Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Two, Part One
The preseason is incredibly critical in dynasty leagues. After all, this is the first glimpse most of us have in regards to seeing our prized current or future rookie draft picks. It’s also the first chance we have to view many veteran players battle it out for certain positions or even a valuable roster spot in fantasy or reality.
The second week of the preseason started tonight. I wasn’t planning on posting part one of this series tonight but I wanted to get it out because we have some very important happenings. In short, it’s time to start getting very concerned if you have Tyrod Taylor or Blake Bortles as your QB2. With that being said, it’s time to spin around the league and note some of the important early week preseason performances and their impact in dynasty leagues.
Ravens 31, Dolphins 7
For the Dolphins, it was nice to see Jay Cutler make his debut. While the numbers weren’t incredible (Cutler went 3-for-6 for 24 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions), it was clear in his limited time that he has a solid “re-grasp” of the offense. It was also clear this Dolphins team is going to be much more aggressive with him at the helm. While that’s likely going to lead to a lot of turnovers and some very ugly performances, it could be really positive for the dynasty prospects of the Dolphins skill players, especially DeVante Parker. Parker was targeted relentlessly by Cutler, who referred to him as a “faster Alshon” after the game. While Parker only had one catch for 16 yards, he also had a 31-yard gain called back. We’ve seen the kind of numbers a receiver can put up with Cutler keying in on him, so that has to be exciting news for Parker owners.
The Ravens are in trouble offensively. Ryan Mallett totally face-planted again by going 13-of-22 for 113 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. On the surface, those numbers don’t look atrocious but that’s only on the surface. Mallett looks nothing like the player he was even two years ago and this offense can literally do nothing with him at the helm. Joe Flacco will return soon but the offensive line doesn’t look good, the running game is lackluster and the Ravens aren’t having any receivers really step up. This has the makings of a very slow start for Baltimore and time will tell if they can turn it around. At this point, I’d be concerned if I’m relying on anyone from this offense, with or without Flacco. He’s good but he may not be able to turn this around quick enough.
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Eagles 20, Bills 16
Tyrod Taylor had a rough night for the Bills as he completed just 8-of-18 passing for 53 yards and also had two interceptions. After the game, it was made clear the Bills will have little patience with Taylor. It’s obvious the Bills are looking to the future and it’s not going to be a bit surprising to see them turn to Nathan Peterman (he went 10-for-20 for 167 yards tonight) early in the season. These articles aren’t really meant for me to share my own personal thoughts on matters but I genuinely feel bad for Taylor and eluded to that a little in my article last night. This is a player who has started 29 games for the Bills over the past two years and posted over 6,000 passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards, 47 touchdowns and only turned the ball over a grand total of 18 times. The Browns (and many other teams) would die for those kind of numbers at the position. However, at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to wake up one morning and find out Taylor had been traded to a quarterback needy team like the Jets, Broncos, 49ers, Browns or Jaguars. I’m not saying that’s going to happen but it’s turned so weird for the Bills over the last two weeks, it just wouldn’t surprise me. For a team that hasn’t made the playoffs or been relevant for nearly two decades, it’s amazing how short a leash they’re giving Taylor, who has been very effective. When you see Tom Brady twice a year, I’m sure it’s easy to throw stones and compare your quarterback with him. The problem there is Brady could be the best of all time. In other Bills news, Rod Streater was carted off the field and things didn’t look good there at all.
For the Eagles, it seems there’s yet another young sleeper wide receiver to account for and it’s Marcus Johnson. He’s been getting more and more important practice reps and it showed up on the field this week as he posted two catches for 45 yards. He’s a name to stash away. The Eagles are going to have some serious trouble trimming down this receiving corps and don’t be surprised to see a few of them end up being cut and signed by new teams in a few weeks. LeGarrette Blount has reportedly had a down camp and he posted just eight yards on five carries, though he did catch two passes for 15 additional yards. Blount has reportedly struggled in camp and that’s opened the door for Corey Clement (34 yards and a score on eight carries) to have a realistic shot at making the team. Meanwhile, Alshon Jeffery clearly looks the part of the Eagles WR1 (two catches for 23 yards) as Carson Wentz looked for him early and often.
Buccaneers 12, Jags 8
Let’s start with Tampa Bay first. There are a few things here that are clear so we won’t spend much time on Tampa Bay. First, Mike Evans (five catches for 57 yards) is going to have a huge season. Second, Jeremy McNichols (32 yards on 11 carries) is in a dogfight for a roster spot. Third, Doug Martin is going to be the alpha dog when his suspension is over. Finally, Jameis Winston looks poised to turn the corner this year and the Bucs have to be a darkhorse to make the playoffs. It’s very cut and dry with the Bucs…not so much with their Florida neighbor.
The Jags are a team with a big problem. Blake Bortles and Ryan Mallett were easily the two worst quarterbacks who played on Thursday night. The problem is only one of them was expected to actually play in the regular season and that’s Bortles. The numbers he posted (8-of-13 for 65 yards) don’t look awful but they also don’t tell the whole story. Bortles routinely missed receivers and some of his throws were embarrassingly bad. After the game, Doug Marrone made it very clear the job is open and Chad Henne (6-of-10 for 44 yards) is an option for Jacksonville to start at quarterback to begin the year. Wow, that was quick. It’s been an epic face-plant for Bortles over the past year or so and he simply looks like a quarterback who has been Rick Ankiel-ed as his confidence has just been destroyed as he overthinks every throw. Leonard Fournette sat out but another rookie made some noise as Dede Westbrook caught six passes for 131 yards. It’s likely going to take an injury for Westbrook to become fantasy relevant this year but he’s really taking advantage of the preseason and looks like a nice project player for the Jags.
We’ll bring you analysis of the rest of the preseason as the games are completed over the weekend.
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
