Preseason Bold Predictions Revisited: NFC EAST
The NFL season is at its halfway point and it seems just like yesterday we were making our bold preseason predictions for this year. As the season continues at a relentless pace we wanted to revisit our preseason predictions. Find out in this 8-part series what we got wrong, what we got right, as well as a new bold prediction for the second half of the season. Today we will focus on the NFC (B)East. The East is typically one of the worst divisions in football but every team is over 500 currently and they have the lone unbeaten squad left.
Dallas Cowboys
dallascowboys.com
Original Prediction: Ezekiel Elliott finishes as a top 12 Fantasy RB on the season
Currently- Zeke is currently just outside of the RB2 conversation. He is still the bell cow for Dallas, regardless of how much more explosive Tony Pollard has been. Zeke may not make it to the top 12 but I wouldn’t be shocked if he finished in the 15-20 range.
New Prediction - Tony Pollard finishes the season ranked as a top 15 PPR back and ahead of Ezekiel Elliott. While Zeke is still the bell cow in this offense, Pollard’s efficiency numbers have been utterly ridiculous.
New York Giants
giantswire.com
Original Prediction - The Giants won’t produce a single top-20 position player.
Currently - Saquon has been healthy and smashing. A large part of the original prediction was predicated on Saquon’s health and he is clearly in top form. What wasn’t anticipated is the emergence of Daniel Jones who is QB9 on the season, primarily due to his legs. Jones is currently on pace to rush for 771 yards.
New Prediction - Saquon Barkley finishes ranked outside of the top 5 PPR RBs. I still am not banking on Saquon staying healthy all season and there are other RBs who are currently ranked lower who are starting to emerge. I don’t think Saquon falls far, but it wouldn’t shock me if he slid down to the RB6-10 range.
Philadelphia Eagles
sportsillustrated.com
Original Prediction - DeVonta Smith will outscore AJ Brown for the season
Currently - Devonta Smith has been good and is sitting at WR28 on the season. AJ Brown has been incredible and is presently at WR7. Barring injury, this one will be incorrect.
New Prediction - Jalen Hurts finishes as QB2 behind only Josh Allen on the season. Right now Jalen Hurts is sitting at QB4 narrowly edging out Patrick Mahomes. By the end of the season, I believe he will overtake Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow and finish just shy of Josh Allen in the number one spot.
Washington -
nbcsports.com
Original Prediction - Jahan Dotson finishes as the top rookie WR
Currently: This one looks bad on paper, but it’s largely due to injury. Dotson was off to a great start this season before going down. He currently sits at 66th on the season at WR, behind Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Drake London, George Pickens, and Romeo Doubs. However, on a PPG basis, he is second (13.1) to only Olave (14.8)
New Prediction - Terry McLaurin finishes outside of the top 30 WRs in PPR formats. Terry is currently at WR21. With Taylor Heinecke back in the saddle and Jahan Dotson eventually returning to the lineup, we have likely already seen the best of McLaurin this season. Terry will still have his splash games, but he shouldn’t be expected to produce at the clip that he has without Dotson in the lineup.
That’s it for the AFC South. Come back tomorrow as we dive into the NFC North! Make sure to leave your comments below, we would love to know what you love, what you hate, and what you think we’re completely out in left field on.