Pat Mayo said fantasy managers should spend a 14th-round pick on Will Shipley instead of wasting that slot on a sixth wideout or a defense. Shipley is going almost completely undrafted, yet Mayo argued he is one of the few backs who would become the primary ball-carrier if Saquon Barkley were hurt. Even though Jake Ciely noted A.J. Dillon would siphon some touches, both agreed Shipley would handle the lead role in what projects to be a high-scoring Eagles offense, giving him instant RB2—possibly RB1—value for essentially free draft capital.

Ian Hartitz called Will Shipley a priority dart in the final rounds of 20-plus-round drafts. Shipley worked with the Eagles’ first-team offense in the most recent preseason game while veteran A.J. Dillon struggled again, signaling that Shipley would inherit the lead job if Saquon Barkley goes down. Hartitz grouped him with DJ Giddens and Blake Corum as injury-contingent backs but highlighted Shipley’s attachment to an Eagles unit that ranked top-five in red-zone rush rate last year. Given Jonathan Taylor’s and Barkley’s recent durability issues, Hartitz views Shipley as a cheap path to 15-touch upside if the starter misses time.

FPTS Staff said Will Shipley should be stashed 150+ picks into drafts because he worked ahead of A.J. Dillon in the Eagles’ preseason opener, a signal that Nick Sirianni already trusts the rookie in the change-of-pace and hurry-up packages that normally belong to the RB2. Shipley’s combination of 4.46 speed and 55-catch college résumé gives him a three-down ceiling if D’Andre Swift misses time, making him, in the staff’s words, “one of the best handcuffs available in deeper drafts.”

For managers drafting Saquon Barkley, Sia Nejad advised grabbing Will Shipley late as direct insurance. Barkley handled a massive workload and does carry an injury history, and Nejad doubts AJ Dillon—who looked sluggish in Green Bay—fits new OC Kellen Moore’s offense. Shipley knows the system and would slide into one of the league’s premier offensive environments if Barkley were sidelined. Nejad views Shipley as a must-draft in deeper leagues and a high-end contingency play in shallower formats.

Nick Whalen suggested drafting rookie Will Shipley as cheap Saquon Barkley insurance. Barkley handled a massive workload last year, and Whalen expects the Eagles to lighten that burden. Shipley’s receiving chops should secure standalone snaps, but the real upside comes if Barkley’s body finally feels last season’s mileage—Shipley would become the every-down back in one of the NFL’s best offenses.

Best Ball Guy views Will Shipley as the direct backup to Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia, making Shipley an attractive late-round stash. He highlighted the fantasy-playoff schedule—Week 15 at Las Vegas and Week 16 vs Washington—as soft run defenses where Shipley could smash if Barkley misses time. The plan is to grab Shipley in the double-digit rounds for his contingent upside.

Peter Overzet dismissed Will Shipley as a trap, arguing the rookie offers zero reliable fantasy value unless Saquon Barkley gets hurt. Overzet compared the buzz to last year’s failed Kenneth Gainwell hype and pointed out that the Eagles have ranked near the bottom of the league in running-back target rate for three straight seasons. With Barkley owning a three-down skill set, Overzet does not expect Shipley to siphon meaningful touches; projecting two or three catches per game is “wish-casting.” In his models Shipley would open the season at just 1.2 fantasy points per week, which he believes is a weaker proposition than betting on a player like Breshard Smith who at least has a clearly defined third-down path. For that reason Overzet is fading Shipley in best-ball contests unless Barkley’s health situation changes drastically.

Davis Mattek pushed back on the Shipley skepticism and called the rookie a sharp late-round pick behind Saquon Barkley. Mattek cited multiple Eagles beat writers who have discussed Shipley having a legitimate standalone role, noting that A.J. Dillon is expected to handle early-down work while Shipley gets most of the passing-down snaps. The Clemson alum averaged 3.2 receptions per game in college and could immediately provide 3-4 catches on Sundays—a usable weekly floor in full-PPR best-ball formats. More importantly, Mattek sees true contingent RB1 upside: if Barkley misses time, Shipley possesses the skill set to take over all three downs. Mattek therefore projects roughly 4.2 fantasy points per week to start, with clear pathways to double-digit spike weeks later in the year, making Shipley a better bet than similarly priced flyers like Breshard Smith.

