Preseason Roundup: Week Two, Part One
Week two of the NFL preseason has begun and it’s time to start getting a closer look at some of the starters and camp battles as they heat up. The action will be hot and heavy as players on deep draft sheets will start getting more time on the field. Fantasy owners will get an extended look at who can be dynasty relevant and at players who just don’t pass the eye test. There were only two games each on Thursday and Friday, but a lot of action was on display. The audience had an inside look at the Buffalo and Cleveland quarterback battle and if anything had changed with Robert Griffin at the helm.
The week two preseason will be broken down into three parts. Within each article I will be discussing the players who have surprised, excelled and those who may be emerging.
Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins
It was a good thing the Redskins gave the ball to Alfred Morris on the first two plays in the opening drive, because who knows where the Redskins may have been punting from – Alaska, perhaps? The Redskins offensive line was bad last season and it didn’t get much better, or so it appears.
Even though some of the blame can fall on the offensive line, Griffin needs to get better at anticipating where the receivers are going to be and getting rid of the ball quicker. He fumbles far too often to be a productive quarterback at this time.
The Lions defense didn’t look as good as I thought it would. They gave up a few big run plays up the middle and not having Haloti Ngata in the lineup showed. The offense did move the ball at will against the Redskins and seemed to do what they wanted, even though it didn’t show on the scoreboard.
Quarterbacks
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Robert Griffin had five attempts and was sacked three times for a net loss of 17-yards. He also had one pass rejected at the line of scrimmage and fumbled twice, giving one of them up to Detroit. The misery didn’t end there as RGIII also suffered a concussion and shoulder injury. Jay Gruden announced he would be fine in terms of his shoulder injury, but no timetable was given on how long he will be out with the concussion. The hope is he’ll be ready for week one, but that’s not certain.
The Redskins other quarterbacks fared much better against the Lions other defensive units. Colt McCoy was first to sub for Griffin. He finished the game going 5-for-6 for 80 yards passing to go along with one touchdown. Kirk Cousins nearly matched McCoy for production as he went 8-for-12 for 91 yards and a touchdown of his own. He found wide receiver Rashad Ross (4-39-1) open at the three-yard line and Ross carried it the rest of the way for the touchdown. Look for a possible Cousins start in week three and if he can continue to perform well, it may be his starting job come week one.
Matt Stafford looked sharp in his second game this preseason. He completed 6-of-9 passes for 78 yards. He played the first two series, leading the Lions down for a field goal on their opening drive. He was without Megatron again, but he made good use out of Ryan Broyles (3-31-0) and Golden Tate (2-21-0).
Running Backs
Alfred Morris had one good run on his three attempts as he rushed for ten yards on his second carry. The other two went for one yard and a loss of one yard, respectively. The player who intrigued me again was rookie Matt Jones. This third round pick out of Florida rushed eight times for 44 yards and a touchdown. Last week he had five carries for 38 yards. The rookie has combined for 82 yards on 13 carries in his two preseason games and figures to be a lock for backup duties behind Morris.
Ameer Abdullah didn’t get much playing time this go around. He carried the rock only two times for seven yards. With Joique Bell still nursing an injury, Abdullah looks poised to take over backup duties and fill the vacant Reggie Bush role. Another rookie running back who may have something to say about that situation is Zach Zenner out of South Dakota State. He looked very impressive and had four carries for 22 yards, caught five passes for 59 yards and a scored a touchdown of his own.
Receivers
Not much went around for either team in this game. As mentioned, both Ryan Broyles and Golden Tate had five receptions total to go along with 53 yards. Zenner ended up leading the Lions receivers with five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.
The Redskins didn’t have much either as the ball was shared almost equally among the receivers and tight ends. Rashad Ross had 39 yards and touchdown and Reggie Bell had the other touchdown to go along with two receptions and 32 yards.
Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns
This game could easily be called the quarterback camp battle. Both teams put it on display as well. I look forward to the next few weeks as those who started tonight may not necessarily be starting in week one.
