Ed Barkowitz: Castillo firing won't solve fantasy owners' woes

THE FIRING of Juan Castillo wasn't the first significant development of the Eagles' 2012 season. Not even close.

The first real sign of trouble came in the offseason when star left tackle Jason Peters ruptured his Achilles' tendon. Twice. When starting center Jason Kelce got hurt, the linemen were shuffled around so much it looked like Charlie Manuel's lineup in the middle of June. Playing the part of cleanup hitter Hector Luna was new center Dallas Reynolds.

Anyone else wonder whether Castillo could have done a better job patching the line together? That was his area of expertise, after all.

The defense certainly wasn't great late against the Lions, but the offense is just as much to blame for the Eagles' sluggish 3-3 start. The captain of the ship bumped into an iceberg, so he fired the first mate.

There's been a lot of harangue about the Eagles' lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. At this point last year, they had nine sacks. In 2012, they have seven. The defense also has given up three more first downs (three!) and 62 more total yards in 2012. They've also given up eight fewer touchdowns, while the offense has scored seven fewer.

The offense has been mediocre on the field and even worse in the fantasy world. Just about all of Michael Vick's numbers are down, except, remarkably, his interceptions, which are the same. He had eight picks in six games in 2011 and has eight through the first six games of 2012. Vick has lost two more fumbles and he's running for about 30 fewer yards per outing. He has (yawn) 59 more passing yards in 2012.

DeSean Jackson's and Brent Celek's stats are slightly better, but Jeremy Maclin's are down and LeSean McCoy has been a fantasy disappointment.

A consensus top-five fantasy pick, McCoy has fewer rushing yards (459 in 2012, 569 last year), despite slightly more attempts (111-105). Most troubling is that McCoy has three touchdowns, when last year at this point, he had eight on his way to the franchise record of 20.

A six-game sampling might not seem like much, but in fantasy circles, that's almost half the season. Andy Reid's teams have a history of rallying after the bye, so the Eagles still can turn it around. Those of us who drafted McCoy or Vick don't have that kind of time. And we don't have a defensive coordinator we can pin this on.

Quarterbacks: Loved Aaron Rodgers' six-touchdown performance Monday night. Didn't love his annoyance that fans were constantly worried about the Packers' slow start. Yo, dude. You were 2-3 and had just blown a game against the Colts. Be happy that people care . . . Andrew Luck has had at least two TD passes in all three home games and had 362 yards when the Colts beat the Packers in Week 5. Indy gets Cleveland's 25th-ranked pass defense this week.

* Running backs: If Dallas wanted to err on the side of caution and rest DeMarco Murray (sprained foot), this is the week to do it. Carolina, the Cowboys' opponent, is only 23rd against the run. After this week, Dallas' next three are home vs. the Giants and on the road against the Falcons and Eagles. Felix Jones, Murray's likely replacement, would be a solid RB2 this week . . . Backups to watch include the Rams' Daryl Richardson and the Giants' David Wilson.

* Wide receivers: Hakeem Nicks has been a major downer since his 10-catch, 199-yard effort in Week 2, but he needs to be in lineups this week. Nicks was slowed by knee and foot injuries but practiced Wednesday and Thursday and gets a Redskins defense that is 32nd against the pass. Those with bye-week or injury woes might consider giving Giants tight end Martellus Bennett a play, as well . . . Tampa Bay's Mike Williams has had consecutive 100-yard games, each on only four catches. In his previous two seasons, he had only one 100-yard outing.

For a full transcript of Thursday's chat, visit philly.com/FantasyIsland.

Q: Kenny Britt or Antonio Brown; and Stevan Ridley or Felix Jones?

A: Britt and Jones. I have DeMarco Murray and have been waiting for this Carolina game all season. Now he's probably not going to play. Ugh.

Q: Will Anquan Boldin continue to put up strong PPR numbers?

A: I think so. He is averaging about seven targets and 71.5 yards per game, so he definitely has value, especially in PPR. No reason that should change.