There were plenty of fantasy football owners who lost their matchups in Week 1 because Dallas Goedert didn’t have a single catch.
Dallas Goedert is one of them.
“Yeah, [fantasy owners] weren’t too happy with me. They were yelling at me about stuff like that. But I don’t really care about that,” Goedert said. “I have myself on fantasy. I didn’t win, probably because of myself. Move on to next week.”
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Goedert was targeted just one time in the Eagles’ 25-20 win over the Patriots on Sunday afternoon and that target didn’t come until the fourth quarter. This was Goedert’s first game without a catch since Sept. 22, 2019 against the Lions.
He had caught a pass in 59 consecutive regular and postseason games before Sunday.
But he’s not stressing.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been shut out like that,” Goedert said. “Obviously, it’s not very much fun. Fantasy owners aren’t too happy with me. But Eagles fans, we got the win and that’s what we care about.”
NFL
Even without a catch, Goedert still played 61 snaps (92%) against the Patriots and blocked in the run game and pass protected. It wasn’t like Goedert had a bad game.
“The benefit for me is I’m a big part of the run game as well as the pass game,” Goedert said. “If the ball’s not coming my way, I can’t control that so just keep the same mentality. Go out the next play and the ball might come to you, you might get a bunch in a row, something like that. Just stay locked in, win the 1-on-1 matchups and do everything I can to help the team win.”
And the Patriots have a good defense. They paid special attention to Goedert with some chips and some doubles. And even on a few plays when Goedert did find himself open, the ball just didn’t come to him.
Sometimes in this offense, there’s going to be a game where one of the top targets doesn’t get as involved. Jalen Hurts on Tuesday mentioned that it’s happened before and it’s nothing to worry about.
“You just never know. We have so many talented skill players,” Eagles receiver A.J. Brown said. “That’s why you gotta try to make the most of your opportunities. His opportunities was limited but he did a really good job for us just being selfless and still coming in and being an impact (player) because you have to account for him. Hats off to him because he showed great leadership in that moment. I’m sure he’s going to have a good game on Thursday.”
The Eagles this week after reminded everyone about what happened with DeVonta Smith in the opener last year. Smith didn’t have a catch against the Lions in Week 1 but but in the following two games had a combined 15 catches on 19 targets for 249 yards and a touchdowns.
Smith ended up being just fine and Goedert expects the same to happen for him.
“DeVonta didn’t have a catch in Week 1 and still had 1,000 yards, almost 100 catches,” Goedert said. “That’s something I’m not too worried about. My goals are about a lot more than just about my personal goals. I want to win, I want this team to win, I want a Super Bowl. That’s what I care about most. I’m going to do whatever I can. I’m not stressing about anything.”
Goedert was off to a fantastic start last season before suffering a shoulder injury that forced him to miss five games. Even with that absence, Goedert caught 55 passes for 702 yards and 3 touchdowns in 12 games in 2022.
If he stays healthy, even after a slow start, there’s no reason to think this won’t be a big year for him in 2023.
“Dallas obviously is a fantastic player,” Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said. “And we have to do a great job to try to find ways to get him the ball.”
That should make a lot of fantasy football owners very happy. Goedert included.
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