The NFL’s active leader in yards per catch (17.4), DeSean Jackson can still burn. Now shipped to the Eagles for chump change, Jackson could experience the perfect change of scenery for a late-season Renaissance. MVP-candidate Carson Wentz, who is reportedly at full strength, possesses a cannon arm. He and Jackson have already begun forging strong long-ball chemistry in early OTAs, and the results could be beautiful. Falling to 130 overall and beyond, Jackson could be the ultimate “Penny Stock” week-swinger in the right match-ups.
For those who think Jackson has lost a step, he once again led the NFL in yards per catch last season (18.9), his fourth time over his last 10 seasons. He reached 20-plus mph on eight of his 52 touches (15.4 percent) last season, the highest rate in the league, and had the highest average target depth in 2018 at 19.1 yards. Moreover, Jackson had seven catches that went over 30 yards in 2018, including all four of his TDs, ultimately racking up 774 yards despite non-existent chemistry with Jameis Winston. Speaking of rapport: Jackson was the WR8 in Fantasy with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center.
Early on, DJax and Wentz are on the fast track to avoiding any issues. The pair’s chemistry has been “on point,” as the pair “spent the entire offseason” working together. Jackson came away extremely impressed, gushing:
“Obviously he has an arm out of this world, he can throw the deep ball,” Jackson said. “Very smart, very agile. He’s a good quarterback and I just can’t wait to get with him and work out with him in the offseason.”
Deep-ball metrics may not favor Wentz, despite his cannon arm. He ranks 23rd in completion percentage (34 percent) and is tied for 26th in touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.0) on passes of 20-plus yards since 2016 when he came into the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Still, expect Jackson to positively impact these totals: on average, the quarterbacks experienced a completion rate increase of 7 percent, an additional 3 yards per attempt and an improvement of .65 to their touchdown-to-interception ratios when playing alongside Jackson.
Ultimately, the Eagles are receiving one of the league’s premier deep-threats, with a QB with a perfectly equipped arm to capitalize. Expect Jackson to bring plenty of week-swinging blow-ups as an ideal stash after Round 11.