Quarterbacks
The Bills started Tyrod Taylor here in week two and he didn’t disappoint. He connected on 7-of-10 passes for 65 yards. He also did damage with his legs by rushing for 41 yards on four carries. He moved the Bills downfield on the opening series to the Browns 19-yard line. The drive took 16 plays and over nine minutes off the clock. Taylor made his biggest mistake of the drive when he did not get rid of the ball on third down at the 19-yard line, allowing himself to be sacked for a nine-yard loss. The result was a Dan Carpenter missed field goal that hit off the right goal post.
EJ Manuel took over in the third quarter and was sharp the whole half. He was good on 9 of his 14 pass attempts for 111 yards and one touchdown. He found rookie Andre Davis (1-14-1) on the right side of the end zone for the score. Manuel then completed the two-point conversion for the lead and what would end up being the final score 11-10. Manuel also rushed for seven yards on two carries. After this performance, there is still no clear leader for the quarterback position in Buffalo.
Josh McCown got the starting nod for Cleveland and was his typical McCown self. He completed 7-of-10 for 57 yards, but he also threw two interceptions. It was Johnny Manziel who continued to impress. Manziel looked confident, not cocky and played like a starting quarterback. He made good decisions and made strong, accurate throws down the field. He finished the game going 10-for-18 and throwing for 113 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 19 yards on three carries. It is the second game in a row now where he has looked poised and possibly ready to be the quarterback the Browns wanted him to be last season.
Running Backs
The Buffalo Bills started the night with five running backs mending their wounds and not on the field of play. Rookie Bronson Hill got the starting nod because of it and did some good things on the field. He rushed eight times for 25 yards, but showed some mobility in the process. With all those injuries, it’s hard to say where Hill is on the depth chart at this point.
The Browns relied heavily of Terrance West, even though Isaiah Crowell contributed to the running game as well. West carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards compared to Crowell’s five attempts for 14 yards.
Receivers
Both teams spread the ball around and not one receiver had enough targets to have a standout game.
The leading receiver for the Bills was Marquise Goodwin, who had four receptions for 24 yards. He is another player that will be tough to gauge. Goodwin is on the verge of not making the roster, but he does have his chance now with Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin and Robert Woods missing time because of injuries. Coupled with Chris Hogan being injured last night, it places Goodwin in a fine position to make his case with sticking somewhere on the depth chart. Chris Gragg also contributed with three receptions for 56 yards.
For Cleveland, both Brian Hartline and Rob Housler led the receivers. Hartline caught two passes for 18 yards while Housler made good on two receptions for 27 yards.
Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets
Matt Ryan was the hero for the Atlanta Falcons once again, but missing both Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, the running game turned close to being non-existent. Jerome Smith and Terron Ward combined for just 30 yards on 12 carries. For the Jets, the quarterback statistics showed a near flawless game, as both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty combined for 25 completions in 38 attempts for 286 yards and one touchdown. The only problem is Fitzpatrick looked ugly doing it and Petty was inconsistent at best.
Quarterbacks
As I said above, Ryan continued to look good – this time he only missed on one attempt after being perfect last week. After two weeks, he is 10 for 11 and 166 yards passing including two touchdowns. Each week Ryan shows why he should be considered one of the top five quarterbacks chosen in your fantasy draft.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s stats show why it’s important to watch the game. He was nearly perfect with his 13-of-19 for 118 yards, but he struggled against Atlanta’s first team unit. Fitzpatrick was just 9-for-13 with 59 yards passing against the first string defense and a solid 4-of-6 for 59 yards once the Falcons put in their substitutions. Even though he hasn’t thrown any interceptions this preseason, he also has a goose egg in the touchdown department.
The rookie Bryce Petty looked erractic again, but he performed much better. He was 12-for-19 with 168 yards passing and one touchdown, constituting a much better start than in last week’s debacle. It wasn’t all roses for him, though, as he continued to be inconsistent. For instance, he hit Jeremy Kerley on a nice 21-yard pass, but then air-mailed a pass attended for DeVier Posey who was wide-open for a touchdown.
