Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Four
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 fourth week is always interesting as it’s typically more concerning to see some of the prospects actually play. Â After all, most dynasty league contributors find a nice spot on the bench so they don’t risk injury. Still, this is a crucial week for some of our deep sleepers and one that cannot simply be dismissed.
We usually cover things game-by-game. However, with so many players sitting out and some teams having very little to report on, we’re going to cover some news and notes from the important happenings in week four and instead focus on individual players and their performances.
The Jets inexplicably started Josh McCown and nearly paid dearly for it. McCown took a shot to his ribs and had to go to the medical tent before limping out for the second series. The fact he and Bilal Powell even played in this game is a head scratcher. While it’s obvious the Jets are tanking the season, it’s still pretty surprising to see them put their best players at risk.
The injury concerns about John Ross are legitimate. He had a nice 25-yard end around run but hurt his left knee in the process. Ross is very explosive and oozes potential but he really needs to put together a stretch where he’s healthy for his owners to feel good about their investment in him. The injury doesn’t seem serious but he hasn’t been able to put things together this preseason.
Dede Westbrook continues to impress. While he was playing against all backups, he still posted six catches for 115 yards and had a 43-yard touchdown reception. The Jaguars have serious issues at quarterback but they’re quietly building quite the arsenal at receiver.
You have to consider the off-season a pretty solid failure for Samaje Perine. He played tonight and posted three yards on five carries, adding a catch for three yards. It’s amazing to think Perine and Kareem Hunt were neck-and-neck for a while this Summer as they jockeyed for position in the late first round of some rookie drafts. Perine still has a bright future but he’s far from short-term relevance right now.
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It’s been quite a ride for Tajae Sharpe. There are few (if any) players who have seen their ADP rise and fall like this without a significant injury, trade or release. Sharpe went from preseason darling in 2016 to a player who was playing in week four of the preseason, catching one pass for 12 yards.
If the Jets decide to cut ties with Matt Forte, Elijah McGuire is a player to keep an eye on. He had 56 yards on just five carries on the night. He’s seemingly made the team, though we’ll know for sure on Saturday. With the Jets in disarray, they could very well see what they have in him during the season.
Jeremy McNichols had 36 yards on ten carries against Washington. He’s clearly on the roster bubble and it really looks like he’s on the outside looking in and a candidate for the practice squad. If so, that’s a real disappointment for dynasty owners.
Matt Jones had 24 yards on six carries for the Redskins as they “showcased him” for a trade that won’t happen. He’s likely going to be cut on Saturday, though you can imagine he’d find work somewhere.
One of the players on our list of players to watch this week was Robert Davis. Unfortunately, he responded with just one catch for four yards.
The Patriots are going to have some tough roster decisions at receiver. Devin Lucien had five catches for 96 yards and a touchdown while Austin Carr caught three passes for 48 yards and a score of his own. Carr was mentioned as our other player to watch this week. New England reportedly likes both of these receivers but likely only has room for one at the most.
Orleans Darkwa had seven touches for the Giants and that likely indicates Paul Perkins has widened the gap as the starter for the Giants.
This was likely Justin Hunter’s last chance at a roster spot and he responded with 75 yards and a touchdown on three catches for the Steelers. It will be interesting to see what the Steelers do with Hunter and Sammie Coates.
Terrell Watson and Knile Davis were the primary Pittsburgh running backs tonight – that probably indicates John Conner’s roster spot is safe, though Fitzgerald Touissant has likely sewn up backup duties for the moment.
An interesting roster choice is at hand for the Packers as Taysom Hill has been really good as a backup quarterback this Summer. He’s a practice squad candidate if he’s cut and a player to remember if Brett Hundley moves on eventually.
Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both carried the ball quite a bit for the Packers. Jones had eight carries for 48 yards and Williams had 31 on 11 carries. Neither of these two really put heat on Ty Montgomery for the starting job this off-season, though.
Nathan Peterman was solid for the Bills as he went 9-of-11 for 81 yards. You really have to expect him to make starts this year as the Bills continue to shy away from really committing to Tyrod Taylor.
The Eagles will have a hard time stashing Marcus Johnson on their practice squad if they attempt to slip him through waivers. Johnson had a 41-yard touchdown reception to cap off a pretty nice summer. They also have an interesting choice at running back with Corey Clement (four carries for 16 yards) and Donnel Pumphrey (ten yards on seven carries) both making a case to be on the roster this year.
Jeremy Langford (11 yards on five carries) has likely fallen all the way to third on the depth chart for the Bears behind Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen.  Here’s another player whose ADP has gone in the tank.
Victor Cruz likely won’t make the Bears final roster. He posted two catches for nine yards tonight and the fact he even played tells you all you need to know about where he is in the pecking order.
De’Angelo Henderson had a disappointing night with just 11 yards on six carries for the Broncos. It was a pretty disheartening night for Henderson who could have made a case for early playing time.
One player who really performed well this preseason was Pat Mahomes. He capped off his solid run by going 9-of-16 for 183 yards and a touchdown. He’s still erratic at times but you can see he’s a very talented young man. Demarcus Robinson made a final case for playing time with three catches for 127 yards and the touchdown connection with Mahomes.
Jakeem Grant had four catches for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Dolphins. He’s a special teams ace and solid return man but it would be interesting to see what would happen if he ever really got a chance to play on offense. With Jarvis Landry in some hot water and not expected to re-sign in Miami this off-season, we may find out one day.
Taquan Mizzell missed out on a great chance tonight as well. He was only able to generate 23 yards on nine carries and caught three passes for nine yards for the Ravens. Major buzzkill there.
CJ Prosise played for Seattle tonight and posted five yards on three carries and caught one pass for three yards. The Seahawks backfield is a mess right now and there really isn’t anyone we’d advise banking on at the beginning of the year.
As we finish with two straight “CJs,” we come to CJ Beathard of the 49ers. I was admittedly not high on him at all coming out of the draft but he’s really done a nice job for the 49ers and capped off a solid first half with a 62-yard touchdown run. He’s been a pleasant surprise all off-season and looks like a nice developmental player moving forward.
Well, that’s it. On a night where former quarterback Logan Thomas actually led a team in receiving (he had four catches and 30 yards for the Bills), the preseason mercifully comes to an end. We’ll be back over the weekend to cover the massive number of roster moves as teams move from 90 players to 53. Expect us to do what we’ve always done over the past decade – cover it top to bottom.
Thanks for reading all these this preseason and thanks for your support of the site this off-season!
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
