Eagles Rule Out Barkley and DeVonta Smith for London Trip vs Jaguars
Philly scratched five players including Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith, leaving a thin backfield and a three-man RB room for Week 6.
Lead-back touches are there, but Philly's O-line limits the ceiling.
- Barkley missed all week of practice (hamstring)
- Smith out second straight game (hamstring)
- Eagles down to 3 healthy active RBs
- Goedert back after missing 2 games: 25 PPR pts in 2026
- Jaguars rule S Eric Murray doubtful
The Eagles will fly to London shorthanded. Philadelphia ruled out five players for their Week 6 matchup with the Jaguars, headlined by RB Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring). Barkley didn't practice at all this week, and Smith now misses his second straight game.
The backfield math is ugly. With Barkley out and Tank Bigsby on IR (eligible to return after Week 8), the Eagles are down to three healthy active running backs: Will Shipley, Dameon Pierce, and Carson Steele. Pierce and Steele were both elevated from the practice squad this week, and neither has done much at the NFL level — Pierce logged just 36 rush yards across five games in 2025 (4 PPR pts) while Steele managed 24 PPR points over 17 games in 2024.
The Receiving Picture
Losing Smith and Hollywood Brown (ankle) leaves Philly with five wideouts: Dontayvion Wicks, Darius Cooper, Makai Lemon, Elijah Moore, and Britain Covey. Wicks will suit up despite tweaking his own hamstring Thursday — Nick Sirianni praised his toughness. Cooper out-snapped and out-targeted Lemon in Week 4, so he's the name to monitor. Covey (4 PPR pts over six 2025 games) is basically a punt returner.
There's a real bright spot, though: Dallas Goedert is officially back after a two-game absence. The tight end has been productive when healthy, posting 5 catches for 81 yards and 2 TDs (25 PPR pts) across two games in 2026. With the wide receiver room decimated, expect Jalen Hurts to lean on him heavily — assuming Hurts himself is fine after being added to the report Friday with a calf issue.
The Fantasy Fallout
On the plus side for Philly, Quinyon Mitchell (knee), Zack Baun (concussion) and Jihaad Campbell (knee) are all cleared to play. Jonathan Greenard is questionable but didn't practice all week, which rarely ends in an active designation. The Jaguars also scratched CB Jaylon Jones and listed starting safety Eric Murray as doubtful.
Fantasy managers, here's the playbook: fire up Goedert as a streaming TE1 against a banged-up Jacksonville secondary. Don't get cute with the Eagles' running backs — Shipley will see the most work, but Philly's offensive line issues cap the upside, so treat him as a desperation flex and a Barkley handcuff, nothing more. Hold Barkley and Smith; both are week-to-week hamstring situations, not season-enders. And keep an eye on that Hurts calf note before locking him in.
