Getty Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz joined the NFL Superstar Club.
The term “superstar” shouldn’t be tossed around all willy nilly — and one football analyst has made it his job to serve as a bouncer for what he calls the “NFL Superstar Club.” Guess what? Two Eagles players — Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz — have renewed their memberships in the club.
NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus updated his annual list of the “NFL Superstar Club” and included the Eagles quarterback and tight end on the elite squad. His methods for inclusion are rather unscientific, drawing on how a player is viewed by his contemporaries and what he means to his city and team. Charisma, too. Charisma counts. Hanzus began the selection process in 2015 and he updates it every year by adding and subtracting players — in essence, he needs to kick someone out to put someone else in.
This year, he tossed out a few really big names to make room for younger stars. At the quarterback position, the Patriots’ Tom Brady got the boot to make room for the Texans’ Deshaun Watson. Meanwhile, the Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster made the cut by eliminating the Bengals’ A.J. Green at wide receiver. Here is how Hanzus describes his process.
What is a superstar? Well, it’s hardly scientific. There’s no hard statistical markers one must cross to earn the distinction. Production is obviously a big part of it, but charisma counts, too. It matters how the player carries himself. How he represents his team and the city he plays for. How he is viewed by his contemporaries. When he walks in the door, does he change the temperature of the room? He better.
OK, back to the Eagles players who made it through the superstar door. Wentz joined other top signal-callers on the list: Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Patrick Mahomes, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson. At the tight end spot, Ertz was joined by playmakers George Kittle and Travis Kelce. Notable absences from the high-profile list were Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (although, to be fair, he only picked “edge rushers” and omitted the Rams’ Aaron Donald as well).
Zach Ertz, Carson Wentz Fantasy Football Studs
Ertz is the best Eagles skill player to target in terms of fantasy football, according to Sports Illustrated. The talented tight end was voted the third-best at this position, falling right behind veteran Travis Kelce and newcomer Greg Kittle.
Ertz, who made his second straight Pro Bowl, hauled in a record-setting 116 receptions — the most in NFL history for a tight end — for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns last season. More impressively, he was targeted 156 times and was easily Carson Wentz’s favorite safety valve.
Yep, Zach Ertz had two of the four biggest TE fantasy days of the season.
Pro Football Focus also heaped praise on the 28-year-old and predicted he’ll be the most “efficient” tight end in 2019 and told fantasy owners not to be worried about the presence of Dallas Goedert and DeSean Jackson in the Eagles’ offense. Ertz is still expected to average 16.5 fantasy points per game.
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Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated ranked Wentz as the eighth-best quarterback in fantasy football, putting him right below Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. The magazine had Baker Mayfield as their top fantasy option at quarterback. Don’t worry, Eagles fans, Dak Prescott was No. 11. ESPN projected lofty numbers for Wentz in 2019, including 4,127 passing yards and 30 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
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