Players to Watch: HOF Game and Preseason Week One

Football’s back, baby!

If you are as excited as we are, you’re probably foaming at the mouth waiting for tonight’s Hall of Fame Game. However, if you’re one of those folks who skipped their summer homework, shame on you. However, it’s a new season so all is forgiven as we break down the Hall of Fame game and the week one slate. Clicking on the team in the matchup will take you back to DLF’s Summer Sleeper piece on that team so you can see who else you can keep an eye besides this list, especially since many starters won’t play very much this week. Clicking on the individual player will take you to his profile page, in case you want to check out his stats and what the DLF crew has to say about him.

Football. Welcome home you sexy, sexy thing you.

SUNDAY (All times Eastern)

Hall of Fame Game, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Steelers – DeAngelo Williams, RB: He’ll be the lead back for the first two games while Le’Veon Bell serves his suspension. Keep an eye on Dri Archer, who could pick up the third down touches in Bell’s absence.

Vikings – Mike Wallace, WR: He left Miami because he couldn’t get in sync with a young quarterback. Keep track of how many deep shots Teddy Bridgewater takes to Wallace in their limited time on the field.

THURSDAY

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New Orleans at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.

Saints – Josh Hill, TE: The heir apparent to Jimmy Graham will be an interesting player to watch in the opener.

Ravens – Lorenzo Talliaferro, RB: Already behind last-year’s breakout star Justin Forsett, he’ll be pushed by rookie Buck Allen and will be in a fight to hold on to the backup job.

 

New York Jets at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Jets – Geno Smith, QB: The Jets’ whole season revolves around him. If he has improved from last year, he could be a viable QB2 option.

Lions – Eric Ebron, TE: Last year’s first round pick had an up and down season. Can he harness his incredible athletic talent?

 

Green Bay at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Packers – Davante Adams, WR: He’s the hot-button topic of the off-season – this will be our first chance to see how the Packers plan on using him.

Patriots – Jimmy Garroppolo, QB: With all the controversy surrounding Tom Brady, expect the young quarterback to get a long look this week.

 

Washington at Cleveland, 8 p.m.

Washington – Matt Jones, RB: The rookie has a similar skill set to incumbent Alfred Morris. Watch when he enters the game and how many passing downs he’s in on.

Browns – Johnny Manziel, QB: Let’s be honest. The Browns are bad and Manziel is the most interesting figure on that team.

 

Miami at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Dolphins – Kenny Stills, WR: The deep-ball specialist goes from one of the best offenses in the league to one on the rise. Keep an eye on how many shots Miami takes deep to him.

Bears – Alshon Jeffery, WR: How will he react to being The Man? Can he handle all the extra coverage he will draw?

Dallas at San Diego, 10 p.m.

Cowboys – Joseph Randle, RB: This should really say “Whoever is toting the rock,” though Randle should get the first shot. Someone has to replace DeMarco Murray.

Chargers – Ladarius Green, TE: Antonio Gates will miss the first four games with a suspension. We should know early what San Diego thinks of Green.

FRIDAY

Tennessee at Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Titans – Bishop Sankey, RB: He’ll be pushed by rookie David Cobb. He’ll need to look better than 2014 to keep his job.

Falcons – Devonta Freeman, RB: His ADP is behind rookie Tevin Coleman’s and he wasn’t incredibly impressive last season. He’ll need a good showing to hold off Coleman. The problem is they both may be out this week, opening the door for Antone Smith to own the preseason yet again.

Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Panthers – Kelvin Benjamin, WR: His numbers last season were good, but he got a lot of volume. Can he repeat those numbers on fewer targets?

Bills – Tyrod Taylor, QB: Who? Reports out of Buffalo say Taylor is in the lead for the starting job.

 

New York Giants at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.

Giants – Victor Cruz, WR: Coming off a lost season, look to see how he’s moving and if his explosiveness is back.

Bengals – Tyler Eifert, TE: Just like Cruz above, he’s coming off injury, so you need to keep an eye on how he looks in game action.

Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh – See above.

Jaguars – Blake Bortles, QB: Inconsistent as a rookie, he’s got new weapons. He needs to be quicker with his decisions this season.

St. Louis at Oakland, 10 p.m.

Rams – Tavon Austin, WR: People have pointed to the revolving door at quarterback as one factor to his slow progress. Now with a stable quarterback, this may be his last chance to break out.

Raiders – Latavius Murray, RB: He’s the the lead back, but expect Roy Helu to get the bulk of the third down work.

 

Denver at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Broncos – Cody Latimer, WR: With Julius Thomas leaving town, people seem to think that Latimer is line to pick up all of his targets. This week may be the first indication if they’re right.

Seahawks – Chris Matthews, WR: He was almost the hero in the Super Bowl, now we’ll get to see how much he really is in Seattle’s long-term plans.

 

SATURDAY

Tampa Bay at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Buccaneers – Doug Martin, RB: He’s been officially anointed the starter. He needs to show that his rookie year was his true self, not the 2014 version.

Vikings: See above.

 

San Francisco at Houston, 8 p.m.

49ers – Colin Kaepernick, QB: He spent the off-season working out with former MVP Kurt Warner. This will be the first chance the country gets to see the fruits of that labor.

Texans – Chris Polk, RB: Alfred Blue is supposed to be the first man up after Arian Foster went down this week, but don’t be surprised if Polk ends up taking over. An untimely hamstring injury could open the door for others in that backfield, though.

 

Kansas City at Arizona, 9 p.m.

Chiefs – Jeremy Maclin, WR: At first glance pairing Maclin with noodle-armed quarterback Alex Smith doesn’t seem like the brightest of plans, but Andy Reid knew how to use him in Philly.

Cardinals – John Brown, WR: He has something going with Carson Palmer before the quarterback went down. Recapturing that magic will help negate the loss of Michael Floyd.

SUNDAY

Indianapolis at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Colts – Frank Gore, RB: If he can be twice the man that Trent Richardson was, the Indy offense is going to be downright scary.

Eagles – Ryan Mathews, RB: They gave DeMarco Murray a bunch of money, but they signed Mathews first. So, just how do they plan to use him?

Have fun this week as we get into the best part of the year!

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