{"id":166487,"date":"2022-12-23T20:44:19","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T20:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/can-gardner-minshew-keep-eagles-wrs-rolling\/"},"modified":"2022-12-23T20:44:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-23T20:44:19","slug":"can-gardner-minshew-keep-eagles-wrs-rolling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/can-gardner-minshew-keep-eagles-wrs-rolling\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Gardner Minshew keep Eagles WRs rolling?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jalen Hurts<\/strong> not being able to play this week, and perhaps beyond that, is a massive blow to the Eagles and fantasy football playoff participants alike. Hurts has been one of the best difference-makers in both the real and fake games this year. He’s the central, gravitational force in the Eagles offense. The unit revolves around his skill set.<\/p>\n

Luckily, when it comes to projecting the star pass-catchers in Philly, we have film on Hurts’ backup. Gardner Minshew<\/strong> started two games last year and averaged 8.0 adjusted yards per attempt. I’m not some \u201cMinshew should be a starter\u201d truther but he’s without question a capable NFL backup.<\/p>\n

Minshew is just quite a bit different stylistically from the Eagles’ main man.<\/p>\n

Hurts has been on fire as a passer this year, especially on go-routes, where he’s been one of the league’s most productive throwers. As I discussed with AJ Brown<\/strong> on Ekeler’s Edge a couple of weeks ago, that’s helped reveal a hidden strength in the star receiver’s game:<\/p>\n

That cry you’re hearing now is the final gasp of a thousand hilariously bad offseason takes about Hurts’ passing ability.<\/p>\n

Minshew is a bit more middle-of-the-field focused than Hurts. Fewer than 45 percent of Minshew’s career passes have gone outside the numbers.<\/p>\n

Dallas Goedert <\/strong>had his best game of the 2021 season in Minshew’s start against the Jets last year, going for 100 yards and a pair of scores. That middle-of-the-field passing inclination lines up perfectly with the tight end position. Goedert returns this week just in time.<\/p>\n

Just because Goedert is back, however, doesn’t mean anything negative for the top two receivers. This is the most heavily concentrated passing game in the league. Last week, both Brown and DeVonta Smith <\/strong>went well over 100 yards; no other pass catcher cleared 10. There’s plenty of room to reintegrate Goedert and get these two wideouts where they need to go.<\/p>\n

Even if Minshew doesn’t take as many shots down the sideline to Brown as Hurts does, we have some reason to believe he’ll be efficient when he does<\/em> take them. Minshew has completed 69.6% of his career throws outside the numbers for 24 touchdowns to just four picks.<\/p>\n