Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Two, Part Two
Week two of the preseason has come and gone and we had plenty to watch for as dynasty fantasy football owners and enthusiasts. The second slate of games featured a closer look at several prized rookies who played a little more in preparation for what’s considered the dress rehearsal later this week. Let’s take a look around the league and see how each game has gone after week two of the preseason.
If you missed the first part, make sure you check out the Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Notebook: Week Two, Part One.
Jaguars 14, Vikings 10
Both offenses looked sloppy all game long. Kirk Cousins was 3-for-8 for just 12 yards. Neither Trevor Siemian or Kyle Sloter added much later, either. In fact, the Vikings totaled only 140 yards passing. Latavius Murray got the start at running back with Dalvin Cook sitting and looked a bit rusty himself. Murray converted six carries for 12 yards and also fumbled two times. Mike Boone had the most success on the ground for the Vikings late and put up good numbers – he converted 13 carries into 91 yards and accounted for the Vikings only touchdown. Minnesota didn’t have any receivers stand out as projected starters Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph didn’t log a reception.
The Jaguars had a bumpy road offensively as well. Blake Bortles was sporadic all day, finishing 12 for 20 with 159 passing yards and one interception. Cody Kessler would replace Bortles in the second and while efficient (11-for-16), he struggled to move the ball down the field (72 yards). Leonard Fournette got the start and struggled for the most part as well – he saw eight carries, logging only 12 yards but he was able to plow in a short rushing touchdown to salvage his day. TJ Yeldon played as Fournette’s backup. Yeldon posted ten carries for 39 yards but did lose a fumble. Yeldon was also the leading receiver for the Jaguars, hauling in five of his six targets and converting them for 73 yards.
Raiders 15, Rams 19
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Derek Carr sat this game out as these two squads play each other week one and likely didn’t want to show the other side very much. Instead, Connor Cook got the start for the Raiders. Cook struggled for the most part on his way to a 6 for 12, 49-yard performance. EJ Manuel fared a little better completing 20 of his 26 passing attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown. The story of this game, however, was running back Chris Warren III. Warren rumbled his way to 110 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts. Warren was the only running back to log a carry for the Raiders this game and is quickly putting himself on the sleeper radar.
The Rams started Sean Mannion, who went 10-for-16 with 84 yards. Brandon Allen would come in for relief with little success as well. The Rams started Malcolm Brown at running back and he showed very little on his seven carries. John Kelly came in later in the game and rushed for 56 yards and the only Rams touchdown of the game.
Bengals 21, Cowboys 13
Andy Dalton saw limited time in this game but looked solid going 5-for-7 for 41 yards. Jeff Driskel led the way in passing for the Bengals throwing for 119 yards. Joe Mixon carried the ball four times for only eight yards and added one reception for one yard. Gio Bernard recorded only one carry for one yard. AJ Green hauled in one reception for nine yards in limited action and John Ross caught one target for 29 yards. We’re still waiting for Ross to break out and he needs to take advantage of his playing time in week three to build any type of confidence.
Dallas saw Dak Prescott take a conservative approach on his way to a 10-for-15 night with 86 passing yards and a touchdown strike to Terrance Williams. Rod Smith led the Cowboys in rushing but Dallas struggled as a whole to run the ball. Michael Gallup and Allen Hurns both recorded two receptions as Gallup continues to look like he may begin the season in the starting lineup. Tight end Rico Gathers led Dallas in receiving, converting his two receptions into 32 yards.
49ers 13, Texans 16
Jimmy Garoppolo looked the part for San Francisco, completing 10-of-12 passes for 136 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Garoppolo converted a third and goal from the two-yard line hitting Trent Taylor for a touchdown. Jerick McKinnon sat this game out and the 49ers struggled to find running room all game as a result. Marquise Goodwin led the team in receiving, recording 61 yards on three grabs. Dante Pettis also showed out well, recording 32 yards on two catches. Meanwhile, Joe Williams is quickly losing his grip on dynasty relevance after posting just 18 yards and getting injured.
Deshaun Watson saw limited action and didn’t disappoint. Watson completed 5 of his 8 passing attempts for 73 yards, including a one-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Ellington. The Texans totaled 73 rushing yards on 24 attempts, with eight different players logging carries. Bruce Ellington led the team in receiving with 50 yards and a touchdown. DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller did not play in this game but we should see them later this week.