Koh urged fantasy managers who want insurance behind Barkley to target Will Shipley instead of A.J. Dillon. He cited Shipley’s 4.39 forty, younger legs, and proven receiving chops as advantages, noting that Philadelphia ranked fourth-fewest in RB targets last year but still needs a passing-down option. Early camp reports list Dillon as the direct backup, yet Koh expects Shipley to handle every long-down-and-distance snap and to be the primary beneficiary if Barkley misses time.

Dan Graziano reported Will Shipley was heavily involved as a pass catcher in Eagles camp and will inherit the vacated Kenneth Gainwell role. Coaches like his third-down readiness and hands. Graziano added that if Saquon Barkley ever misses time, A.J. Dillon would soak up early-down carries while Shipley handles the hurry-up and receiving snaps, giving the rookie sneaky PPR value right away.

Best Ball Guy remains bullish on Will Shipley despite recent AJ Dillon chatter. After watching an All-22 breakdown, he noted Shipley never missed an assignment and flashed in pass protection, route running, and rushing on limited 2024 snaps. That film convinced him Shipley can command an expanded role quickly, so he’s comfortable continuing to draft the back in double-digit rounds.

Because he has little exposure to Saquon Barkley, Best Ball Guy is scooping up Will Shipley shares. He argues that if you fade Barkley you must leverage that stance by drafting his backup. Philadelphia’s elite offensive line would hand Shipley immediate RB2 volume and plenty of goal-line chances should Barkley miss time, giving Shipley the type of contingent upside BBG wants in every best-ball portfolio.

PPRTyler was thrilled to grab Will Shipley in Round 18, calling it "the right play" because the rookie sits directly behind Saquon Barkley on the Eagles’ depth chart. Tyler reasoned that Barkley’s recent durability issues (missed games in three of the past four seasons) create a clear path for Shipley to take over a valuable backfield. If Barkley stays healthy, Tyler expects Shipley to be an "RB6" who can be cut loose, but if Barkley goes down Shipley could immediately step into 15-plus touches per game behind one of the league’s best offensive lines. Given that payoff relative to a final-round cost, Tyler views Shipley as a high-upside lottery ticket that materially raises a roster’s ceiling in best-ball tournaments.

Pat Kerrane said he has basically stopped drafting Will Shipley at his current 168 ADP because the rookie offers nothing but contingent value. Kerrane noted he was at 24 % exposure in Underdog’s Big Board when Shipley cost far less, but he is now down to 4 % because the market is "paying up for knowledge that Shipley’s the number-two." In a game where late-season upside decides everything, Kerrane wants backs who can carve out touches without an injury—"I’m trying to find the next Kyren, not just hold a lottery ticket." Shipley’s profile is entirely binary: if Saquon Barkley stays healthy he is a weekly zero, making the new sticker price a poor risk-reward bet.

Pat Kerrane said he has backed off Will Shipley—down to 4 percent exposure—because the rookie’s ADP has climbed into the 160s despite offering virtually no stand-alone touches behind Saquon Barkley. Kerrane prefers late-round backs who can force their way onto the field like Kyren Williams did last year, arguing Shipley is a binary bet whose only path is a Barkley injury. In an 18-round Best Ball format geared toward late-season upside, Kerrane believes tying up a roster slot in a probable zero is sub-optimal when wide-open situations such as Carolina’s or Arizona’s still produce backs with both contingent and emergent value. He will mix Shipley if the price falls, but at current cost he is directing that capital to rookies with clearer breakout pipelines such as RJ Harvey and Bachel Tootin.

