Preseason Roundup: Week Two, Part Two

Karl Safchick

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You can almost hear my audible sigh of relief in response to actual football being played on my television. The preseason is upon us, folks. As I’m writing, there is physical tackling happening in front of me; not the fictitious arm grabbing in which I’ve grown accustomed in my trips to training camps.

Many will have you believe the fantasy community overreacts to preseason games. Sometimes those detractors are correct. We’ve seen many preseason breakouts by players who have since been unable to see actual playing time in the regular season. There is much to be learned from the preseason, though. We’re monitoring position battles, injuries and breakout candidates. While the critics ignore the preseason, you know the only thing worse than overreacting, is not reacting at all. A seasoned fantasy player will not suspend their opinion, but rather allow it to be fluid. As the great Lewis Carroll said “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”

Green Bay Packers at St Louis Rams

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The Packers’ usual suspects showed their ability to produce fantasy points. Aaron Rodgers went 11-for-13 for 128 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was hauled in by DLF favorite Randall Cobb who looked impressive as always. Eddie Lacy looked like himself as he averaged five yards per carry over five carriers. Eyes were opened as a pair of rookie wide receivers, Davante Adams and Jeff Janis, impressed fantasy owners. Adams was selected in the first round of many dynasty rookie drafts and his owners were pleased to see him catch a couple balls. Janis is more of a deep sleeper, but is already rostered in leagues with 30+ roster spots. He caught an exciting 34-yard touchdown.

This year has been deemed a “prove it” season for Sam Bradford. The Rams quite possibly have assembled the most talented surrounding cast since the “Greatest Show on Turf” days. While excuses will be scarce for Bradford, he looked fairly sharp against the Packers starting defense. The quarterback went over 100 yards passing and threw a touchdown pass to Lance Kendricks. The running game struggled as Zac Stacy was only given a few opportunities and rookie Tre Mason averaged 2.5 yards per carry over his twelve opportunities. Benny Cunningham was the only standout at the running back position due to his 24 yards on five carries.

New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts

The Giants offense was largely ineffective last year and while the team hired new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, Eli Manning continued his struggles into this year’s preseason. Manning completed just one pass for six yards on seven attempts against the Colts. Neither of Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams impressed as both averaged 2.4 yards per carry. There are large factions excited for both Jennings and Williams, but their success may depend on how effective the rest of the offense can be around them. This game was not a good sign for the offensive line, or any other offensive position.

Speaking of underwhelming, we were blessed with another glimpse of the incredibly mediocre Trent Richardson. Granted, the Colts offensive line is not the best in the league, but Richardson seems to encounter quicksand when he eclipses the line of scrimmage. Each time I view Richardson’s ADP, I think “have I gone mad?” Hakeem Nicks started the game against his former team and had a respectable stat line in limited duty. Opposite of Nicks was rookie wide receiver Donte Moncrief. With T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne being healthy scratches, it’s nice to see Moncrief get play with the first team. This shows the team’s faith in Moncrief and uncertainty in Da’Rick Rodgers.

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

Sophomore quarterback Geno Smith posted a respectable completion percentage, but did throw one interception. Smith’s backup, Michael Vick, was somewhat impressive against the second team, but does not appear to be pushing Smith for the starting gig. Chris Johnson did the most with his opportunity as he accumulated 63 yards on ten carries.

There are plenty of questions surrounding Andy Dalton, but if his performance against the Jets defense is any indication, he’ll be just fine this year. Dalton had a perfect passer rating on Saturday while throwing to players like Mohammed Sanu and Jermaine Gresham. AJ Green’s performance was what we’ve grown accustomed to expect from one of the league’s best receivers.

Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys

Bernard Pierce was impressive against one of the worst defenses in the league, but rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro stole the show late in the game. The stat sheet wasn’t particularly kind to Taliaferro, but the kid ran with authority. Last year, the Ravens had one of the worst run games in recent memory as Pierce and Ray Rice struggled to maintain relevance. The offense appears to be reinvigorated under new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. I would expect one of those three running backs to be an every week starter this year and beyond. Good luck finding which is the guy to own. It may be a more difficult riddle to solve than “why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Do we need any reminder how amazing Dez Bryant is at playing football? The guy is an absolute stud in every aspect of playing wide receiver. As horrendous as the Cowboys defense appears to be this year, their offense will not be of concern. Not only will Bryant and Tony Romo dominate in the passing game, but the running backs can flourish in the Scott Linehan offensive system. DeMarco Murray is one of the best running backs in the game and he’s spelled by the talented Lance Dunbar. Both looked good last night, but even Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams were successful on the ground. Jason Witten has been the model of consistency over the better part of the last decade, but there are actually some very talented tight ends behind him on the depth chart. I was very impressed by both Gavin Escobar and James Hanna. It’s difficult to ask most fantasy owners to cut a player for the likes of their Escobar or Hanna, but both are names to monitor.

Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Dolphins were unable to get the running game going on Saturday, but their (arguably) most talented running back, Knowshon Moreno, was sidelined. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is known for making LeSean McCoy into a star, so one would believe the rushing attack should improve. The Passing game in Miami was already successful last year, and should continue to be this year. Ryan Tannehill improved each year in the league thus far, and I believe he’ll progress yet again. There were 18 Dolphins receivers targeted in Saturday’s game, so it’s difficult to pinpoint any as a “breakout candidate”, but it was nice to see Jarvis Landry turn his only target into a 26-yard catch.

Much of what we look for in the preseason is rookie performance, and there’s almost no rookie in fantasy more relevant than the Buccaneers Mike Evans. Evans was impressive on Saturday as he caught two passes, one for a 42 yard touchdown which was quickly negated. Evans’ would-be touchdown ball was punched out by Dolphins star corner, Brent Grimes.

Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers

The only rookie wide receiver who you could argue to be more relevant than Mike Evans is former Clemson Tigers standout Sammy Watkins. Unfortunately, the story Saturday night was not about Watkins performance, but about him being injured. It appears Watkins has bruised ribs and the team believes it’s “nothing serious,” but it’s definitely a situation to monitor. The most impressive receiver for the Bills was Robert Woods who caught three balls for 49 yards. EJ Manuel continues to struggle with accuracy as he had ten incompletions on 27 attempts. The seemingly immortal Fred Jackson was a true silver lining as he led the team in rushing.

The Steelers starters were remarkable. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Brown caught a pass and turned it into an amazing 76-yard score. The running game for the Steelers was fruitless, but we’ve come to expect very little from the running backs in Pittsburgh. Luckily for Le’Veon Bell owners, he’s an effective pass catcher. The receiving corps looks to be talented behind Brown as well. Rookie Martavius Bryant and sophomore Markus Wheaton both caught a pair of balls. Wheaton converted one for a touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans

The Falcons offense was powerless against the Texans on Saturday. There weren’t many positives to take away from this game if you’re a fantasy owner of any Falcons players. It was nice to see Julio Jones on the field and catching passes. If healthy, Jones is one of the best receivers in the game. Rookie Devonte Freeman was afforded six carries to the tune of 31 yards. He appears to be in line for substantial duty if veteran Stevan Jackson continues to battle injuries.

While there wasn’t much to print about the Falcons offense, the Texans offense had a nice bounceback game on Saturday. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked like an effective quarterback, the running backs were productive and the defense was flying toward the ball. Many fantasy owners who play IDP were turned off by Jadaveon Clowney after being drafted to a 3-4 scheme, but regardless of position, Clowney is one of the greatest pass rushing prospects in NFL history. Owners who passed on him because of scheme concerns will be kicking themselves by mid-season. One name to keep an eye on is Jonathan Grimes. The waiver wires in many dynasty leagues were active this week as Grimes was a hot commodity. With Arian Foster’s injury concerns, Grimes could conceivably get an abundance of carries this year. Grimes carried the ball nine times for 42 yards Saturday.

Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings

The most hyped Cardinal in training camp was rookie John Brown. Bruce Arians has drafted a “Brown type” receiver in the fifth round a few times before. In his time with the Steelers, Arians took part in drafting Antonio Brown in the fifth round, and while with the Colts, T.Y. Hilton was drafted in the fifth round. John Brown fits the mold of both of those players and continued impressing Cardinals fans on Saturday. The rushing game was unproductive, but many fantasy owners won’t argue with the Cardinals throwing as much as possible.

Both Vikings quarterbacks were extraordinary, but I was most impressed by rookie Teddy Bridgewater. He seems to be growing into his role faster than if he drank from a bottle labeled “drink me.” The impressive touchdown throw to win the game was only the icing on the cake. While the quarterbacks were thrilling to watch, the receivers were equally as electrifying. Kyle Rudolph has begun to justify his offseason contract extension as he hauled in four catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Remember what Norv Turner means for tight ends in his offense. Rudolph could be in store for a breakout season.

Stay tuned all preseason as we recap each days worth of games, and if you enjoy my take on football and my (not so) subtle references to classic movies, follow me on Twitter @KarlSafchick.

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