Buccaneers 30, Titans 14
Jameis Winston was the story for the Bucs as he looked fantastic. Winston completed 13-of-18 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Winston connected on a nice pass to Chris Godwin from eight yards out on his first touchdown pass and found rookie Justin Watson from 21 yards out for his second touchdown pass of the night – this was big for Watson as he may be on the roster bubble. Peyton Barber looked good again rushing converting six carries into 32 yards. Ronald Jones struggled for the second straight game, logging only two yards on four carries. DeSean Jackson led the Bucs in receiving with a two catch, 73-yard night – expect a lot of ups and downs from him this year.
Marcus Mariota didn’t play as long as Winston did, but was effective nonetheless. Mariota went 4-for-7 for 80 yards and a touchdown. Mariota connected on a big 47-yard play to Taywan Taylor for his touchdown pass as Taylor continues to really impress this preseason. Derrick Henry saw only three carries that he turned into seven yards and Dion Lewis only got one carry and took it for a yard. Taylor simply stole the show for Tennessee in this one, recording four catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. The buying window on Taylor is closing rapidly.
Bears 24, Broncos 23
Mitchell Trubisky had an up and down night in this one, going 9-for-14 for 90 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His only score came when he found his favorite target, Trey Burton, for a seven-yard touchdown. Jordan Howard was able to convert nine touches on the ground into 32 yards while Burton recorded four receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. Fellow tight end Adam Shaheen was carted off the field in this game with what looked like a severe injury. We’ve learned now he will be out indefinitely and that’s going to vault Burton’s already sky high value even higher.
Denver saw a better version of Case Keenum than they did in week one of the preseason and that certainly eases the minds of the Broncos and dynasty owners. Keenum went 8-for-13 for 78 yards. However, Chad Kelly was again the story of the game. Kelly looked great for the second week straight on his way to going 7-for-9 for 90 yards and a touchdown to rookie Courtland Sutton. The Broncos clearly like Kelly and he’s a name to file away or even add in deep dynasty leagues. Meanwhile, Royce Freeman ran in a touchdown on his way to six carries and a 20-yard night. Phillip Lindsay impressed again, registering 32 rushing yards on just six carries. Emmanuel Sanders led the way for Denver in receiving recording 27 yards on three catches.
Seahawks 14, Chargers 24
Russell Wilson came out throwing in this one as he converted 13 of his 21 attempts for 193 yards in just one half of action. Chris Carson led the team in rushing, recording 34 yards on just nine carries. Carson fumbled into the end zone but has clearly distanced himself from Rashaad Penny. Jaron Brown led the Seahawks in receiving recording 74 yards on only two catches. After all the recent talk about Brandon Marshall, it seems many in the dynasty community are forgetting about Brown. They shouldn’t.
Philip Rivers also looked great in limited action as he converted 6-of-7 attempts for 62 yards. Melvin Gordon turned ten carries into 35 yards and a short touchdown and Mike Williams hauled in his only target for a 25-yard touchdown as he looks poised to make a difference this season in fantasy and reality. Keenan Allen also registered two receptions for 18 yards.
Ravens 20, Colts 19
Joe Flacco went 7-for-9 for 72 yards and a touchdown in his short time. He seemed conservative but took what the defense was giving him and hit John Brown for a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Brown has looked healthy this preseason and is a sneaky player to own in dynasty leagues at the moment. Kenneth Dixon was healthy for this one and impressed, turning six carries into 32 yards and adding three receptions for 24 yards. Michael Crabtree led the Ravens in receiving, turning his only reception into 29 yards. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson is still looking like a project.
Andrew Luck would struggle and never did look comfortable in this game. Luck finished his night going 6-for-13 with 50 yards and an interception. It’s clear to anyone watching that its going to take some time for Luck to return to form. The Colts struggled in the running game as well but rookie Jordan Wilkins led the way on the ground recording 26 yards on seven carries. Jack Doyle recorded two receptions for 32 yards and fellow tight end Eric Ebron hauled in four targets for 26 yards in a disappointing showing for the Colts offensive starters.
After two weeks of limited action, its going to be exciting to see the most relevant players we own performing in extended game action this week. Many position battles are sure to be settled on the field in the next few days and we’ll be there to cover them.
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
