As a fantasy football writer, I have to keep tabs on all 32 teams all the time. Very rarely do I get a chance to talk about my birds specifically, so this article is somewhat special to me.
The Eagles have really made a lot of news in the recent weeks, from their trading of Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second rounder, to their surprise signing of free agent prize Nnamdi Asomugha. Andy Reid and company are clearly going all in and loading up for a Super Bowl run.
Most of their moves were on the defense, but one move that had everyone talking came Tuesday when the Eagles signed former Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown to a one-year deal worth $1 million. Brown will take the place of Jerome Harrison, who opted to try out the market in free agency over returning as the No. 2 behind LeSean McCoy.
As an Eagles fan, this came as somewhat of a shock because I had figured the team would have to eventually sign another running back, but I never expected it to be a player like Brown, who has been a fantasy name owners have known about for years. Not that Brown has been anything special recently, but he carries a little bit more clout than some other scrubs that are still on the market. When healthy, he's was one of the best all-around running backs in terms of running between the tackles and catching the ball.
Many fantasy owners are starting to worry that Brown will take on a bigger role than Harrison had last year (71 carries/330). And why not? He was a former first-round pick. And when he was with the Dolphins, he put up solid stats when healthy.
So what do I say to owners who either have McC0y now, or have McCoy ranked high on their cheat sheets? Don't worry about it. And I seriously mean that. This signing does absolutely nothing to lessen his value. McCoy is the featured back in this offense and that wasn't going to change whether Brown was around, or someone lesser known took the No. 2 role.
In fact, I bumped McCoy up even further in my running back rankings to No. 7. If anything, Brown giving McCoy a breather here and there will help his value because he won't have to be counted on for every single snap, ensuring that he has a much better chance of remaining healthy. And, as usual, McCoy is even more valuable in PPR leagues with or without Brown.
As for Brown's fantasy value, he becomes a must-have handcuff. He is a perfect fit for a Reid offense that counts on their running backs to not only be able to run, but catch and pass block. Brown fits all those roles. So if you land McCoy, and you can keep a decent amount of running backs at one time, make sure and stash away Brown for safe keeping because you never know when you will have to use him.