Fantasy Football Implications of Tank Bigsby Trade to Philadelphia

In-season NFL trades happen less frequently than in baseball, basketball, and hockey. It's tougher to get a player up to speed entering a new system in football than it is in the other sports (especially baseball), and with the number of injuries, teams don't want to leave themselves short at any position, valuing depth as much as anything.

That doesn't mean trades don't happen, though, and it has already begun with a team that saw that they didn't have a spot for a third-year player. The Jacksonville Jaguars sent running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles for fifth- and sixth-round picks in next year's draft, a somewhat surprising development for a player who was thought to be taking over the backfield for the Jags this season.

Let's go through why each team made the move and what the fantasy implications are moving forward. We'll start with the defending Super Bowl champions, who are one of the most trade-happy teams in the league when it comes to acquiring players.

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Eagles Add Depth

Philadelphia seemed to have a full depth chart at running back with Saquon Barkley leading the way and Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon in reserve. The team must have seen something it was lacking, though, and gave up a few mid-to-late-round picks for a guy who was bumped out of the rotation.

It was seen as an overpay in draft picks based on initial reaction, but a closer look shows us that the Eagles had an expected six combined picks in the fifth and sixth rounds, so they had ammo to use for the deal. There is value to those picks even if they were overstuffed, but Philly has as complete a roster as any team, and they don't need to bring 12 draft picks into camp next season.

This is more about 2025 and 2026 (when Bigsby is still under contract) and what this does for Philadelphia's chances of winning big. Bigsby won't get many rush attempts behind Barkley; in Week 1, Shipley and Dillon combined for just six carries. He also won't catch many passes, as Bigsby has just eight receptions in his career.

Reports say this might be more about kick returns, as the league changed the rules enough to finally entice teams to not kick the ball out of the end zone. The Eagles had just two kick returns in Week 1, Shipley with a 12-yard return and receiver John Metchie III with a 20-yard return. Bigsby has returned 11 kicks in his career, gaining 314 total yards (he had one for 20 yards in Week 1).

So, the Eagles traded two Day 3 draft picks for two years of a cheap backup running back who can return kicks and play special teams. If the Jaguars were acquiring the player, it would be a bad deal. For a Philly team loaded with late picks and trying to refine the edges of their roster? This move is just fine and might set them up better than they were before.

Jaguars Add Draft Capital

Week 1 told us everything we needed to know about the Jacksonville backfield: Bigsby received just five carries for 12 yards, while Travis Etienne Jr. got 16 carries for 143 yards and caught three passes for 13 more. Bigsby would be fine for depth, but he wasn't a key player in Jacksonville's offense.

He has a cheap contract, and he could have helped with kick returns the same way, but for a team lacking talent, those fifth- and sixth-round picks mean more than they do to the Eagles. To get two picks for a backup running back is good business in a league where the position is so devalued.

The team also drafted Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen Jr. in the seventh round, meaning they have backup depth to fill in for the absent Bigsby. If Etienne gets injured, the team may wish they still had Bigsby, but it seems like he wasn't part of the plan, so getting a decent return was a prudent move.

Both Tuten and Allen were given some plaudits for their receiving abilities in college, so they fit the mold of Etienne much better than Bigsby; backs who catch the ball are the ones who have real value in today's game. This likely doesn't change anything about Jacksonville's outlook in 2025 while giving them a few more draft picks to add young players or make further trades in the future.

Fantasy Implications

Bigsby loses all semblance of fantasy value. He won't get many carries behind Barkley, and he might even be behind Shipley and Dillon, especially for the next few weeks as he gets used to the Philadelphia system. No big changes for the Eagles otherwise; it's all about Barkley.

For the Jaguars, Etienne was already proven as the top man after Week 1, so the loss of Bigsby doesn't change much there. Based on the usage in the first game, there doesn't seem to be a lot of work for the backups right now, but Tuten has gotten a little buzz from fantasy owners as a guy who could grow into a bigger role, and this move makes that more likely.

Tuten is only feasible as a bench player in very deep leagues. It's unlikely that he steals any real volume of work from Etienne, and the most likely outcome if everyone stays healthy is Etienne dominating the touches and the rookies getting scraps behind him.

Advice: Drop Bigsby if you have him and don't pick up Tuten or Allen unless you are completely desperate at running back, something that rarely happens this early in the season.