The same concerns we had for Swift in Detroit combined with new concerns he'll have with the Eagles create a polarizing running back who's likely to best serve as a mid-round high-end No. 3 option. Availability has been an issue for Swift, something the Eagles could manage by using him as a passing-downs option (which offensive coordinator Brian Johnson hinted at in May). Swift has been outstanding as a pass-catcher, but the Eagles ranked dead last in RB target share last year (12.1%). That number figures to increase with Swift's arrival, but not explode, and there's clearly a touch-crunch among all of Philly's runners due to Jalen Hurts hogging carries, especially near the goal line. Swift is a PPR-preferred rusher who could deliver a dozen points per game (closer to 9 non-PPR points per game). Even with his injury issues, taking him as soon as Round 7 feels safe.
Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Takes first rep at practice
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Swift got the first practice rep Friday when the Eagles were working on handoffs, followed by Kenneth Gainwell (ribs), Rashaad Penny and then Boston Scott (concussion), Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
It doesn't necessarily mean much, especially relative to Swift rumbling for 175 yards and a touchdown in the 34-28 win over Minnesota last Thursday. Gainwell missed that game, and Scott left it early, allowing Swift to dominate the backfield work after recording only two touches on 19 snaps the week before. Swift now is the favorite to lead Philadelphia's backfield Monday in Tampa Bay, though probably not to the same extent as last week with Gainwell looking on track to return and Scott closing in on making his way out of the concussion protocol.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Explodes for career-best effort
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Swift rushed 28 times for 175 yards and a touchdown and brought in all three targets for six yards in the Eagles' 34-28 win over the Vikings on Thursday night.
Playing the first game of his professional career in his hometown of Philadelphia, Swift took full advantage of the opportunity by authoring a career-best rushing performance. The offseason arrival, who'd logged just 19 snaps in his Eagles debut in Week 1 against the Patriots, exceeded 20 carries for only the second time in his career and established a new personal best in rushing yards. Swift's stellar effort came in part due to Kenneth Gainwell's absence due to a rib injury and Boston Scott's (concussion) early exit, but after a night of noteworthy plays that included a 43-yard run and a two-yard touchdown rush with 4:13 remaining that essentially sealed the game, it will be difficult to deny Swift leadership of the ground game in a tough Week 3 road matchup against the Buccaneers on Monday night, Sept. 25.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Works behind Gainwell in opener
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Swift logged 19 of a possible 66 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-20 win over the Patriots, gaining three yards on one carry and recording one catch on two targets for zero yards.
With Rashaad Penny being made a healthy scratch in Week 1, Kenneth Gainwell started at running back for Philadelphia and parlayed his 41 snaps into 14 carries for 54 yards and four catches for 20 yards, while both Swift and Boston Scott (eight snaps) saw minimal volume. Looking ahead to this Thursday's contest against the Vikings, Swift profiles as a speculative fantasy lineup option, and that will be the case until the Eagles get the former Lion more involved in the offense. That could happen right away however, as after Sunday's tilt, coach Nick Sirianni noted that he didn't "ever want to come out of a game where D'Andre Swift has only two touches." With that in mind, Swift figures to see more opportunities in Week 2, but for now at least he's behind Gainwell in the team's RB pecking order.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Poised for key Week 1 role
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With Rashaad Penny expected to be a healthy scratch Sunday against the Patriots, Swift appears poised to lead the Eagles' Week 1 backfield, with Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott also in the mix, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.
The Eagles' posted depth chart doesn't indicate a single starter at running back, but Swift seems like a good bet to see his share of touches versus New England, with Gainwell and Scott mixing in. In any case, once the dust clears, the team's Week 1 snaps counts figure to be telling with regard to how the Eagles plan to allocate their RB touches this coming season.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: RBs to Sit
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I wouldn't be surprised if Swift has a good game and is the lead running back for the Eagles. I also wouldn't be surprised if we see a consistent rotation for Swift, Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell, which leads to minimal production for all of them this week unless one scores a touchdown. This is also a difficult matchup against a typically stout New England run defense, and the Patriots led the NFL last season with just five total touchdowns allowed to running backs. Swift is worth using as a flex option at best this week, but hopefully we get a better indication of his role compared to Penny and Gainwell moving forward.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Not in line to play Thursday
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Swift isn't in uniform ahead of Thursday's preseason game versus the Browns, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and Trey Sermon are suited up, per Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. Both Swift and Penny played in preseason Week 1 at Baltimore, while Gainwell and Scott did not, so Swift's absence this time around may be indicative of his standing in the Eagles backfield. Swift had two carries for 24 yards, including a 22-yard run, versus the Ravens.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Long run in preseason debut
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Swift rushed twice for 24 yards in the Eagles' 20-19 preseason loss to the Ravens on Saturday night.
Making his in-game debut with his new team, Swift ripped off a team-long 22-yard run on his second and final carry of his brief night. Swift got the first running back touch of the night for Philadelphia ahead of fellow offseason acquisition Rashaad Penny, although the latter ultimately saw action on the first four possessions. Swift was uncharacteristically left out of the passing game, yet his limited time in the game helps explain that outlier. Given he's still acclimating to a new offense, Swift could well see action again in Philadephia's second preseason game Thursday night against the Browns.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Excelling in camp practices
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Swift has made the strongest impression of any Eagles running back in training camp, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia apparently agrees, saying Thursday, "I think Swift is def[initely] RB1" for the Eagles. Other reports have Swift highly active as a pass catcher in training camp, though he's unlikely to be any more than the fourth option in an offense with WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert. A healthy, busy camp is a great sign for Swift, who nonetheless will need to fend off snap competition from Rashaad Penny, at the very least, and possibly from Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and/or Trey Sermon as well.
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Eagles' D'Andre Swift: Sent to Philly in trade
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Swift was traded by the Lions to the Eagles on Saturday for a 2025 fourth-round pick and additional compensation in the 2023 NFL Draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The writing for such a move seemed to be on the wall as soon as the Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday. The third-year running back was dynamic as both a runner and pass-catcher when healthy, but the Lions never really unleashed the 2020 second-round pick either due to concerns regarding his consistent availability or just an organizational philosophy. In Philadelphia, Swift should get ample opportunities to prove his worth even if he ends up splitting time with offseason addition Rashaad Penny, as well as returnees Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Receiving trade interest
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The Lions have received inquiries about trading Swift in the wake of the team selecting Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
General manager Brad Holmes said Thursday that Swift is "still a part of our team," adding that "it is early," per Jeff Risdon of USA Today. The fact remains the team saw fit to spend a high first-round pick on a capable pass-catching back in Gibbs, after already having signed David Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason. It doesn't take much reading between the lines to see that Swift could be on the way out. A dynamic playmaker in his own right, durability concerns have limited Swift's upside with the Lions, as he missed at least three games in each of his three seasons with the team. It's possible, though, that another team could be intrigued enough by Swift's flashes to take a chance on him and be willing to part with more than a late-round pick in exchange for the young runner. For fantasy purposes, a chance of scenery would likely only boost Swift's stock with Gibbs now in the Lions' backfield mix.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Remains in Lions' plans
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Head coach Dan Campbell indicated at the NFL Combine in early March that Detroit has no plans to give up on Swift, Woodward Sports Network reports. "We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn't work out. ... We're going to start all over from scratch again. Let's find another way to help him stay on the field. ... He's too talented to not have out there."
Injuries forced Swift to miss three games for the third straight season in 2022, and he's been limited by health concerns in many other games. This continued lack of durability, combined with Detroit upgrading from Jamaal Williams to David Montgomery last week, brings high levels of uncertainty to calculations of Swift's 2023 fantasy value. While Campbell's comments -- which were made before Montgomery's signing -- nonetheless suggest that the Lions know what they have in their big-play running back, it will be interesting to see what the next "recipe" may consist of considering the last one was to put less on Swift's plate (he moved from 11.6 carries and 6.0 targets per game in 2021 to 7.1 carries and 5.0 targets per game in 2022). Until further notice, Swift should generally be considered a high-upside, low-floor fantasy option that gets a considerable boost in value within best-ball formats that use PPR scoring.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Avoiding offseason surgery
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Swift said Monday that he won't require offseason surgeries to address the ankle or shoulder injuries he played through for most of the 2022 campaign, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Though Swift noted that he plans to visit with "a couple doctors" in the coming weeks, he believes that he'll return to full health over the offseason simply through rest and rehab. After amassing a career-high 144 rushing yards on 15 carries while playing 65 percent of the offensive snaps in the Lions' Week 1 loss to the Eagles, Swift never surpassed those three numbers over his subsequent 13 appearances on the season. Instead, the Lions leaned heavily on Jamaal Williams as their lead option on the ground the rest of the way, while Swift logged double-digit carries on just two other occasions and operated as the team's top pass-catching back. Swift still proved to be dynamic as a ballcarrier (5.5 yards per carry), so if he's able to enter next season at 100 percent, he should see a bigger workload -- especially if Williams, a pending free agent, isn't re-signed.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Effective as receiving option
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Swift had six carries for 25 yards and seven receptions for 61 yards in Sunday's 20-16 win over Green Bay.
