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Tough Read: Eagles Receiving Corps
Jeremy MaclinIcon SMI

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Aside from being wide receivers on the Philadelphia Eagles, what do DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Steve Smith have in common? That's right, as a group, they've been all but invisible this preseason.

This trio will get all the aerial headlines in Philly, but so far one thing or another has kept them all out of action.

Desean Jackson is the least concerning of the group because his absence was self imposed. He held out early in camp, but eventually reported and got back to work with his teammates. However, we've barely seen him in either of the Eagles preseason games. He had no presence in the first contest and in the second he grabbed 2 balls for a paltry 8 yards. Exhilarating stuff, I know. Of course, I'm not worried about him. He's healthy and after the nasty hit he took last year which illuminated how his small size makes him an injury risk, I'm fine with him taking it easy in the preseason. Save it for when it counts.

It's the other two guys that are a bit harder to read.

Let's start with Jeremy Maclin, who has missed plenty of time with an unknown illness. The last I heard he's going to be just fine. However, NFL Network did report that he has lost some weight along with other typical side effects from a prolonged illness. He's back to work, but odds are he won't be in peak form when the season begins.

The guy I'm most concerned about is NY Giants transplant Steve Smith. The expectation has already been set that we won't see him in the preseason and that he may not even be able to practice until week 1 of the regular season - courtesy of knee surgery. So who knows when he'll actually take the field. Since we won't get a chance to see him during the preseason, we don't have the best feel for what kind of a role he will play.

Fantasy Outlook:
Here's some insight on how to treat these guys on draft day:

Jackson remains the home run hitter on this offense. Treat him like you would any other year.

Maclin is likely to get off to a slow start, but it shouldn't take him too long to get back to form. Once fully healthy he'll be the same threat we saw last season (just shy of 1000 yards and 10 TDs). He could lose some targets once Steve Smith is ready to go, but who knows when that will be. Once Smith does return, he'll still need a couple of weeks, at least, to get back to full speed.

Steve Smith works as a sleeper pick. If you can get him for good value later in your draft, he could be worth stashing on the bench. Be sure to check for updates on his rehab progress before your draft.

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GridAugust 25, 2011
Vick has never had weapons like these before. Exciting times.
asalladayAugust 22, 2011
Yeah I agree, it could just end up being the Jackson show if Maclin doesn't fully recover and who knows when or how good Smith will be after the injury.
BeshoreAugust 20, 2011
I am worried about maclin this year. Don't know if he will be ready or not.





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