NFL analyst claims Saquon Barkley "shouldn’t even be a first-rounder" in fantasy football 2025

The 2024 season was more than special for Saquon Barkley. The Philadelphia Eagles running back had career highs in all stats, won the Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) award and was a key cog for the Eagles' offense during their Super Bowl season.

It has now been revealed that the running back will be the cover of Madden 26, with his famous reverse hurdle over the Jacksonville Jaguars featuring on the game's front page. Expectations over his upcoming season, playing behind the Eagles' excellent offensive line, are high.

Nobody doubts the quality of the running back. But history isn't on his side for the upcoming season. He had a heavy workload with the Eagles, and based on history, it's unlikely that he'll repeat the same production.

For fantasy football analyst Jim Ayello, the signal is clear: Barkley should not be a first-rounder in 2025.

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Barkley carried the ball more times this year (436, including the playoffs) than any running back this century, with one exception: 2014 DeMarco Murray, who matched Barkley at 436. That name — and that workload — should scare the hell out of you. Perhaps Saquon will prove to be even more resilient and deliver in 2025. He could defy all of the odds, but knowing what we know about his predecessors, there’s no other way to look at this: He’s a terrible bet to deliver RB1 production this season.

What were Saquon Barkley's stats in the 2024 season?

The superstar running back had 2,005 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in his first season with the Eagles. He also set the single-season rushing yards record (including playoffs) with 2,504. surpassing Terrell Davis' record.

He signed a three-year, $37.5$ million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles after six years with the New York Giants, their division rivals. But his excellent performances have already rewarded him with a two-year, $41 million extension after their Super Bowl win.

He had the opportunity to go after Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing yards record, but with Philadelphia mounting a playoff run, Nick Sirianni decided to rest him for the final game of the regular season. The decision ultimately paid off.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Philadelphia Eagles Fans! Check out the latest Eagles Schedule and dive into the Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Henrique Bulio