Preseason Roundup: Week One, 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 enthusiast 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.
Indianapolis at New York Jets
You have to like what you saw from TY Hilton as he caught three passes for 38 yards. If this game was any indication (and it may not be since Reggie Wayne is being eased into things), Hilton could be the best receiver on the Colts this year. The news on him from camp has been glowing and he looks poised to take a nice step forward this season. Meanwhile, we didn’t see enough from Trent Richardson (five carries for 13 yards) to see if he looks any better. Hakeem Nicks caught one pass for 15 yards, but also didn’t do anything to silence those who think he may be washed up. Da’Rick Rogers may have an uphill climb to make the team, but he posted a nice 45-yard catch in limited action.
For the Jets, Chris Ivory started, but suffered a rib injury that doesn’t look to be too serious. Chris Johnson took his place and had 18 yards on six touches, including a one-yard touchdown run. The use of the running backs for the Jets is an interesting storyline, but it’s doubtful any of them are really going to carry your team to glory any time soon. Geno Smith started at quarterback as expected and finished his series completing four passes out of six attempts for 33 yards. Michael Vick played fairly well as the backup, but it’s obvious the Jets are going to do everything they can to make Smith successful. Eric Decker played for a short time and caught two passes for 12 yards in his New York debut. It’s really hard to tell what this offense is going to be able to accomplish, so they’ll be worth watching over the next few weeks.
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San Francisco at Baltimore
If this week was any indication, Carlos Hyde can play at this level. The highly coveted dynasty league rookie posted 39 yards on five carries as he started the game for a resting Frank Gore. He showed good burst, was able to protect the passer and generally looked like he knew what he was doing. Owners of Hyde may need to be patient, but this performance was noteworthy and highly encouraging. In short, he looked the part.
For the Ravens, Ray Rice started the game and looked like he some of his old juice back. Yes, he played sparingly (three carries for 17 yards), but he looked quick and light on his feet – something we rarely saw all last season. Meanwhile, Bernard Pierce had 37 yards on ten carries, but also scored a touchdown. It looked like the Ravens wanted Pierce to play with the first unit since he’ll almost certainly be the starter on day one, but the touch mix between these two backs will be a story to watch all season. Lorenzo Taliaferro showed he has some talent as he posted 71 yards on 13 carries as well. He should have done enough to push Justin Forsett to be the RB3. Meanwhile, if they gave preseason awards, Tyrod Taylor would win one annually.
New England at Washington
Tom Brady sat and rumors are circulating that indicate the Patriots are trying to showcase Ryan Mallett for a trade. Based on his performance Thursday night, the only teams interested may be in the CFL or the Arena League. Mallett was simply awful as he threw for just 55 yards and really looked uncomfortable in any way you can. On the flip side, Jimmy Garoppolo looked solid against the bench of the Redskins as he completed 8-of-12 passes for 141 passes and a touchdown. Garoppolo looked like the better option on this night and it’s going to be interesting to see just what the Patriots do with their backup quarterback position. James White made his debut, but only posted nine yards on four carries. The real star of the game was wide receiver Bryan Tims who had five catches for 119 yards and a score. While it’s way too early to start thinking of Tims as a potential roster add, his performance is worth noting.
There wasn’t much to see with the Redskins as their backups played most of the game. However, Lache Seastrunk had a decent debut with 63 yards on 12 carries. Dynasty league owners would have rather seen him catch a pass or two, though. He could push Silas Redd off the roster, but he’ll need to produce consistently against some better players to guarantee himself a spot. At least he should make the coaches at least think about giving him some chances against the second string defenses instead of the third or fourth units.
Cincinnati at Kansas City
The most noteworthy piece of information from the Cincinnati side of things was the fact Jeremy Hill (six carries for 36 yards) played ahead of BenJarvus Green-Ellis (four carries for 19 yards). There has been much speculation about just how the running back depth chart is shaking out behind Gio Bernard, but it sure looks like Hill is going to win the job. Oh, and AJ Green is really, really good.
For the Chiefs, dynasty darling Travis Kelce caught two passes for 73 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown. Hopefully we look back on this game as the night he finally arrived, but obviously it’s too early to tell. Regardless, he has ability and it was nice to see it translate to a game. De’Anthony Thomas had an electric 80-yard punt return for a score as well. There are a lot of questions about how Thomas will fit into an offense, but he can certainly help on special teams and that should help him secure a roster spot.
Seattle at Denver
Christine Michael did not rush for 300 yards, score 86 touchdowns or sack Peyton Manning. Instead, he had just 28 yards and a touchdown on ten touches. Run for the hills! I’m obviously exaggerating, but Michael owners need not worry about one performance that wasn’t spectacular. It is noteworthy that Robert Turbin drew the start and is clearly the backup to Marshawn Lynch, but expect bigger and better things from Michael this preseason. It’s not like Turbin (five yards on four carries) lit the world on fire. Meanwhile, Paul Richardson had a nice debut (albeit against players who likely won’t make the Denver roster) with four catches for 37 yards.
For the Broncos, the big story is at running back. CJ Anderson is a favorite of many to end up being the backup to Montee Ball this season, but he had a bad night. First, Ronnie Hillman started the game and was solid, but not spectacular. Second, Anderson suffered a concussion and will likely be out for a bit. If he misses much time, it’s going to be hard for him to unseat Hillman for the RB2 spot in Denver.
Dallas at San Diego
Let the quarterback debate in Dallas begin as we start the Brandon Weeden era! I’m kidding, of course, but Weeden looked as good as he ever has after completing 13-of-17 passes for 107 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Joseph Randle (13 carries for 50 yards) looked solid with Lance Dunbar and DeMarco Murray out. It was also nice to see Ryan Willams back on the field and producing. He played behind Randle, but posted 60 yards on 13 touches. He still has a long way to go if he wants to make the team, but it was nice to see him healthy after all his problems.
The story for the Chargers was running back Branden Oliver who posted 64 yards on just seven touches. Much of the sleeper talk around the San Diego running backs has been focused on Marion Grice, but Oliver looked pretty good. Dontrelle Inman also posted a nice 3/107/1 line that included a 70-yard touchdown, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here in regards to either of these two players. Instead, let’s pencil down their names and see what happens next week.
For the most part, most of the performances in preseason games won’t mean anything, but these were just a few that stuck out after the first night.
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
