Surprisingly, Boston Scott remains available in a ton of fantasy football leagues. On Yahoo, he’s only rostered in 21% of leagues. Although fantasy managers had no way of knowing exactly how the Eagles’ backfield would shake out following Miles Sanders’ ankle injury, both Kenneth Gainwell and Scott should’ve been added in most formats. If Scott remains available in your league, should you grab him off the waiver wire?
Boston Scott was the Eagles’ lead back in Week 8
Given how the Eagles utilized their running backs prior to Week 8, conventional wisdom suggested Gainwell would be the next man up. Instead, it was Scott, who paced all Eagles running backs with a 45% snap share.
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Although Gainwell was second at 31% and actually out-carried Scott 13-12, it’s important to apply context. Of Gainwell’s 13 carries, 12 of them came in the fourth quarter after the Eagles were dominating and had sat Jalen Hurts for Gardner Minshew. When the backups were in, so was Gainwell.
Jordan Howard remains a factor
The Eagles elevated Jordan Howard from the practice squad prior to last week’s game. Howard is always a threat to punch in a short touchdown, but I did not expect him to handle 12 carries. It’s clear he’s going to remain involved as an early-down and short-yardage back.
Although Howard played just 25% of the snaps, that percentage would’ve been higher had this game not been a total blowout. In more competitive contests, Howard could be closer to that 40% mark with Scott around 55%.
Howard’s presence caps Scott’s upside as, at worst, Howard is taking away half the goal-line opportunities. It’s something we must factor in when deciding how aggressively to pursue Scott on the Week 9 waiver wire.
Don’t let Week 8 fool you
The Eagles played the Lions last week, easily their most favorable matchup on the schedule. They were able to run the ball 37 times between Scott, Howard, and Gainwell. That won’t be the norm. In fact, it’s difficult to project the Eagles for any serious positive game script over the next three weeks.
There is a silver lining to more competitive games: less Howard. If the Eagles are trailing or in situations where they need to run a hurry-up offense, it should be Scott out there.
Scott has proven in the past to be an adept pass catcher. He had four games last season with at least 4 targets. Scott’s passing-game upside makes him the preferred add over Howard.
Should fantasy managers add Scott off the Week 9 waiver wire?
I expect Sanders to return from injured reserve when first eligible. He sustained a standard low ankle sprain which is a 2-3 week injury. The Eagles placing Sanders on IR guarantees he misses three weeks, but I’d be surprised if he wasn’t ready to go after that. That means Scott is a two-week rental. What is that worth to your fantasy team?
Week 9 is another tough one when it comes to bye weeks. We are also at the point in the season where fantasy managers can see the writing on the wall when it comes to their playoff fate.
If you have a hole at RB2 and need a short-term fix, Scott is likely worth a hefty FAAB bid, possibly as high as 20-25%. If you’re sitting pretty or just don’t have room to start Scott this week, then maybe place a smaller bid just to keep everyone else honest, but without any real intention of acquiring Scott.