What I’m Looking for in Preseason Week Three
Most teams have played their starters, but there are some teams out there who have held back for the first two weeks of preseason. This is the week when most NFL teams play their starters for an entire half, and sometimes into the third quarter. With that being said, who are some players you are looking forward to seeing this time around?
I posed this question in our DLF forums. We have informative users who love to discuss various issues and talking points around the league. Below are a mixture of comments from those users as well as a few more players I thought would also be worth watching. The forum username will be displayed prior to each comment.
James Washington, WR PIT
SkinZ187: I can’t envision Donte Moncrief being the long term answer as the number two wide receiver in Pittsburgh. I think we know what Moncrief is. Does Washington run with the first-team offense in preseason game three given what he has shown in the first two games?
TampaBay216: I’d like to see if Washington gets first-team reps and how he performs off press coverage.
Derrius Guice, RB WAS
killer_of_giants: Apparently Guice is playing on Thursday. I want to see if he looks just as good as he did one year ago, if he appears to be fully recovered and of course, if he leaves the field on his feet would be nice.
gmoftheyear: Looking forward to seeing Guice as I drafted him in round six last year and held him on my roster all year. Hopefully, that pick pays off this year big time.
Josh Gordon, WR NEP
Pac_Eddy: Will he get enough playing time to be in consideration for a week one start in fantasy lineups?
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB SF
vflgladiators: Can he bounce back from the abysmal week two and regain the community’s trust? Or will we be left scratching our heads?
Tony Pollard, RB DAL
IBall2: Can he put together a solid game playing against a first-team defense? Should Ezekiel Elliott owners be handcuffing him?
The Second WR In Green Bay
Blueboy: Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jake Kumerow, and Equanimeous St. Brown. It’s hard to pick one name. There’s value to be had if someone clearly earns Green Bay’s number two spot, but so far it looks more like a situation is developing where there is a myriad of receivers sharing that role, making it difficult for fantasy owners to deduce which of WR will hold startable value in a given week.
DJ Chark, WR JAC
CubfanAA: He supposedly looks like the best receiver on the Jaguars in practice. Can he duplicate it in a game and pass Marqise Lee and Chris Conley on the depth chart?
Kalen Ballage, RB MIA
kamilhamster: With Kenyan Drake injured, can Ballage secure a workhorse role? How does he look as a runner? His strength out of college was his receiving game. Is his line good enough, and if not, will they be creative to get him the ball in other ways? The answers to those questions will determine if you pay up for him now, or sell him while there’s hype on him.
Alexander Mattison, RB MIN
slaughterrt: He looks to have the number two RB spot under control, and that holds some short-term value playing behind Dalvin Cook. He passes the eye test for me, and it’s only a matter of time before Cook gets injured.
Devin Singletary, RB BUF
sugbear65: I am curious to see how much work he gets with the first team. How much will he be used with the starters? Will he receive an equal amount of snaps as LeSean McCoy? I’d like to see his work in the pass game against starting defenders. Can he pass block and catch a couple of dump-offs? That would go a long way towards establishing himself as a three-down back.
Sam Darnold, QB NYJ
remedy29: I am looking to see how much improved he is compared to his rookie season. If Darnold has a big year two improvement, that will make him relevant, further increase Le’Veon Bell’s already lofty status, and ensure you’re going to get good WR production from at least two of them.
Kevin Givens, DT SF
DLF Writer Mike Havens: Time to give a little love to you IDP fans out there. Givens is an undrafted free agent out of Penn State. He reminds me of Aaron Donald as he’s a smaller guy who plays the DT position very fast and tough. If you play full IDP leagues, he is someone to keep an eye on for week three. Should he get some time in the first quarter, then you should add him to your watch list.
Kyler Murray, QB ARI
djeternal2: I can’t wait to see what happens when the Vikings (pressure him).
DLF Writer Mike Havens: Murray has 56 passing yards total so far. He’s led the offense on five drives. Two of those drives ended with negative total yards, and all five ended with a punt. The entire Cardinals offense has looked terrible. I’d like to see what Murray has learned and if he can apply that knowledge towards game three.
Justice Hill, RB BAL
DLF Writer Mike Havens: Mark Ingram is going to open the season as the lead back, but the more impressive that Hill looks, the less enthusiastic I’m going to be about Ingram. Hill has looked outstanding in the limited action he’s faced so far, so I’m confident he’ll get some work versus the starting defensive unit in week three. If he looks good again, that may force Baltimore to employ more of a timeshare in the backfield of Baltimore.
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There are several other players I could have mentioned. Are there other players you prioritize? Mention them below! I’d love to hear who you are looking forward to seeing and why. Anyone you mention could be reviewed in my next column as we wrap up week three.
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