could help open up the passing game. This season Bradford is completing 62 percent of his passes, but he has nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions and he needs to work on cutting down his turnovers.
