Philadelphia Eagles (DEF, PHI) - 2016 Fantasy Football Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Last Round

CURRENT ADP: 228

ANALYSIS: The Eagles’ defense is not considered to be a particularly appealing unit in fantasy football. It was incredibly permeable in 2015, yielding the fifth-most passing yards and the most rushing yards— third most yards of total offense. Linebacker Stephen Tulloch is the only notable addition on the defensive side of the ball, and they did lose Kiko Alonso, Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond. However, they also brought in Jim Schwartz to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator. The Buffalo Bills allowed the fourth-fewest yards in the league in 2014 with Schwartz as their DC.

Philadelphia doesn’t boast a D/ST that is likely to provide fantasy owners with consistent production. However, they can be worth a last-round flier as an early-season streamer. The Eagles draw the Browns — a team that finished 28th in points scored a year ago and will likely send out a QB who hasn’t played a snap since 2014 in Robert Griffin III — in the first week of the season. They will follow that up with a match-up against the Bears, who are without running back Matt Forte and offensive coordinator Adam Gase (under whom Jay Cutler enjoyed his best season).

So, while the Eagles’ defense may not hold up throughout the whole season, it should get off to a pretty strong start. Plus, Darren Sproles is always a threat in the return game, with two punt return touchdowns in each of his two seasons in Philadelphia.