Preseason Roundup: Week One, Part Three

Ken Kelly Posted On August 10, 2014

manziel

The preseason is upon us and that means we finally get a chance to see free agents with their new teams and our shiny new rookies in real game action. While many of our dynasty league staples won’t play much the first few weeks, we at least get to see some glimpses of some role players and get a taste for what they may (or may not) be able to do if given a bigger opportunity. While many fantasy football players won’t pay much attention to these games, they’re perfect for the true dynasty enthusiasts to get an early idea on depth charts, player usage and even unearthing a future sleeper. We’ll go through the preseason games as they conclude each week and post this series with some short notes on what we observe during each game.

Cleveland at Detroit

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The debut of Johnny Manziel certainly stole the show in this game. It seemed like people expected him to either throw for five touchdowns and deliver a baby on the field or throw six interceptions and get caught rolling dollar bills in the locker room. In the end, the result was somewhere in between as he completed 7-of-11 passes for 63 yards and also had six carries for 27 yards. Manziel didn’t look overwhelmed, but also didn’t look extremely comfortable. In short, it was a positive showing from Manziel and one that should put some heat on Brian Hoyer, who completed 6-of-14 passes for 92 yards. In fact, some reporters are already saying Manziel has passed Hoyer on the depth chart and will start the second preseason game. Dynasty owners were also excited about seeing the Cleveland running backs. Ben Tate had six carries for 25 yards, but did fumble once. Terrance West had 22 yards on ten carries. Isaiah Crowell was nowhere to be found. At this point, it looks like Tate is going to be the starter, but West is going to steal carries at the very least. The only thing Crowell has going for him is the fact Dion Lewis (three carries, six yards, one lost fumble) looked awful.

For the Lions, it was great to see Ryan Broyles back on the field. He’ll never be the same after so many leg injuries, but this kid has an MVP-like heart. Eric Ebron also made his debut for the Lions and had one catch for two yards. It’s a stark reminder that tight ends take a long time to develop. When Andrew Peacock is your leading receiver in a preseason game, there isn’t much else to report here.

Pittsburgh at New York Giants

Dri Archer looked good as he torched the Giants’ first team defense on a 46-yard screen pass. He has great speed and it was exciting to see that translate on the big stage. Archer lacks size, but looks to be used early and often as a gadget player. Dynasty owners should take note of Archer as it’s obvious the positive news from camp isn’t just smoke. Martavis Bryant also made his debut and it was a hot mess. He was used as a receiver and a punt returner, but managed to have twice as many fumbles (2) as catches (1).

For the Giants, Rashad Jennings attempted to quiet talk of anyone challenging him for the starting job by rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, including a 73-yard score. With David Wilson gone, Andre Williams has staked his claim to the backup job and rushed for 35 yards on seven carries. These two look like a pretty decent 1-2 punch moving forward. Their performances were even more noteworthy because the offensive line of the Giants is terrible at the moment and Eli Manning may be in store for another really long season.

Green Bay at Tennessee

This game was played in an absolute downpour, so it’s hard to really judge too much of what we see. For the Packers, Davante Adams made his debut with two catches for 22 yards, but he also fumbled on back-to-back punts. Richard Rodgers started the game at tight end and had one catch for ten yards as well. James Starks was obviously inspired by Ty Miller’s article on insurance policies yesterday as he rushed for 49 yards on six carries. Starks is often injured and is a risk, but it’s clear he’d have serious value if Eddie Lacy ever missed time, especially with Johnathan Franklin out of the picture.

As for the Titans, it was fun to see Bishop Sankey in extended action. He had 37 yards on 13 carries and added 38 more yards and a touchdown on three catches. Sankey wasn’t dominant by any stretch, but he showed his versatility. Justin Hunter only had one catch for five yards, but there’s no reason to worry. It would have been great to see Jake Locker more (we were forced to watch Charlie Whitehurst most of the game), but we may have to wait another week or two to see if Locker has really progressed.

Houston at Arizona

With Arian Foster out of the lineup, most expected Andre Brown to start the game. He was somehow nowhere to be seen, so Jonathan Grimes got the start over Alfred Blue. Grimes (ten carries for 39 yards) and Blue (five carries for 30 yards) both played well. The competition between those two needs to be monitored closely because Foster and Brown aren’t exactly durable. Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzpatrick was terrible as he went 6-for-14 for 55 yards and threw two interceptions. Fitzpatrick is destined to be hit and miss (he’ll probably be great next week), but pinning your hopes on this offense can be done at your own peril.

For the Cardinals, John Brown must have been inspired by our “Who is John Brown?” piece by Jaron Foster last week because he responded with five catches for 87 yards (we’ll take credit for everything, just so you know). Brown has been a training camp revelation and his play has been noteworthy. In short, we’re not surprised at what we saw from him last night. The most noteworthy, well, note from last night on the Cardinals front was the performance of quarterback Logan Thomas who completed 11-of-12 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Thomas has been billed as a project by Bruce Arians, but he truly does possess a ton of talent. This was great to see and if it continues, Thomas would make for a great dynasty league quarterback stash.

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Ken Kelly

Co-Founder at DynastyLeagueFootball

Ken is a corporate trainer by day an a tireless editor of dynasty content by night. His passion for the World Champion Seattle Seahawks is second only to his love of fantasy football and the dynasty format.

Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK