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RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles

HT: 5-8, WT: 200, Born: 9-2-1979, College: Villanova, Drafted: Round 3

2009 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 29th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: R Moss (14), C Johnson (15), Brian Westbrook (16), B Jacobs (17), C Portis (18)
Position: F Gore (10-RB9), S Slaton (12-RB10), Brian Westbrook (16 - RB11), B Jacobs (17-RB12), C Portis (18-RB13)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Best Case

Brian Westbrook has the ability be a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver and certainly any discussion of his upside would start there. But at 29 years old, coming off a season that fell a bit short of expectations, a more realistic upside would be a return to Top 5 fantasy status. For that to happen, Westbrook must stay on the field for at least 14 games, the Eagles rebuilt offensive line must be effective from the start, and Westbrook has to recapture some of the explosiveness his balky knee robbed from him in 2008.

Worst Case

We thought the biggest worry for Westbrook was his chronic knee swelling, but clearly we should've been focused on the ankle. In early June, Westbrook underwent surgery on his ankle and will miss the majority of the offseason, and we have no way of knowing whether he'll actually be read for the start of the season. If the ankle procedure didn't do the trick, or if his knee condition persists, or worsens, his days as an elite fantasy player could be over. Westbrook saw marked declines in his yards-per-rush and yards-per-catch last year. The Eagles drafted a complementary RB in LeSean McCoy, who will be chomping at the bit to step into a large role if Westbrook can't stay on the field.

Outlook

Given the likelihood that Westbrook will miss most of training camp, he's far too risky to draft in the 1st round. If he's healthy, he could help someone win their league as a 2nd or 3rd rounder but, let's be honest, he was likely overvalued this year before the news of his surgery. Already showing signs of decline, this new medical concern means you should think long and hard before drafting Westbrook in 2009.

Relevant Articles

Why he is overvalued

David Yudkin - You basically know what you get when you draft Westbrook. He's an elite scorer when he suits up, but how many games he will play in is always a question. He's never played in all 16 games in a season and that trend will likely continue. He recently required more surgery to get him ready to go and there's talk that he won't be able to practice again until near the start of the regular season. It's tough investing a first round pick on a guy that is already banged up.

2009 Schedule

2008 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Westbrook had a strong game and was the focus of the Rams defense. The Rams appeared to try and take away the short passing to the RB. However, he still managed to score on a 1 yard shovel pass to open the scoring. His best run of the day was a draw play that he bounced outside to the right and finished it off with plowing over a member of the Rams secondary for a sizable gain.

Of note: On Tony Hunt's one yard touchdown, Westbrook was not in the game when the Eagles had their goal line formation in. The formation had Hunt and Dan Klecko as a full back.

Week 2 - Westbrook had an excellent game and took advantage of every opportunity near the goal line. RB Tony Hunt almost got a carry from goal line, but a penalty pushed the ball back to the six yard line, which open the door for Westbrook to come back into the game and catch a six yard pass for a touchdown. Westbrook looked terrific in the open field, making defenders miss and gaining extra yards. Unfortunately, he did not have too much rushing room and did most of his damage in the passing game. Westbrook was the benefactor of WR DeSean Jackson's bonehead play after he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line to celebrate a possible touchdown. Westbrook dove into the end zone on the next play of the game for a one yard touchdown and his second score of the game. Westbrook got his third touchdown of the game on another one yard run where his second effort got him the score.

Week 3 - Westbrook came out on the first drive and carried the ball just three times, held to limited gains. The second drive where he was injured produced only two more carries. His injury was to his ankle on a freak play where one foot landed on the back leg of another player and he could not get his balance. He limped off, took some treatment on the sideline, and walked very gingerly into the locker room and did not return.

Week 4 - Westbrook was inactive for Sunday night's game, but often looked eager and willing to suit up and play during shots of him at key points during the contest.

Week 5 - Westbrook showed no signs of the ankle injury that caused him to miss almost two games. He opened the game with a 16 yard gain on a screen pass. On the play, he was able to cut effectively on both legs. He also looked good with 22 rushing yards on the opening drive, including a bruising nine yard touchdown run up the middle. After the touchdown run, Westbrook came to the sideline and took off his shoulder pads, while trainers examined his chest. He later went to the locker room, but did return. The Eagles did not run the ball frequently for the rest of the game. However, Westbrook lost three yards on a key third and one from the Washington two yard line late in the game. The Eagles had to settle for a field goal.

Westbrook was McNabb's most targeted receiver and led the team with six receptions.

Week 6 - RB Brian Westbrook did not play because of injury.

Week 8 - It was Westbrook's first 100 yard game this year. Like the rest of the team Westbrook started a little slowly. By late in the second quarter Westbrook got things going. The right side of his offensive line opened big holes and on some of his runs he went untouched for 10 yards. Westbrook displayed his typical elusiveness with should fakes and spin moves when needed as well. He also bounced off of a would-be Falcons tackler on his way to score his first touchdown. His second touchdown was a thing of beauty as blew through the line and made a great cut to lose the defense.