Eisenberg labeled rookie Will Shipley a deep sleeper worth one of your final picks. Saquon Barkley logged 480 touches during last year’s 2,000-yard campaign, and Eisenberg reminded listeners that rushers with that workload historically decline or get hurt the following season. If Barkley misses time, Shipley—assuming he beats out AJ Dillon, who is coming off a season-long neck injury—would step into a high-volume Eagles role behind the same elite offensive line. The potential for that kind of plug-and-play workload makes Shipley a classic late-round handcuff with league-winning upside.

Koerner called Will Shipley a clever add to Jalen Hurts–A.J. Brown–Dallas Goddard builds. If Saquon Barkley misses time, Shipley would smash his ADP while simultaneously forcing Hurts to throw more, pumping extra volume into Brown and Goddard. That injury-contingent correlation allows one lineup to capture multiple ceiling scenarios from a single offense, exactly the kind of asymmetric upside he targets in best ball.

Jason Moore said he is stashing rookie Will Shipley at the very end of drafts because beat reporters believe the fourth-rounder has already jumped A.J. Dillon on the depth chart to become Saquon Barkley’s primary backup. Kenneth Gainwell is gone, and Dillon is reportedly fighting for a roster spot, leaving Shipley—5'11", 209 lbs, 4.46 speed and a productive three-year resume at Clemson—as the next man up behind a 28-year-old starter coming off 482 total touches. Moore called Shipley a must-have contingency play in deeper season-long leagues and an ideal late-round best-ball flier who could inherit league-winning volume if Barkley misses time.

Best Ball Guy urged drafters to grab Will Shipley every time he slips into the late rounds. He noted that Evan Silva—"the ultimate boomer redraft bro" in his words—has Shipley ranked 120th overall in managed leagues, a signal the industry is too low on him in best ball. Philadelphia beat writers already say Shipley will have weekly involvement, effectively absorbing the Kenneth Gainwell package that produced 75 carries and 15 receptions last year. That workload alone makes him playable, but the kicker is that he is also the direct backup to Saquon Barkley. In Best Ball Guy’s view, drafters are spooked by Barkley’s presumed health risk yet are missing the arbitrage: if Barkley does go down, Shipley steps into a top-five offensive line with Jalen Hurts creating cavernous rushing lanes. Even if Barkley stays upright, 90–100 touches are on the table, giving Shipley the mix of floor and nuclear upside he craves in the double-digit rounds.

Chris Raybon said Will Shipley is one of his favorite last-round darts in best ball and a must-stash handcuff behind Saquon Barkley. Raybon reminded listeners that the Eagles spent a Day-3 pick on Shipley, let Kenneth Gainwell walk, and are only carrying A.J. Dillon – who missed all of last year with a neck injury – plus a handful of satellite backs. He expects Shipley to be the clear lead if Barkley misses time, projecting a majority of snaps and pass-down work while Dillon siphons a handful of early-down and goal-line carries. Raybon noted Barkley is on the wrong side of 27, logged 482 touches between regular season and playoffs, and historically misses games late in the year. Even when Barkley is healthy, Shipley can pick up “garbage-time” touches whenever the Eagles are blowing teams out, giving him usable spike weeks that best-ball drafters never have to time. Raybon called the rookie an “anti-fragile” pick who usually lasts until the final round despite top-40 contingent upside at running back.

Rich Rebar said Eagles rookie Will Shipley should not be treated as a pure hand-cuff because beat writer Jimmy Kempski reported the coaching staff plans to open the season with Shipley in the ‘Kenny Gainwell role.’ Rebar translated that to real, bankable snaps in hurry-up, four-minute and late-game situations rather than the usual stash-and-pray workload. In a pass-heavy Kevin Patullo offense that still ranked sixth in RB target share last year, even a Gainwell-sized slice (roughly 23–25% snap rate and 2–3 targets per game) would give Shipley weekly usability while keeping an explosive contingency path if Saquon Barkley were to miss time. That combination of a modest floor and break-glass ceiling makes the rookie a worthwhile dart once the Tier-1 handcuffs dry up in Round 15-16 of Best Ball drafts.

Jon Warner recommended scooping Will Shipley in the final rounds as a classic "handcuff-plus" back. Warner believes Kenneth Gainwell’s departure creates immediate passing-down work for Shipley, giving him sneaky standalone value even before an injury to starter D’Andre Swift. Shipley’s 102 career college receptions and 9.3 yards per catch at Clemson suggest he can fill the third-down role from Day 1, while his 4.46 forty shows enough burst to threaten chunk plays. Warner likes adding Shipley to otherwise stable RB rooms in Eliminator contests, reasoning that you bank safe touches early and still hold contingent upside if Swift misses time. He emphasized that the market has not adjusted to Gainwell’s exit, so Shipley’s current 16th-round ADP underprices both his weekly floor and his clear path to 15-plus touches should Swift go down.

Colm Kelly justified spending a late pick on rookie Will Shipley even after loading up on other backs. Colm sees virtually zero stand-alone value while Saquon Barkley is healthy but emphasized that Shipley’s 4.39 speed and 76-catch college resume make him an instant three-down replacement if Barkley breaks down. The Eagles averaged 29.6 running-back PPR points per game last year and return the entire offensive line, so any multi-week Barkley absence would turn Shipley into a potential league-winner right when fantasy playoffs start. Colm admitted rookie-heavy backfields can leave early-season holes, yet he felt comfortable adding Shipley as RB6 because Jordan Mason and Chubba Hunter already provide short-term floor. The pick is a classic “nothing now, everything later” dice roll he loves in Best Ball Mania.

Best Ball Guy said that anyone passing on Saquon Barkley should offset the risk by rostering 15-20 percent Will Shipley. He’s personally “fading Saquon” but grabbing Shipley everywhere because the rookie is the clearest contingency play in Philadelphia’s backfield. If Barkley misses time or underperforms, Shipley’s profile and direct depth-chart placement could deliver league-tilting weeks at a fraction of the cost. The tout framed Shipley as insurance with real standalone value that keeps Eagles stacks intact while freeing early-round equity for other bets.

James Koh spotlighted Will Shipley as the true backup to Saquon Barkley— not A.J. Dillon, whom beat writer Jimmy Kempski thinks may be cut. Barkley piled up a ridiculous 482 touches in 2024 and has missed three-plus games in two of the last three seasons on top of an ACL tear. Koh doubts Barkley clears 12 games. Shipley, the 5'11, 206-pound Clemson product, blazed a 4.39 forty and posted a 38.5-inch vert that shows elite burst and lateral quickness. His best trait is polished receiving chops, making him an instant three-down fill-in who could “save your fantasy season” if Barkley’s mileage finally bites back.

Colm Kelly endorsed Will Shipley as a final-round dart despite conceding the rookie offers little standalone value while Saquon Barkley is healthy. Barkley just helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl, so Colm expects the team to ride him early and often. Still, Shipley flashed enough in late-season mop-up duty to convince Colm the staff will trust him if Barkley misses time. On a roster that already invested heavily at wide receiver and secured early-season floor with veterans like Jordan Mason, Shipley’s contingent upside is exactly what Colm wants from his RB6.

Davis Mattek highlighted Will Shipley as the perfect contingency back for extreme zero-RB constructions. Shipley slots behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey in the Eagles’ offense, meaning an injury to either top-10 workhorse would instantly deliver 15-plus touches to the rookie while eliminating a huge chunk of opposing best-ball entries. Mattek’s broader strategy is to "draft the backups of the elite backs" because a zero-RB roster needs two things to happen simultaneously: (1) your late backs score points and (2) the first-round studs on rival teams miss time. Shipley checks both boxes—explosive enough to rip off "14 points a game for a month" yet cheap enough to stash as RB5/6. Mattek believes that asymmetric payoff is far more valuable than spending the same pick on a committee back who can’t crest 12 points without perfect game script.

Best Ball Guy doubled down on Will Shipley as a Round-15/16 steal, this time highlighting his all-around skill set. After re-watching every Shipley snap from last season, he praised the rookie’s pass protection and route running, noting camp reports that coaches already view him as a "stud." Because Philadelphia seldom targets backs, Shipley’s ability to earn designed routes could carve out early-season touches and secure hurry-up snaps—valuable in half-PPR scoring where one long reception swings a week. He said he is "totally fine" clicking Shipley over one-dimensional options like Tank Bigsby or Tyler Allgeier, and will keep scooping him as an upside RB4 behind anchor backs.

Best Ball Guy said Will Shipley is an auto-click in the late rounds because of a unique Week-17 path to volume. His logic: Philadelphia is good enough to be 16-1 or 15-2, so there is a legitimate chance Nick Sirianni rests Saquon Barkley and the other starters for the finale. If that happens, Shipley would handle the bulk of the backfield touches in the BBM6 finals, giving drafters a cheap, standalone ceiling game that very few opponents can replicate. The rookie also has contingency value if Barkley misses time earlier in the season, but Best Ball Guy stressed the "backup-in-Week-17" angle as the real tournament winner.

Tom Strachan argued Will Shipley is an underrated flier because historical data shows RBs coming off 400-plus touches—or 1,500 rushing yards—often underperform the following year, a direct reference to Saquon Barkley. Shipley is the clear RB2 in Philly with only A.J. Dillon behind him, and Dillon missed all of 2024 with a neck injury and has looked sluggish for years. The Eagles let Kenneth Gainwell walk, signaling confidence in Shipley. Though his NFL sample is limited to garbage-time playoff bursts of 16 and 57 yards, Strachan thinks the coaching staff values him enough that he could inherit Barkley’s role if the veteran wears down.

Chris Raybon spotlighted Will Shipley as the real Saquon Barkley handcuff despite some depth charts listing A.J. Dillon second. The Eagles spent a fourth-round pick on Shipley last year, then jettisoned Kenny Gainwell and added only Dillon—who Raybon called a tush-push specialist—to preserve continuity. Barkley, now 28, handled a career-high 482 regular- and post-season touches in 2023; Raybon reminded listeners that running backs average 2-3 missed games and age-based decline spikes past 27. Shipley flashed burst with a long playoff run and operates behind one of the league’s best lines, so any Barkley absence projects 15-plus touches and goal-line work. Even without injury, Nick Sirianni has historically rotated backs enough for weekly Best Ball usefulness. At a near-free Round-16 ADP, Shipley offers both standalone flex value and league-winning contingency upside for managers who faded RB early.

Erik Beimfohr called Will Shipley the single most mis-priced player in best-ball drafts. The Eagles’ depth chart is Saquon Barkley, Shipley and A.J. Dillon after Kenny Gainwell’s departure, leaving Shipley locked into roughly 20 % of snaps from Week 1 in an offense that ranked top-five in red-zone rush rate under Kellen Moore. Beimfohr argued that contingency value is elite: Barkley has missed 21 games in six seasons, and if the 102-overall back sits, Shipley would inherit a bell-cow workload behind Philadelphia’s top-three offensive line. He compared the Clemson rookie’s upside favorably to Trey Benson—who costs six rounds more— and is drafting Shipley in every league until the market corrects what he dubbed "silly" Round-17 pricing.

Rob Coakley grabbed Will Shipley in the 14th and said the rookie will be "flirting with the 10th" before long. Gainwell’s departure thins the depth chart, and he noted that even workhorse Saquon Barkley posted a smaller snap share than most people realize last year, opening the door for Shipley to carve out immediate rotational touches plus elite contingent upside if Barkley misses any time. Because Drafters’ cumulative scoring rewards every regular-season week equally, Coakley prioritizes backs who can score usable weeks without waiting on an injury. He is happy to reach a couple rounds ahead of current ADP to stock up before the July steam hits.

When chat asked about Will Shipley falling to Round 15, Rob Coakley warned that the rookie running back is another ‘massive draft-day winner’ who will not stay this cheap. He advised viewers to begin pulling Shipley up the board—potentially two or three rounds ahead of ADP—because once drafters digest his favorable landing spot and versatile skill set, he expects aggressive rooms to scoop him long before the 15th. Coakley emphasized that paying a small premium now is worthwhile if it locks in exposure before the inevitable summer ADP surge.

Rob Coakley doubled down on Will Shipley, saying the rookie remains a "massive draft-day winner" and should not make it past Round 12 much longer. He cited the Eagles’ decision to move on from Kenneth Gainwell plus Saquon Barkley’s 2024 snap rate—"not quite what you would think"—as proof Shipley will mix in immediately and carries elite contingent upside if Barkley misses time. Coakley expects Shipley to be "flirting with the 10th round" once drafters internalize that weekly floor/ceiling combo and is happily paying a 14th-round premium now before the market catches up.

After watching Will Shipley slip to Round 15 in his draft, Rob Coakley said managers must “start pulling him up” because Shipley, like Lloyd, was a massive post-draft winner. Coakley noted that waiting for the rookie to fall is no longer realistic in sharper rooms—Shipley has a clean runway to the Eagles’ change-of-pace and pass-catching role, and scarcity at running back in the double-digit rounds means the price will only rise. He recommended proactively scooping Shipley in the late-12th to early-14th before the broader best-ball market adjusts.

Erik Beimfohr labeled Will Shipley the single best value on Underdog right now. The former third-round pick is locked in as Saquon Barkley’s only real backup after Kenny Gainwell’s exit, and Barkley has missed 21 games since 2019. Shipley quietly saw 24% of snaps in the NFC Championship blowout and flashed 4.45 speed with 36% college reception share, making him a perfect fit for Kellen Moore’s screen-heavy attack. Beimfohr expects Shipley to log at least 25–30% snaps weekly in positive game scripts and have league-winning upside if Barkley’s health falters. He argued Shipley should be going roughly eight rounds earlier—comparable to how drafters priced Elijah Mitchell behind Christian McCaffrey— and urged managers to hoard shares before summer ADP corrections hit.

Erik Beimfohr called Will Shipley one of his favorite late-round running backs on DraftKings. The Eagles spent a third-round pick on Shipley, let Kenneth Gainwell walk, and declined to add more backfield competition— clear signals they view him as the primary backup to Saquon Barkley. Shipley flashed as both a rusher and pass catcher in limited playoff work, and his collegiate receiving chops (27 catches in his final Clemson season) fit perfectly with Philadelphia’s full-PPR upside. Beimfohr noted that drafters inexplicably let Shipley fall behind names like Jaden Blue despite Shipley’s superior draft capital, team confidence and immediate contingent value. If Barkley misses time, Shipley could step into 15-plus touches and valuable goal-line work on an elite offense, giving him true week-winning potential at his current price.

Beimfohr flagged Will Shipley as one of the best late running-back clicks on DraftKings. The rookie went in Round 3, not Round 7, and the Eagles let Kenneth Gainwell walk while declining to add any other backs—clear evidence the staff trusts Shipley as Saquon Barkley’s direct understudy. He reminded drafters that Shipley flashed on limited snaps during Clemson’s playoff push and owns a pass-catching resume (85 receptions over his college career) tailor-made for full-PPR scoring. If Barkley misses time, Shipley projects for every high-value touch on an offense that already finished top-10 in red-zone trips. Even with Barkley healthy, Shipley can carve out a Gainwell-plus role that returns value well before his current 17th-round sticker price.