Faceoff - Who Is the Eagles' WR2?

Posted 7/20, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Kevin Curtis - by Andy Hicks

Heading into fantasy drafts this year, Kevin Curtis is the forgotten wide receiver from the Philadelphia Eagles. After a Top 20 fantasy performance in 2007, a sports hernia caused him to miss the first seven weeks of the 2008 season. His performance thereafter was OK, but once the Eagles reached the playoffs he started to demonstrate his value to the offense. If he remains fully healthy then he could be a mid to late round steal for your fantasy squad.

The talk regarding Eagles receivers this year will primarily focus on last year's impact rookie DeSean Jackson and first-round pick Jeremy Maclin from the 2009 draft. Jackson became the No. 1 guy virtually by default after injuries to Curtis and Reggie Brown. He responded well, but at 5-foot-9 and under 170 pounds, it remains to be seen whether he can consistently take the workload required from a No. 1 receiver. As for Maclin, just because he's a first-round receiver doesn't mean he'll get immediate playing time. Look through almost any year in recent memory and see how many rookies made any kind of impact in their debut season. For every Randy Moss, there are far more many names like Freddie Mitchell or Robert Meachem from the top receivers drafted. Maclin definitely requires polish as a receiver. With Reggie Brown, Jason Avant and Hank Baskett also on the roster, if Maclin struggles with the playbook or just isn't seasoned enough, then Andy Reid will not force him into action. Even if Maclin does exceed his expected progression, then a starting role is not a likely scenario. Earning the No. 3 role will be a good result. Brown, Avant, and Baskett have also demonstrated that they are currently better in supporting roles than starting, so essentially we're left with Curtis likely to be the starter opposite Jackson.

Curtis has demonstrated big-play ability, including in the Eagles last official game where against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Conference championship game he recorded 122 yards receiving and registered at least seven targets in each of the three Philadelphia playoff appearances. Now fully recovered from offseason surgery to tidy up his sports hernia, he has an excellent rapport with Donovan McNabb. As the likely starter in the Eagles offense, Curtis will push for WR3 status on most fantasy squads. If he demonstrates any kind of a return to the form shown in 2007, where he approached 80 receptions and topped 1,100 yards, including his monster game against Detroit where he recorded 11 catches for 221 yards and three TDs, then he would be a candidate to be much more. Curtis isn't a sure thing, but his downside isn't anywhere near that of Maclin while his upside is also higher than anything Maclin can get near this year. Kevin Curtis at this price is a better and safer gamble that Jeremy Maclin in any type of redraft league.

Jeremy Maclin - by Jeff Pasquino

Kevin Curtis has been a solid wideout for the Eagles for the past, highlighted by a 1,110 yard, six touchdown performance in 2007. So why would I expect Jeremy Maclin to outperform Curtis? One word immediately comes to mind -- health.

The Kevin Curtis that played for Philadelphia last season was a long ways away from the 2007 version. Curtis had The former Ram turns 31 this July, a point at which some wide receivers start to show their age. Curtis has always been about speed and yards after the catch, so when he returned last year to post only 11.8 yards per reception, his worst YPR number of his career as a starter and far below his 13.1 career average. With that decline readily displayed last year, the writing was already stenciled onto the wall of Lincoln Financial Field. Curtis can still put up solid games, but over the course of a 16-game season he cannot be expected to last and perform to that once high level at this stage of his career.

So enter Jeremy Maclin, the first round selection for Philadelphia this past April. The Eagles moved up to get the wideout and certainly their plan is to take it slow with their youthful prospect, as that is their typical style. Those plans can always change, just like they did for DeSean Jackson last season when Curtis and Reggie Brown both had injuries that held them out of training camp. Head coach Andy Reid does not like to throw rookies into the fire and force them to learn a very complicated offense and contribute often in their first season, but Kevin Curtis's health mandated Jackson to play last year. That situation is primed to repeat itself as Curtis already has had repeat surgery on his sports hernia that first showed up last season.

In the best case scenario for the Eagles, both Maclin and Curtis get plenty of reps and both are added to Donovan McNabb's arsenal of aerial weapons in a big time offense. Maclin should be on the field with some regularity even if Curtis is healthy all year, what with his speed and playmaking ability to break big plays from college transitioning to the Philadelphia version of the West Coast offense. Considering how McNabb has been wanting more weapons on offense and that Curtis has shown some decline of late in his yards per receptions, Maclin could easily push for the No. 2 role by midseason and take over that role by Halloween. Given that November and December are key times in both the NFL and fantasy football, Maclin should be the better player to own for a playoff push.