Preseason Roundup: Week Two, Part One
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.
Jacksonville at Chicago
It’s going to start getting really tough for the Jags to not get Blake Bortles some time with the first team offense against a first team defense. For the second straight week, Bortles was terrific, this time completing 11-of-17 passes for 160 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.  More importantly, he simply looks like the stage isn’t too big for him already. It’s way too early to think he handle the season opener, but I wouldn’t bet against it – for a player many thought would spend the season holding a clipboard, his development looks to be going very quickly. Chad Henne has done his part this preseason, so Jacksonville is in a position to really choose the player they think gives them the best chance to win right now instead of just throwing Bortles into the fire because they have to. It was nice to see Marqise Lee finally get in on the action as he finished with four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Storm Johnson (14 yards on five carries) looks like he may be headed to the practice squad as he just simply hasn’t done enough to push the other running backs thus far.
[am4show  have=’p2;p3;p4;p5;p6;’  guest_error=’sub_message’  user_error=’sub_message’ ]
For the Bears, Jay Cutler looks primed for a monster season. The injuries and turnovers are always a concern, but this offense just looks like it fits him very well. He finished the night completing 7-of-9 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Ka’Deem Carey didn’t have the big game his owners were hoping for as he finished with just 36 yards on 13 carries. He’s looked ordinary while Shaun Draughn has looked much more like a viable backup to Matt Forte. Chicago obviously didn’t like what they saw with their backup receivers (Marquess Wilson is out for a bit), so they signed Santonio Holmes today. Let someone else pick up Holmes if they want to – I won’t exactly be rushing to grab him in any of my leagues, either.
Philadelphia at New England
I said last week in this column it was time to buy Jordan Matthews if you had a really impatient or inexperienced owner in your league. That time has passed now as Matthews bounced back from his dreadful performance last week with nine catches for 104 yards this week. More importantly, he didn’t drop a single pass. Matthews is a great rookie to have and should flourish in this offense. Speaking of bounce-back efforts, Nick Foles looked like he did last season as he finished going 8-for-10 for 81 yards and a touchdown. Super sleeper Ifeanyi Momah had his share of problems as he finished with just three catches for 28 yards and also lost not one, but two fumbles. You have to love what Henry Josey is doing as well. He had 56 rushing yards on just eight carries and also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass. There’s not much playing time for him to have this year, but they may not be able to sneak him on their practice squad. You also have to love what you’re seeing from Zach Ertz (2/26/1).
For the Pats, Tom Brady made his season debut and looked fairly sharp. He did throw a “pick six,” but that certainly looked like it was the receiver’s fault. It was an all too familiar scene with Stevan Ridley as he looked great picking up 45 yards on just nine carries, but fumbled again and didn’t re-enter the game. The silver lining for him is James White failed to impress, rushing for just 27 yards on ten carries. Watch out for Jimmy Garoppolo, who went 6-for-12 passing for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Garoppolo played ahead of Ryan Mallett, thus putting Mallett (who played fairly well) squarely on the roster bubble. Kenbrell Thompkins continued his strong camp with three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. The longer Aaron Dobson (foot) sits out, the harder it’s going to be to replace Thompkins on the depth chart.
Tennessee at New Orleans
The Titans have to be happy as Jake Locker was sharp while completing 8-of-10 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Locker is in a “now or never” situation this year and all things are going his way at the moment. Bishop Sankey also had a decent game with 31 yards on six carries. The story of the night for Tennessee (and dynasty owners) was the promising performance of Justin Hunter, though. The young dynamo had four catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including a nice four-yard catch in the back of the end zone and a 64-yard catch and run for another score. Dynasty owners have their fingers crossed, hoping Hunter can take the next step forward and he’s been reportedly lighting up camp every day. This performance should give those owners even more confidence moving forward.
The Saints were still without Drew Brees (oblique), but Jimmy Graham didn’t seem to mind as he caught five passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns – that was great because the running game was pretty awful. In fact, the collective group ran for just 78 yards on 27 carries and were led by Mark Ingram, who had just 19 yards on five carries (though he did catch a 23-yard touchdown pass). Joe Morgan took advantage of his opportunity as he posted 108 yards on three catches. Brandin Cooks didn’t build upon last week as he finished with just one catch for 16 yards.
San Diego at Seattle
There was really, really not much to see on the San Diego side of things. Their first team offense and defense got worked over by Seattle and were down 24-0 before the second strings took over. In fact, no offensive player for San Diego had more than 30 yards rushing or receiving – they spread the ball out and played a bunch of players, but that’s flat out anemic. Last week’s eyebrow raiser Branden Oliver had nine carries for just 14 yards. Ouch.
For the Seahawks, Russell Wilson looked like he was in mid-season form as he finished the game going 11-for-13 for 121 yards and also rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns. If Wilson can get some consistency from his receiving corps, he’s in for a great year. Marshawn Lynch didn’t play, but again, it was Robert Turbin who shined. Turbin played ahead of Christine Michael and finished with 81 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries. Michael was solid (45 yards and a nearly lost fumble on eight carries), but those who think he’s going to be a bellcow if Lynch misses time have dismissed Turbin way too early in the process.
Detroit at Oakland
The Lions were led by Matt Stafford, who looked ready for the season opener. On the night, he finished 9-of-10 passing for 88 yards, including a 28-yard strike to Golden Tate. If there’s one player I root for, it’s Ryan Broyles. He’s again defying the odds and finished the night with two catches for 42 yards. Eric Ebron also had two catches for 36 yards. He’s coming along slowly, but the talent and opportunity is there.
Oakland has a quarterback problem. Matt Schaub again looked shaky as he completed just eight of his 13 passes for 87 yards and one interception. In short, he just looks done. Derek Carr came in and finished 9-of-16 throwing the ball for 109 yards and a touchdown, but left after a concussion. It’s going to be a mess in Oakland this season and they really need a good showing in the third preseason game to instill any confidence for owners relying on any of their players. On a good note, the combination of Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew looks at least serviceable.
We’ll be back with the next batch tomorrow!
[/am4show]
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
- 2024 Rookie Bust Mock Draft (Pre-Draft Edition): Round One - April 18, 2024
- JK Dobbins signs with the Chargers: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact - April 17, 2024
- Dynasty Running Back Danger Rankings: 24-17 - April 15, 2024
