With Saquon Barkley hobbled and Tank Bigsby on injured reserve, Will Shipley is one of the trendiest Week 5 fantasy waiver adds. But he shouldn't be.
For starters, Shipley has been entirely subpar since the Eagles drafted him in the fourth round two years ago. His anemic 3.1 yards per carry is partly due to a similarly poor 1.3 yards-after-first-contact metric. Additionally, he hasn't yet broken a tackle on 76 touches. That is a wildly troubling statistic, and that 3.1 YPC mark drops to 2.8 if we exclude his longest career run.
What was that longest career run? I actually went back to the tape—a 20-yard burst last season against the Cowboys, one of the league's worst run defenses. It was officially a carry. But it wasn't. Jalen Hurts dumped it off to him
behind the line of scrimmage, and no defenders were near him until he got tripped up 17 yards in. Yards per reception are often vastly inflated because dump-offs usually are in more open space. But running between the tackles, Shipley has produced below replacement level.
That doesn't mean he can't turn things around. He's still only 24 years old and had a strong college track record. But the opposing Jaguars are giving up only 3.3 yards per carry in Week 5, and the Eagles have struggled to find the end zone. It's a rough combination. Add to that the concern that Shipley hasn't "earned" workhorse usage -- that another active Eagles running back could take over in a hot-hand situation -- and it's clear that Shipley's fantasy floor is awful.
I understand the temptation to add someone if you're desperate for a starting running back. But Shipley enters Week 5 with many more red flags than green.
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This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Read this fantasy warning before adding Will Shipley off waivers
