Fantasy: Will Jordan Howard revive the Eagles' rushing attack?

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We've seen several notable fantasy assets traded in the last few weeks, and though Jordan Howard doesn't have the star power of Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham Jr., he will get a chance to shine with a new club after Thursday night's deal.

The Chicago Bears traded Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020, an incredibly reduced price for a running back who came 65 yards short of his third straight 1,000-yard campaign in 2018.

Can Howard bounce back in Philly?Brett Carlsen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

If it feels like just yesterday you were reading about Howard potentially landing in Philadelphia, that's because you were. Howard made my list of starting running backs whose jobs were in danger, and I mentioned the Eagles as an ideal destination - a team that could give him the volume he needs to produce.

Howard will take over Jay Ajayi's early-down role after the latter departed in free agency following an injury-shortened season due to a torn ACL.

Prior to that, Ajayi was performing well during his brief stint with the Eagles. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry over his 10 games with the club in 2017, learning the offense on the fly after being traded midseason by the Dolphins. Before being lost for the year in early October, Ajayi was among the top 15 backs in fantasy points per game through four weeks and had three touchdowns.

His recently acquired replacement is more than capable of finding the end zone with 25 total touchdowns over three seasons with the Bears. That's important since Howard doesn't bring much as a pass-catcher, so fantasy owners need him to cross the goal line in order to deliver quality stat lines.

Those touchdown opportunities shouldn't be a problem for the Eagles in 2019. Doug Pederson's offense is just one season removed from being the third-highest scoring unit in the league with a rushing attack that also finished third in yards gained on the ground with a backfield of Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount.

After a down year, the arrival of DeSean Jackson via trade combined with a healthy Carson Wentz gives this group an excellent shot to return to an elite level.

Howard needs that to happen. He isn't a back who can create for himself, so his fantasy outlook is directly tied to the success of his offense and the quality of the ball carriers on the depth chart.

Fortunately for him, there'll be little competition for early-down work after Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, and Josh Adams each failed to capture lead back duties despite playing three-quarters of a season behind a solid offensive line.

That's an area Howard will get an upgrade - the Bears' blocking was among the league's worst in adjusted line yards, according to Football Outsiders. The Eagles weren't near the top of the league in that category, but they ranked well above Chicago each of the last two seasons.

It wouldn't be shocking to see Philly draft a running back to pair with Howard, someone who can step in on third downs and provide the receiving element Howard lacks. As long as that pick isn't too early in the draft, Howard will enter the season as a low-end RB2 with his final numbers dependent on an offensive resurgence in Philly.

What's next for Chicago?Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

The Bears could also be in the market for a running back when the draft kicks off in late April.

Tarik Cohen excelled during Matt Nagy's first year as head coach, catching 71 passes for 725 receiving yards and five touchdowns while adding 444 rushing yards and another three scores as a runner. He's a dynamic weapon that Nagy deployed to perfection, much to the delight of the fantasy community. However, Cohen plays a much different role than Howard did in the offense, so his touches aren't likely to change based on this trade.

At the moment, the biggest winner is Mike Davis, who spent the first four years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks before inking a two-year, $6-million contract with the Bears earlier this month.

When the 26-year-old joined the team, rumors were already swirling about Howard being on the trade block, so the possibility of Davis quickly rising the depth chart existed even then. This is certainly exciting for Davis' fantasy potential, but sadly, we have to wait until after the draft before anointing him the starter in Chicago.

Davis is a well-rounded back who could handle Howard's touches while contributing in the passing game as well. As a member of a committee with the Seahawks in 2018, Davis averaged 4.6 yards per rush en route to 514 yards and was an active pass-catcher, hauling in 34 balls for 214 yards. Even in a complementary role, Davis reached pay dirt fives times.

Much like Howard, Davis doesn't have the skills to carry an offense on his own and would rely on Nagy's system to vault him into the conversation as a top-30 fantasy option. As much as we may want to see that happen, it would be surprising if the Bears didn't come away with a strong challenger from this year's draft class.

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