Preseason Week One Dynasty Takeaways: Part One

KJ Hamler

Joseph Nammour Posted On August 18, 2021

The preseason is the perfect time to get a head start on your leaguemates when it comes to dissecting narratives and distilling what information matters and what doesn’t. It’s the first time after the NFL Draft where we get a chance to see how coaches envision utilizing the players at their disposal. Most coachspeak doesn’t matter, but the preseason gives us a peek inside the keyhole at snap counts, utilization, and true standing on depth charts.

It is important not to overreact to one preseason game, but it’s equally as important to react accordingly to new information. Here are a few notes from each team’s week one preseason game.

Note: This is part one of two articles covering all 16 games.

Washington Football Team vs. New England Patriots

Ryan Fitzpatrick always provides a spark for his teams in limited action but has a tendency to flounder with extended work, so Taylor Heinicke deserves to be on your radar in superflex leagues as a dual-threat end-of-bench candidate.
Antonio Gibson has immense upside, but he needs to be utilized more in the passing game for this upside to be realized. He did not play a snap on third down on the two drives he was in on, ceding work to JD McKissic as he did last year. This will limit him from exploding onto the scene as a high-end RB1 if this continues.
Lamar Miller was cut after this game and Jaret Patterson got more work than any other Washington back, lending credence to the fact that he might stick on the 53-man roster. He caught four passes in this game, which is four more than he caught in his 2020 college season.
Mac Jones looked competent in his extended action. The offense lacked explosion, although Jones lofted a perfect deep ball that would have been a touchdown if not for a drop by future used car salesman Kristian Wilkerson. Jones will not start right away but should be expected to play in the second half of the season and remains a strong value at QB21.
Damien Harris is the clear-cut early-down runner in this backfield, but his upside will be capped due to James White (pass catching) and Cam Newton (touchdown vulture).
Rhamondre Stevenson looked decisive and explosive, although James White was held out and Stevenson was still just the fourth running back to play for New England. Bill Belichick typically redshirts his rookie running backs, and the same can be expected from Stevenson. He has upside if Sony Michel gets cut or traded and/or if Damien Harris gets injured.
Camp reports have been stellar for N’Keal Harry so far this summer. He played the most snaps of any Patriots receiver, but had one catch for four yards in what may have been a potential showcase and continued to fail to separate from defensive backs. He is likely just a roster clogger at this point.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Najee Harris didn’t play 100% of first-team snaps like he did in the Hall of Fame game, but he still handled the bulk of the work and is a mid-range dynasty RB1. Anthony McFarland rotated in with him and should be considered the backup over Kalen Ballage and Benny Snell.
Chase Claypool played just two of five snaps in two-receiver sets this game and remained behind JuJu Smith-Schuster. His talent is evident, but like Antonio Gibson, he won’t fully break out as a star unless his role materially changes.
Boston Scott and Jordan Howard split first-team reps and Kenneth Gainwell did not play with the starters. Scott is the clear backup to Miles Sanders through one week of preseason action.
Dallas Goedert’s full-time role doesn’t seem like it will materialize for as long as Zach Ertz is still on the roster. Ertz moving on was basically assumed most of this offseason, but at this rate it may be another year before Goedert’s full breakout.
Quez Watkins has starred in camp and flashed in this one with a long 79-yard touchdown on a screen pass. He should be on deep-league radars as Philly’s potential WR3.
Tyree Jackson is worth a roster spot in tight end premium leagues. He probably won’t play a role this year, but his athletic profile compares favorably to Logan Thomas as a fellow quarterback convert.

Tennessee Titans vs. Atlanta Falcons

Darrynton Evans is the backup Titans running back to own.
Dynasty sleepers Dez Fitzpatrick and Josh Reynolds cycled in behind three other receivers for first team reps. It’s worth monitoring for another week, but at this point neither one is worth stashing in most leagues.
Anthony Firkser played the third-most snaps among tight ends that played with the starters. Most of his dynasty value dissipated after the Julio Jones trade, but through one preseason game, it doesn’t appear he will play a significant role in this passing game.
Electric running back Javian Hawkins is stuck behind Mike Davis, Qadree Ollison, and Cordarrelle Patterson on the depth chart, and is competing for scraps with D’Onta Foreman and Caleb Huntley. Hawkins didn’t start this game over Huntley and might be destined for a practice squad.

Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions

Zack Moss didn’t play, so Devin Singletary handled most of the running back work with the first team. Matt Breida followed, and although Breida doesn’t have any dynasty value anymore, he does possess a trait (speed) that neither Moss nor Singletary have. He might play a minor role this season.
Jamaal Williams played all 22 snaps with the starters and did not come off the field in favor of another running back once. Williams is a great pass protector and will play a bigger role than most of us want him to this season. It is reasonable to project him around ten touches per game, which provides him minor standalone value in a poor offense while also doing enough to dig into D’Andre Swift’s bellcow potential.
Tyrell Williams might be this team’s leading wide receiver this year. It might not be worth much, but he’s free in dynasty and could potentially provide flex value during bye weeks.
Amon-Ra St. Brown did not see a snap in two-receiver packages and only played out of the slot with three wideouts on the field. Detroit will likely trail a lot in 2021, so St. Brown will be an important part of the offense, but he is still fourth or fifth in the pecking order this year. His ceiling as a fantasy option is probably a Tyler Boyd-type player, but that doesn’t seem feasible for him in his rookie season.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals

