Wendell Smallwood

Wendell Smallwood could end up starting in Eagles' backfield

Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood could win the team's starting running back job, believes Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice.

What It Means:

In what Kempski describes as a "surprise development," Smallwood has emerged as "the best back in camp by a significant margin," aside from Darren Sproles, who remains the favorite to lead the Eagles' backfield in touches this season. With Smallwood threatening to pass him on the depth chart, LeGarrette Blount is shaping up to be a stay-away fantasy option. He's currently being drafted in the fifth round as the RB25 in standard leagues, per Fantasy Football Calculator. Meanwhile, Sproles is a double-digit selection in both standard and PPR formats, and Smallwood is off the board.

Smallwood is currently the 67th fantasy running back in numberFire's projections for the season. We expect him to rush 68.2 times for 283.5 yards and 1.18 touchdowns with 10.6 receptions for 82.5 yards and 0.11 scores through the air. Blount is 36th in our 2017 season rankings while Sproles checks in at 44th.