Week 9 - It was a frustrating day for Westbrook, and, in turn, for his owners. He was never really able to get on track as the Seahawks clearly made keeping him in check their top priority. Whether the play called for Westbrook to go outside or up the middle, he was met by a pack of defenders almost immediately, and he simply wasn't able to break free except on rare occasions. Even then he generally only added an extra yard or two and his longest run went for only eight yards. In the passing game Westbrook also commanded intense defensive attention that kept him from making any big plays. All in all a very ho-hum day for one of the league's most dynamic backs.

Week 10 - Westbrook's first touch of the game didn't come until there was 6:35 left in the first quarter and then he didn't see another one until the start of the second quarter. He finished the first half with eight touches that went for a total of 42 yards, but he really struggled to get going in the second half as he rushed for 11 yards on seven carries and caught only one pass that went for eight yards. Westbrook was shown leaving the field in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be an injury to his groin, but the running back did return to the field a few plays later.

Week 11 - What could have been a big day for Westbrook against a mediocre Bengals defense instead turned into a thoroughly average one due to his team's over-reliance on the passing game. Westbrook enjoyed success on the ground when given the opportunity, including a late third quarter 22 yard scamper, but he was allowed only 14 total rushes in a full five quarters of action. In the passing game, Westbrook also played a much smaller role than usual, receiving only eight targets and converting only three receptions despite QB Donovan McNabb dropping back to pass 58 times. In short, Westbrook's average performance was, more than anything else, a product of questionable play calling by his coaching staff.

Week 12 - Despite missing practice time this week with an assortment of injuries and some questions as to whether he would play, Brian Westbrook started at RB for the Eagles and proceeded to pop off a tough six yard run on their first offensive play. The rest of the day would be frustrating for Westbrook, however, as he added only 33 more yards on the ground and actually finished with -5 receiving yards. The combination of his injuries, the Ravens' stifling defense, and the overall ineffectiveness of the entire Eagles offense made it impossible for Westbrook to take on his usual role of playmaker.

Week 13 - Westbrook had an historic night. He tied the Philadelphia team record with four touchdowns. And he became the first player since Lydell Mitchell of the 1975 Baltimore Colts to finish a game with at least 100 yards rushing, two rushing touchdowns, and two receiving touchdowns. There were gaping holes being opened for Westbrook all over the field, and his shifty running inside made it virtually impossible for Arizona to stop or even slow him. His first touchdown reception was a simple shovel pass from McNabb, and the second was even easier as he was wide open in the flat for a score to beat the safety blitz. He didn't break any huge runs, but he consistently picked up tons of positive yardage. All night, it seemed like if the Eagles needed three yards, he got four. If they needed six, he got eight.

Week 14 - Westbrook did it all, leading the Eagles in rushing and receiving while scoring the only two Eagles touchdowns of the game. He showed good burst when hitting the second level of defenders and was tough to take down after contact. In the passing game he was used in different formations, being set in motion to get a mismatch in coverage. On his 40 yard touchdown catch he was matched up with linebacker Antonio Pierce who he proceeded to leave in his tracks, beating him on an underneath dump pass. Westbrook looked as healthy as ever, running hard, breaking tackles and taking the game into his own hands at times.

Week 15 - Westbrook looked solid but struggled to put up great numbers fantasy wise. He failed to score on a run from the three yard line and really had no other opportunities. He was not even a big factor in the passing game as the Browns could not force McNabb to dump the ball off.

Week 16 - The Eagles and Westbrook were not able to establish a running game and became one dimensional as the game went on. It appeared that Westbrook at times was getting a little too cute with his runs. He was trying to bounce everything outside instead of taking the sure yards from North/South running. This cost Westbrook a first down later in the game. It was odd that Westbrook wasn't targeted with a pass until nearly half way through the third quarter. Once they got Westbrook more involved they had a little more success moving the football. His best play of the game was a reception on wheel route with a defensive lineman in coverage. The lineman actually looked like he pulled his hamstring feebly trying to cover Westbrook who took the play up the left sidelines for a 47 yard gain.

Week 17 - Westbrook had a sub-par game and contributed only 50 yards on 13 carries. He added 12 more yards on receptions. He also had Philadelphia's only turnover on the day.

Week 18 - Brian Westbrook was held in check for most of the game, especially on the ground, where he ran the ball 20 times for just 38 yards and zero scores. However, Westbrook proved you can only hold him down for short periods of time when he took a fourth quarter screen pass from Donovan McNabb 71 yards for a touchdown and virtually ended any comeback hopes the Minnesota Vikings may have had. He finished with a total of 83 yards on three receptions in the passing game, where he was targeted five times.

Week 19 - Brian Westbrook was the main focus of the New York defense and was held to 36 yards rushing on 18 carries and had just two receptions for ten yards on five targets in the passing game. For the game, he had a long rush of just eight yards and received a few goal line carries that he could not convert into scores.

Week 20 - Westbrook seemed unable to get on track and the Eagles had to try and win this game without him carrying the team on his shoulders. They nearly turned the trick. Westbrook gutted out 12 carries for 45 yards with a long run of 14 yards. He also caught two passes for 26 yards and was targeted on the incomplete two point conversion attempt following Philadelphia's third touchdown. While McNabb threw 47 passes, Westbrook was targeted just five times.

Westbrook scored a career high four touchdowns against Arizona in their first meeting but only averaged 1.9 yards per carry in Philadelphia's first two playoff victories.