The drumbeat around Dallas all training camp has been that the wide receivers will play interchangeable roles, and that came to fruition in this game. CeeDee Lamb played every snap on the perimeter in this game after playing out of the slot for the majority of his rookie season. Michael Gallup essentially did the inverse and lined up as the slot in this game rather than his typical boundary position. Lamb is already a borderline first-round player in ADP, but Gallup is still undervalued, both for his potential this season and his future value as he likely departs Dallas after this season.
Chase Edmonds played every snap with the starters in James Conner’s absence. Conner hasn’t been the picture of durability throughout his career, so Edmonds could potentially be in for a big role this year if anything happens to Conner. Edmonds is probably appropriately valued with an August ADP of 85.8 due to size limitations and a lack of proven history, but his ADP does not capture his potential upside in an injury scenario this season.
Rondale Moore was featured in this game and it was clear to see exactly how Kliff Kingsbury wants to utilize his strengths. Moore was given the ball on manufactured touches close to the line of scrimmage and schemed into open space to unleash his deadly YAC ability. He may not be consistently reliable this year, but his arrow is screaming upwards and is a value at his current ADP of 86.2 (one spot behind Edmonds).

Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears

Tua Tagovailoa looked terrific in this game, outside of the poor decision he made on his interception. He appeared more mobile and more confident than he was as a rookie and was throwing receivers open more decisively. He has a much-improved group of pass catchers this season and is a buy at QB15.
Somewhat shockingly, Malcolm Brown played far ahead of Myles Gaskin in this game and outsnapped Gaskin 16-3 while he was still in the game. This is going to be something to monitor extremely closely the rest of this preseason. Gaskin’s dynasty value hinges entirely on his projection for high volume this season, and he would plummet in value if he does not retain his starting job. Brown started every drive but was highly inefficient. Gaskin is the better talent, but this will be a backfield to stay away from until we get more clarity. I am selling Gaskin at his current ADP of 73.8 and would add Brown anywhere I can get him for free or close to it.
Jaylen Waddle looks healthy and dynamic. There was little to take away from his usage in a game without DeVante Parker and Will Fuller, but he will be a big part of this passing offense.
Justin Fields started slow, but he flashed the talent that made him an early first round selection in this year’s draft in the second half of this game with both a passing and rushing touchdown. He still may not start the season, but he’ll crack the starting lineup sooner rather than later. His dual-threat ability locks him in as a back-end dynasty QB1 already.
David Montgomery will handle the majority of touches in Chicago’s backfield with Tarik Cohen still recovering from last season’s ACL tear, but Damien Williams needs to be on all dynasty rosters. He’s cheap but can be quite serviceable as the starter if anything happens to Montgomery.
Cole Kmet played an every-down role. His August ADP was 20 spots behind Adam Trautman, but I’d prefer Kmet straight up.

Denver Broncos vs. Minnesota Vikings

Drew Lock looked outstanding in this one, connecting with KJ Hamler for an 80-yard touchdown bomb. Not to be outdone, Teddy Bridgewater was impressive as well. This appears to be a close competition, but I’d expect Lock to start the year and Bridgewater to enter mid-season when Lock begins to falter. Neither one is particularly enticing even in superflex formats, but they’re both cheap enough to target if you are so inclined.
Javonte Williams was impressive as a rusher and came off the field on third downs, even with Melvin Gordon sitting out of this game. I’m excited about Williams and his future potential, but Gordon will have a significant role this season.
Hamler has been forgotten in many dynasty leagues, though he’s usually on the roster of the person who believes in him most. He’s outside the top 15 rounds of startup ADP and presents value at that price.
AJ Rose should be on your radar in deep leagues if Nwangwu remains on the shelf.

New Orleans Saints vs. Baltimore Ravens

We didn’t get much clarity on the quarterback competition in this game. Taysom Hill started and Jameis Winston followed him, and while I believe Winston is the better player, Hill has the higher fantasy ceiling due to his rushing upside. Winston would be the better option for the New Orleans pass catchers. This remains a competition to monitor.
Marquez Callaway’s hot summer continued, and he might be the Saints receiver to own even once Tre’Quan Smith returns for however long Michael Thomas is out. Callaway should not be on any dynasty waiver wires.
Converted receiver Juwan Johnson played more of a role as a pass catching tight end than Adam Trautman did in this game. Keep him on your radar, and bump expectations for Trautman down. If this game is any indication of his potential 2021 usage, Trautman was not targeted and remained in-line as a pass protector on multiple passing plays.
Baltimore’s receiver depth has taken a major hit in recent weeks, with Rashod Bateman, Marquise Brown, and Sammy Watkins all injured. Devin Duvernay may have been dropped in some leagues, so make sure he’s on a roster. The answer to this passing game is probably Mark Andrews for however long multiple receivers are hurt.