Dynasty Preseason Game Blitz: Week Two, Part Two

Preseason games. Heck why do we even watch them? For myself, it’s the thrill of football back on the television. These games are somewhat important as we get clues on what NFL teams are thinking with personnel groupings and the like. Keep in mind not every game or quarter is made equal. Now that we are into the second full week of the preseason, I tend to watch all the plays with the starters and the first series with the backups. I will spend a little time on each game and give you some quick interpretations with what I’m seeing. My focus will be on some fringe players, first year starters, and the rookies.

49ers vs. Chiefs

LaMichael James, RB SF

If this game shows fantasy owners anything, it’s that James needs a crease and space to be effective. The diminutive back struggled the times he got caught up in the trash of the lines colliding and got blown up in pass protection. James has great lateral agility, but that doesn’t matter when there isn’t a glimmer of daylight.

Travis Kelce, TE KC

The rookie bobbled his first target, then didn’t get another one with the first unit. The troubled tight end needs to make the most out of his opportunities if he wants to see the field. It’s not like the Chiefs are flush with playmakers.

AJ Jenkins, WR SF

The former 2012 first round pick lost an early hand fight to Sean Smith – that pretty much set the tone for the rest of their evening together. When the ball was thrown short, Jenkins kept running which gave Smith the uncontested interception. Street free agent Chad Hall looked better than AJ did – enough said.

Cowboys vs. Cardinals

Michael Floyd, WR ARI

The second year receiver got knocked around by physical coverage and looked lost run blocking. When it was time to make a play in the end zone, Floyd got the ball knocked out of his hands. He also allowed the ball to be stripped out of his hands to deny the Cardinals a chance to score a touchdown.

Dwayne Harris, WR DAL

The first time he touched the ball, Harris got it ripped from his grasp on a punt return. He continued to act as the main returner after the miscue, but gave way to rookie Terrance Williams on three receiver sets. Harris appeared to be very ordinary and likely no better than the Dallas fourth receiver.

Terrance Williams, WR DAL

The rookie lined up in the three wide sets. He got open deep on a fly pattern where Romo overshot him. Williams looked better on shorter patterns as he shielded the ball away from the defenders well. Kyle Orton also missed him on a bomb, so it just might be the young receiver who isn’t hustling down the field.

Lance Dunbar, RB DAL

The smaller back continues to hold onto the second team running back role. Dunbar looked explosive on his 43 yard wheel route, but ended the play with a fumble when he got launched in the air. He is a slippery runner with soft hands and is a decent pass protector.

Jaguars vs. Jets

Stephen Hill, WR NYJ

The second year receiver made a nice catch in traffic. He runs quick, crisp routes, but couldn’t come down with the ball with his two red zone targets.

Bilal Powell, RB NYJ

He didn’t look like a limited athlete against the Jags. Powell ran a nice wheel route, took direct snaps in the wildcat, and demonstrated good burst running to daylight. He surprised me when he ran outside and he lined up in the slot as well. Perhaps there is more to him than I originally thought?

Ace Sanders, WR JAX

The rookie used his quicks to get off the line of scrimmage and made a nice catch in tight coverage. Sanders has great foot speed that keeps defenders guessing and uses his soft hands to grab poorly thrown passes.

Jordan Todman, RB JAX

I was impressed with this journeyman’s efforts. He has good lateral movement that caused the defenders to whiff at tackling him. Todman was following his blockers, and busted out some nice stutter steps. He might yet earn the RB2 spot behind MJD.

Justin Blackmon, WR JAX

The troubled second year receiver got a nice jump on his defenders. Blackmon does a good job of catching the ball on his outside shoulder and running through the catch for extra yardage. I love the way he swats smaller defenders out of his way whether he has the ball in his hands or run blocking.

Seahawks vs. Broncos

Golden Tate, WR SEA

He made a nice sideline bucket catch, shows great body control and reads the field well for cutback lanes. Tate is dangerous when he gets the ball in his hands in the open field as he proved on a long punt return.

Bobby Wagner, LB SEA

The second year dominating linebacker was an explosive force. On back-to-back plays, Wagner knocked Ronnie Hillman around on a rush blitz and tracked down Wes Welker for a minimal gain.

Jermaine Kearse, WR SEA

The former walk-on caught a nice pylon toss in front of the end zone for the Seahawks first scoring play. Kearse backed that up with an explosive 107 yards kickoff return where he found a seam and broke away from the coverage. Thanks to the Harvin injury, he is spending some time on first team three wide sets.

Ronnie Hillman, RB DEN

He had a difficult time against the strong Seattle defensive line. The gaps closed quickly on him. On his only scoring opportunity, Hillman got the ball punched out of his hands and the ball got scooped up for a defensive touchdown.

