Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Two, Part Three
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.
If you missed part one where we reviewed the quarterback issues in Buffalo and Jacksonville, be sure to check out our Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Two, Part One. There were tons of games on Saturday and we covered that in the extended Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Two, Part Two. We complete our look back at the action today with a look at the final three games.
Steelers 17, Falcons 13
All eyes were on young James Conner, who made his NFL debut after being sidelined earlier in camp with a shoulder injury. On the positive front, it looked like the shoulder caused him no trouble. He also did a pretty good job carrying the football as he recorded 98 yards on 20 carries. Unfortunately, he also dropped two easy passes that both killed Pittsburgh drives. Conner has ability, though it’s hard to really say if he’s dynamic enough to be special. In addition, he’s going to need to show better ability catching the ball to really be effective in fantasy or reality. He’s also clearly behind Fitzgerald Toussaint in the pecking order and will need a couple more good showings to be the true backup to Le’Veon Bell – a position coveted in fantasy leagues based on what DeAngelo Williams has done in spot duty the past couple of years. In other news, Justin Hunter caught a short touchdown pass and may be passing Sammie Coates to be the last Steeler receiver to make the team. Josh Dobbs continues to get his opportunities but he’s done little to prove he’s anything more than a major project.
The Falcons didn’t play their starters too much in this game, though their first team offense has looked borderline unstoppable so far this preseason. The biggest takeaway from this one was the performance of Terron Ward, who rushed for 37 yards and his second preseason touchdown on just nine carries. While he’s at least one and maybe two injuries away from any sort of relevance, Ward has looked good in limited action and is an intriguing deep, deep sleeper.
Saints 13, Chargers 7
A lot of dynasty owners were disappointed when Adrian Peterson went to New Orleans to find himself in a likely timeshare with Mark Ingram. Well, Alvin Kamara is going to have something to say about that whole situation and could just make this a three-headed monster at the position. While that would be a short-term nightmare for dynasty owners, Kamara has stated his case for playing time after another good performance. He took his first carry 50 yards for a score and finished the night with 83 total yards on just six touches. Kamara has shown quickness, speed and elusiveness thus far and has a total of 118 yards and that touchdown on just ten total touches and has averaged over ten yards per carry. Yes, the long touchdown skews that number, but Kamara has been great so far, rewarding dynasty owners who likely spent a late first round rookie pick on him.
For the Chargers, Philip Rivers sat out again and that’s really skewed the offensive numbers for the Chargers. Melvin Gordon posted just eight yards on five carries, but that actually wasn’t bad considering his first carry went for -11 yards. Overall, the Chargers offense has looked pretty sluggish without Rivers and their defense hasn’t been great, either. The biggest concern for Los Angeles is likely the play of their backup quarterbacks as neither Kellen Clemens or Cardale Jones have looked very good at all.
Browns 10, Giants 6
The quarterback battle continued for the Browns as Brock Osweiler completed 6-of-8 passes for 25 yards and an interception. Meanwhile, DeShone Kizer completed 8-of-13 passes for 74 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The team seemed to be sparked by Kizer but he also took some inexcusable sacks and threw an awful interception that was luckily called back due to a penalty. The Browns are likely going to go with Kizer but it’s fair to wonder if he’s ready for it. When teams really game plan for him, he could find things becoming a little more difficult and Cleveland would be risking him shattering confidence. Meanwhile, David Njoku left the game late after having his leg rolled up on and that’s the last thing the Browns needed. Dynasty owners are anxiously awaiting news on the extent of that injury.
The Giants (and dynasty owners) had the scare of the preseason when Odell Beckham, Jr. took a hit to his lower leg and left the game in some serious pain. The Giants are calling it an ankle sprain and it looks like they dodged a bullet. However, further tests seem to be coming. Brandon Marshall is also undergoing some tests on his shoulder so we’ll cross our fingers there. Evan Engram caught three passes for 32 yards but also missed a key block that led to a negative play.  The Giants really need to figure out their running game in a hurry. Paul Perkins posted ten yards on six carries and rotated through with Orleans Darkwa (11 yards on four carries). Wayne Gallman (22 yards on five carries) actually looked like the best of the bunch but you have to take that with a grain of salt as he was clearly playing against many players who won’t be making the team. Perkins has looked nothing like a primary option at the position so that depth chart is wide open.
We’ll be back to break down the news and notes of every preseason game as the critical Week Three begins on Thursday.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
