This is one of the toughest bye weeks of the season, with five of the top 20 players on Draft Day off. The injury situation isn't making things any easier. There is positive news around Caleb Williams' return and at least some hope of an A.J.
If either of them plays, they will be ranked as starters. Most of the news early in the week has not been good. Nowhere has the news been as bad as it has been in Philadelphia.
The long-term prognosis is still very much in the air, but what we do know is that Hurts won't play Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. In his place will be Tanner McKee, who will play behind a makeshift line, possibly without Barkley and Smith, who are both dealing with hamstring issues. The Eagles' implied total has fallen to 17.75, one of the lowest marks of the week.
McKee has made two starts in his NFL career and thrown 88 career passes. Both of his starts were in Week 18, so it is hard to know what, if anything, to take from them. We mostly agree with the line movement, that this is a significant downgrade, and if you have the luxury, the safest move may be to avoid Eagles not named Dallas Goedert.
He's still a top 10 tight end and should be the team's leading target earner. Dameon Pierce is the next man up if Barkley can't go, and he projects as a low-end RB2 only because the position is so thin this week. Dontayvion Wicks is the top Eagles receiver if Smith is out, but he is a boom-bust WR3 who may not have much boom potential.
If you don't like your DST, the Panthers have suddenly emerged as a legitimate starting option. Of these three, Boston is the only one we are currently projecting to play in Week 6. He's a WR3 with top 12 upside but a profile that suggests volatility.
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