Running Backs
We have a pretty clear sign Chris Ivory will be the starting tailback for the New York Jets. In the last two weeks, he gained 61 yards on 11 carries and scored one touchdown. His 5.5 yards per carry average looks studly, but when you factor in a 33-yard touchdown run, it cuts that average nearly in half. He also caught three passes, which may be the most he has the rest of the season. The Jets have an interesting dilemma for their backups to Ivory. Stevan Ridley hasn’t played yet due to injury, Zac Stacy is putting up his typical 2.5 yards per carry, and Bilal Powell is his typical self.
As stated above, the Falcons did not have Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman on the field this week. They decided to go with Jerome Smith and Terron Ward instead. Both had solid games as Smith carried the rock six times for 25 yards and Ward scored a touchdown on just five yards and six carries.
Receivers
Julio Jones was his typical self last week as he caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. This week, there was a zero next to his statistical numbers. In week two, it was the Leonard Hankerson show, as he caught three passes for 15 yards and a touchdown. It’s still Roddy White’s role as the WR2, but look for Hankerson to step up if White or Jones go down with an injury. Even though it’s early, Jacob Tamme has been non-existent for the last two weeks and it doesn’t appear he will give Ryan the receiving option the Falcons were looking for when signing him.
With Fitzpatrick, look for Brandon Marshall to be the leading receiver in receptions and just a notch below Decker in yards and touchdowns. Marshall had four receptions this week for 62 yards, while Decker had one reception for 12 yards. Jace Amaro still hasn’t been able to hit the field with a shoulder injury, he remains week to week and is behind Jeff Cumberland and Kellen Davis on the depth chart.
Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs
Both defenses clearly shined last night and gave both quarterbacks difficulties in moving the ball. The question could also be made which team has the worst offensive line? It’s a good thing both signal callers are mobile or this may be a long painful year for both. Speaking of painful, it might seem as though the Alex Smith era has run its course, or perhaps the fans have run out of patience. Smith was booed unmercifully when he threw a pick-six to Bobby Wagner on a pass intended for Jason Avant.
Quarterback
Russell Wilson stumbled a bit against the Kansas City Chiefs. He completed just 6-of-15 passes for 78 yards and no touchdowns. Last week was pretty much a mulligan as he only had one pass before being substituted in. Obviously there isnt anything to worry about here, but it’s not good to see a top five quarterback in fantasy drafts put up poor numbers especially because he is running around trying to avoid being sacked.
Smith continued to do his normal thing for the Chiefs. He has been accurate in both preseason games as he 10-for-15 for 67 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Last week he was a little less accurate as he completed 6-of-10Â passes for 42 yards. This brings his total to 16-for-25 with 109 yards and one touchdown. This is what you will typically get out of Alex Smith each and every week. My worry is his offensive line. It seems as though they continue to struggle protecting him, allowing just dink and dunks down the field.
Running Backs
Christine Michael and Robert Turbin each took turns at carrying the rock this week as they battle for the backup duties to Marshawn Lynch and neither one seemed like they wanted the role. Michael finished with just 24 yards rushing on seven carries while Turbin had five carries for 13 yards. This brings Michael’s two week totals to 14 carries for just 39 yards and it just doesn’t seem as though he is the guy many of us thought he would be.
Andy Reid decided not to get Jamaal Charles slaughtered by having him carry the ball and risk injury, so Knile Davis was the one who was annoited as the ball carrier. Davis had eight carries for 18 yards after having four carries for 23 yards last week.
Receivers
Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin led the Seattle receiving corps. Graham caught three passes for 39 yards while Baldwin had four receptions for 28 yards. Again, what worries me is the blocking up front. If Wilson does not have time to throw and is scrambling around the backfield, it could affect a player like Graham who makes his living beating line backers down field and muscling off defenders.
Jeremy Maclin was the leading receiver for the Chiefs. It was nice to see him put up some steady numbers as he used to do with Andy Reid in Philadelphia. He caught three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. It must have been weird for Smith to see a wide receiver actually cross the goal line as it didn’t happen at all last season. Charles actually did more damage as a receiver as he caught three passes for seven yards.
We’ll keep you updated on the preseason events with tomorrow’s edition!
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- FanDuel Bargains: Week Three - October 1, 2017
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- FanDuel Bargains: Week Two - September 17, 2017
