Eli Stowers Fantasy Overview

The Eagles placed TE Eli Stowers on IR, knocking him out for the first four games of the season. Stowers struggled as a blocker and was quiet as a receiver early in camp and then injured his hamstring in late August. He already looked like a long shot for 2026 fantasy value before landing on IR.

Eagles TE Eli Stowers continues to struggle in training camp, with The Philly Voice’s Geoff Mosher saying he’s still learning the position and struggling with the game’s physicality. The team drafted Stowers in the second round of the NFL Draft this past April as a potential heir apparent to TE Dallas Goedert. Stowers' receiving ability and athleticism could've gotten him on the field, but it appears he's too far behind to open the season as a contributor.

The Philly Voice's Jimmy Kempski doesn't expect Eagles TE Eli Stowers to make a big impact this season. Kempski points out that rookie TEs generally don't post big receiver numbers (although that hasn't necessarily been the case in recent seasons with guys like Sam LaPorta, Brock Bowers, and Harold Fannin). More crucially, Kempski notes that Stowers' blocking deficiencies will challenge his playing time. Kempski lists both Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt ahead of Stowers on Philly's depth chart. Mundt won't contribute much as a pass catcher but is a reliable blocker.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers in the second round with the 54th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. A four-star QB recruit in the 2021 class, Stowers made the move to TE at New Mexico State in 2023. He finished that year with a 35-366-2 receiving line before transferring to Vanderbilt. Stowers immediately emerged as the Commodores’ top target, leading the team with 49 catches, 638 yards, and 5 TDs in 2024. Stowers was even better this past year, posting a 62-769-4 line and winning the Mackey Award as the top TE in college football. His 2.55 yards per route ranked second among 99 FBS TEs with 30+ targets. Stowers looks like an excellent athlete on tape and confirmed that with a 9.42 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.51-second 40 time and 45.5-inch vertical. The question with Stowers is how he’ll fit in an NFL offense. He’s light at 6’4, 239 pounds and struggles to hold up as a blocker. He played just 38% of his snaps inline over the past two seasons. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport even said in the leadup to the draft that some teams were evaluating Stowers as a WR. It’s also worth noting that Stowers has suffered a pair of significant injuries:

• Torn PCL and meniscus in his left knee in 2019
• Torn labrum in his shoulder in 2021