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The Philadelphia Eagles are set for a primetime matchup against the rival New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. While quite a few names jump out from this game as potential fantasy football targets in Week 6, Alshon Jeffery has been a tough player to gauge.
After having offseason rotator cuff surgery, Jeffery has been back on the field for the Eagles for two games. In the first, he caught 8-of-9 targets for 105 yards and one touchdown, hitting the ground running and re-taking his starting role immediately. The 28-year-old took a bit of a step back in Week 5, though, as he caught just 2-of-8 targets for 39 yards.
There have been both good and bad signs when it comes to Jeffery’s production for fantasy owners, so we’re going to break down the start-sit debate on the Eagles wideout for Week 6.
Alshon Jeffery’s Week 6 Fantasy Value and Matchup
One thing that stands out from Jeffery’s poor showing against the Tennessee Titans last week is that he managed to finish with the second-most targets on the team. Behind only Zach Ertz (11), Jeffery doubled up the next-closest players, as Nelson Agholor and Wendell Smallwood each saw four targets.
There’s no question Carson Wentz is looking Jeffery’s way often, but the two just couldn’t link up in Week 5. The receiver’s success the week prior jumps out to me more than his lack of production Sunday.
What really could be a cause for concern when it comes to Jeffery is how well the Giants have performed against opposing wideouts this season. On the year, the Giants have allowed 51 receptions for 659 yards and two touchdowns, ranking them as one of the best in the league against the position.
Looking at New York’s two toughest tests thus far is also impressive. During the team’s win over the Houston Texans, the secondary held DeAndre Hopkins to a modest six catches for 86 yards. Will Fuller managed to top 100 yards (101, to be exact) on five catches while scoring a touchdown, but the numbers came on 11 targets.
Hopkins totaling 86 yards may seem strong, but if you watch the Texans play and the lofty workload he receives, I can promise you’d consider it “modest” as well.
The Giants also managed to shut down another top receiver in New Orleans Saints star Michael Thomas. The 25-year-old entered the matchup with 38 catches through three games but was held to just four grabs for 47 yards.
Should You Start or Sit Alshon Jeffery
My initial thoughts were to start Jeffery as a prime bounce-back candidate this week. But it seems the only receivers who have had much luck against the Giants (if any) are No. 2 options.
If you have solid depth at wide receiver, which most fantasy owners of Jeffery likely do following his early-season absence, I’d strongly consider benching him. In 12-team leagues and smaller, my preference will be to look at other options and potentially even head to the waiver wire.
When it comes to 14-team leagues, the situation gets a bit tougher as depth isn’t as easy to come by and the waiver wire is almost certainly thin. If you don’t have any viable options, using Jeffery is fine, but you should go in knowing his ceiling is likely capped.
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