2025 Fantasy Football: Will Shipley Is A Must-Draft Saquon Barkley Handcuff

Will Shipley enters the 2025 fantasy football season as a high-upside handcuff to Saquon Barkley with limited standalone value in the Eagles’ crowded backfield.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley (28) reacts after a play against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Will Shipley showed flashes of explosiveness during his college career at Clemson and briefly in limited 2024 NFL action, but his fantasy ceiling remains capped behind Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia. While Shipley profiles as a strong late-round handcuff, his standalone value is limited unless injuries hit the Eagles’ backfield.

Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles

Clemson gave Shipley three years of winning snaps, with his best play coming in his sophomore season (210/1,182/15 with 38 catches for 242 yards). Over 36 career games, he gained 3,350 combined yards with 33 touchdowns and 85 catches. In 2023, he rushed for more than 100 yards only twice (17/114 and 18/126/1). Shipley suffered a minor right knee injury late in December.

Shipley ran most of his plays out of the shotgun formations with Clemson. He runs with a shimmy through the line of scrimmage with the acceleration to win over the short areas of the field. When in space, his decision-making could be better, which would add more distance to his carries. Shipley doesn’t win with power, requiring him to find daylight quickly in tight quarters. His catching ability enables him to be on the field in passing situations, while also offering change-of-pace value on early downs.

Over his first 15 games with the Eagles, he gained only 50 yards on 20 carries. A concussion sidelined him in Week 17, followed by a split role (10/32 with four catches for 35 yards) in Philadelphia’s final regular-season game. He flashed in a blowout mop-up game in the postseason (4/77/1), highlighted by a 57-yard run. 

Every Will Shipley rookie season rush + target pic.twitter.com/IY8WSugzV2

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) July 1, 2025

Will Shipley 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Shipley looks locked into the Eagles’ RB2 opportunity this year, but an injury to Barkley won’t lead to workhorse touches with AJ Dillon added to Philly’s roster in the offseason. I view him as a must-handcuff for Saquon Barkley while expecting him to get drafted after round 14 in 12-team formats with 20 roster slots.