Vikings vs. Bills

Robert Woods, WR BUF

I like the way his game keeps improving from week to week. Even though Woods was not targeted much, he blocked better in the run game. The talented rookie was also improved in the punt return game as he showed good vision and ran behind his blockers. Woods does look a bit awkward when he tries to get small with the ball in his hands.

Christian Ponder, QB MIN

He fought the ball in his hands for most of the night and did not look comfortable. I doubt if Ponder can get more accurate. It’s time to move on.

Dolphins vs. Texans

DeAndre Hopkins, WR HOU

The rookie looked quick off the line of scrimmage, but got his feet tangled with a corner and fell down, allowing one pass to be intercepted. Hopkins bounced his head off the ground on a separate play which caused a concussion, so don’t expect him back until week one.

Ben Tate, RB HOU

With the mysterious Foster health news, Tate owners may get to see him in full force early in the season. Tate has nice wiggle, puts his foot on the ground and breaks with power. Although he is a talented runner, he needs the Houston line and scheme more than Foster does.

Ryan Tannehill, QB MIA

If you are looking for someone with great pocket awareness, Tannehill is the real deal. I love the way he flows away from impending doom and places the ball on his receiver’s outside shoulder near the sidelines. It was good to see some chemistry with Mike Wallace as he found him in the end zone between two defenders.

Packers vs. Rams

Eddie Lacy, RB GB

The powerfully built rookie was looking to run over defenders as he kept chopping his feet and pushing the pile forward. Lacy stepped up to attack a blitzing linebacker and showed dainty footwork on his runs, including a spin move when it was appropriate.

Isaiah Pead, RB STL

Despite some pundits beliefs he is a three down back, I view him as a third down back only. Pead is quick and decisive, but generates little power. He did look comfortable in pass protection, though.

Jarrett Boykin, WR GB

Due to Randall Cobb’s bicep injury, Boykin saw a lot of time in three wide receiver sets with the first unit. He ran sharp routes and had glimpses of good body control. If any starting Packer receivers go down, Boykin will excel.

Colts vs. Giants

David Wilson, RB NYG

The second year back has blazing speed he uses to make one cut and go. Wilson showed nice downfield vision and balance along with soft hands. Keep in mind he struggles in short yardage and pass blocking, so Andre Brown still has a significant role.

Louis Murphy, WR NYG

It was Murphy who came in for Victor Cruz once he went down with a bruised heel. He flashed a little and Cruz is out for the rest of the preseason, so keep him in mind in larger leagues.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR IND

Once again, he started in two wide receiver sets. DHB lets the ball hit him in the chest and does not reach to make catches. There is almost no wiggle to his game after he has the ball in his hands.

TY Hilton, WR IND

He is the Colts best playmaker of the preseason. Hilton catches the ball at its highest point and has great balance along with the ability to contort to the ball. His future is very bright with Andrew Luck at the helm.

Titans vs. Bengals

Marvin Jones, WR CIN

He started for the banged up AJ Green. Jones gets good separation from his defensive coverage, gets physical run blocking and catches the ball well. However, the second year receiver might struggle to get a lot of targets if the bigger pieces of the Bengals offense stay healthy.

Gio Bernard, RB CIN

Despite looking like a ninth grader, Bernard is a very elusive back. He gets small in the hole, shows good vision, gets low and has a nice burst. Bernard has a tendency to bounce runs outside, but if he can stay durable, he should surprise this year.

Mohammed Sanu, WR CIN

He runs crisp routes and showed some physicality on his crossing routes as he man-handled two defenders with a nice stiff-arm. Sanu showed good concentration with his fade pattern touchdown catch as well.

Steelers vs. Redskins

Le’Veon Bell, RB PIT

The rookie is already getting an injury-prone tag as he barely lasted a series against the Redskins. He looked quick, but only gets what the offensive line blocks for him. Oh, and right now, that isn’t much.

Jonathan Dwyer, RB PIT

He has quick feet and good balance which he used to keep moving forward, finding any small crease he could. Dwyer can find the cutback lane, but still struggles to hold onto the ball.

Kirk Cousins, QB WAS

When the second year quarterback doesn’t try to be RGIII, he looks like a Matt Schaub clone. He is a decent pocket passer and when given time can find the open receiver. Cousins got banged up trying to be more athletic than he is.

Ryan Kerrigan, LB WAS

The linebacker wreaked havoc on Steelers RT Marcus Gilbert. Kerrigan was quick off the line, got his hands up, swatted the ball into his hands and rumbled in for a touchdown. He applied pressure in every series including a sack and a fumble.

David Paulson, TE PIT

It’s not his fault, but Paulson is no Heath Miller. He did get down the field and made a nice sideline toe tap that got the Steelers in field goal range. Other than that play, Paulson got owned as a blocker and a receiver.

For follow-up questions or information please contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley.