The Eagles acquired Jordan Howard from the Bears yesterday, a trade that makes some sense for both sides. Howard was a poor fit for the Bears offense, which likes to use running backs in the passing game, while the Eagles have been looking for a lead back seemingly for forever.
But I don't think this makes Howard a hugely compelling fantasy pick. While he at least doesn't have as exciting a passing-game option behind him as Chicago's Tarik Cohen, he's going to a team that isn't nearly as productive in scoring rushing touchdowns, which is key to Howard's value.
Over the last two seasons, only seven teams have more rushing scores than Chicago. Only seven teams have fewer rushing scores than Philadelphia.
| TEAM RUSHING TDS, 2017-2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | '17 | '18 | Tot |
| New Orleans | 23 | 26 | 49 |
| LA Rams | 17 | 23 | 40 |
| New England | 16 | 18 | 34 |
| Baltimore | 14 | 19 | 33 |
| Tennessee | 18 | 15 | 33 |
| Carolina | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| Dallas | 18 | 13 | 31 |
| Chicago | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| Kansas City | 12 | 16 | 28 |
| Pittsburgh | 12 | 16 | 28 |
| Buffalo | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Green Bay | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| Cleveland | 11 | 15 | 26 |
| Denver | 8 | 18 | 26 |
| LA Chargers | 10 | 16 | 26 |
| Jacksonville | 18 | 7 | 25 |
| Indianapolis | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| Minnesota | 15 | 9 | 24 |
| NY Jets | 13 | 11 | 24 |
| Atlanta | 12 | 11 | 23 |
| Oakland | 13 | 9 | 22 |
| San Francisco | 15 | 7 | 22 |
| Washington | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| Detroit | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| Philadelphia | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| Houston | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| Cincinnati | 6 | 13 | 19 |
| NY Giants | 6 | 13 | 19 |
| Seattle | 4 | 15 | 19 |
| Tampa Bay | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| Arizona | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| Miami | 4 | 7 | 11 |
Howard will be part of a committee in Philadelphia, with Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood and maybe Josh Adams around. None of those guys is particularly accomplished, so it shouldn't be hard for Howard to take on the lead back role. But he's not adept as a receiver (the Bears threw him some passes early in the season but quickly abandoned that idea), so he won't play in those situations. And the team doesn't really have a running mindset, especially around the goal line.
The real boost is fantasy value here goes to Mike Davis. The Bears signed him early in the free agency period, and for now he'll pair with Tarik Cohen atop the depth chart. Davis was pretty effective in Seattle the last two years. He's some 30 pounds heavier than Cohen, so he should be the favorite for carries and goal-line work. Probably available in dynasty leagues with open waiver wires.
Chicago could still sign or draft someone else, but this is a boost to both Davis' value and Cohen's. Howard is appealing if you like committee backs who aren't involved in the passing game on teams that don't score a ton of rushing touchdowns.
This also ensures Jay Ajayi won't be back in Philadelphia, which was the expectation all along. Ajayi, coming back from a torn ACL, met with the Colts a while back, but hasn't generated a lot of interest. Maybe closer to training camp, or at least after the draft.
--Andy Richardson