Jamaal Williams (16-72-2) led the rushing attack -- as he did all year -- forcing Swift to make his mark on the game primarily as a receiver. The 23-year-old performed well as part of a committee this season, racking up 931 combined yards and eight total touchdowns across 14 games. While those are decent totals, fantasy managers were hoping for more production from a player with such a high ADP in 2022. Swift will enter the fourth year of his rookie contract potentially as the lead back in Detroit with Williams lined up to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: RBs to Start
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I liked Swift as a starting Fantasy running back in this column last week, and he delivered a monster game with 26 PPR points against Chicago with 11 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown on four targets. It was great for Swift and Jamaal Williams -- he had 157 total yards and a touchdown on 23 touches -- that Justin Jackson (hip) was out against the Bears, and we'll see if Jackson can return in Week 18. The Packers have limited the running game for Miami and Minnesota the past two weeks, but prior to that, five running backs in a row scored at least 13 PPR points against Green Bay. I like Swift and Williams as No. 2 Fantasy options this week, with Swift the better start in PPR given his work in the passing game.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Start Them (Lineup Decisions)
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The Packers looked like a terrific defense last week after the Vikings lost two offensive linemen to injury and couldn't get any traction on the field. The truth? In six games since losing front-seven beast Rashan Gary, they've given up 4.9 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns. The Lions' O-line is beefy and did an amazing job creating space for their backs last week. They'll be in for a tougher fight, but the game should be competitive enough to keep both backs involved. Williams is a touchdown-dependent running back who could be penciled in for 10 Fantasy points regardless of format, while Swift's receiving profile makes him the better start in PPR.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Bounce-back effort against Bears
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Swift rushed 11 times for 78 yards and one touchdown while catching four of four targets for 39 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 41-10 win over the Bears.
Swift's rollercoaster season continued, as his big day came a week after totaling 25 scoreless yards on five touches in Week 16 against the Panthers. He didn't even need a Jamaal Williams absence to do so, either, considering the latter totaled 157 yards with a touchdown of his own over 23 touches. If No. 3 running back Justin Jackson (hip) -- who's averaged five combined rushing attempts plus targets since Detroit's Week 6 bye -- remains unable to steal touches in Week 18, look for Swift and Williams to again split the vast majority of backfield work in the regular-season finale in Green Bay.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: RBs to Start
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If Jamaal Williams (leg) can't play in Week 17 then I hope Swift has a dominant game against the Bears. It would be great if he could end his season on a high note and prove to Fantasy managers he can be a workhorse running back. He has two games this season with double digits in carries (Week 1 against Philadelphia and Week 13 against Jacksonville), and he scored at least 20 PPR points in both outings. Against the Eagles, Swift had 18 total touches (three catches) for 175 total yards and a touchdown. And against the Jaguars, Swift had 18 total touches (four catches) for 111 total yards and a touchdown. He could be a monster this week if Williams is out, and hopefully he gets 18-plus touches again. The Bears are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and four running backs have scored at least 13 PPR points against Chicago in the past four games. Also, if Williams is out, then consider Justin Jackson a sleeper because he would play in tandem with Swift and has the chance for quality production as well.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Five touches on Christmas Eve
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Swift rushed four times for 12 yards while catching one of five targets for 13 yards during Saturday's loss to Carolina.
Swift logged his second-highest snap count of the season and still barely got the ball on a day that he stayed healthy while Jamaal Williams (leg) left the game in the third quarter. Making matters worse is that third-string tight end Shane Zylstra vultured three red-zone touchdowns, and Jared Goff fumbled the snap on one of the few remaining opportunities when Swift was on the field near the goal line. Outside of sustaining an injury of his own, this outing couldn't have gone much worse for the slumping running back and his fantasy investors. However, for those still in contention, Swift could be a high-upside fantasy option in Week 17 against a porous Bears defense if Williams is unable to play.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Contrarian DFS Play
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Swift was an enormous disappointment in Week 14 and not someone I would consider in cash games at all, but he makes for a very intriguing contrarian play. He still has the ability to take any touch to the house and this is a game where I don't expect Jamaal Williams to find much success. If Swift gets loose on the perimeter a couple of times, he could win someone a lot of money at a low roster rate.
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Lions' D'Andre Swift: Held in check during win
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Swift rushed six times for 21 yards and brought in three of four targets for 18 yards in the Lions' 34-23 win over the Vikings on Sunday.
Swift appeared to be firmly on an upward trajectory heading into Sunday's game after tying his season high in touches during a Week 13 blowout win over the Jaguars. However, it was backfield mate Jamaal Williams who comfortably paced the team in carries with 16 on Sunday, and Swift couldn't make up for the shortfall in rushing work through the air. The Lions backfield once again appears to be a bit of a fantasy quagmire heading into a tough Week 15 road battle versus the Jets.
