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Preseason Week One Stock Up, Stock Down

Which players stood out for the right or wrong reasons in week one of the preseason?

 Justin Fields
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The first week of the preseason is when we get the opportunity to see our favorite prospects in action. These last few weeks, we’ve been reading reports and watching highlights from training camp. Now since games are starting to be played, the storylines are going to ramp up as we get a better insight into how these teams will look as we approach the start of the season.

QUARTERBACK

Justin Fields, CHI

It looks like we finally have some weapons for Fields. On Saturday, saw what this offense could look like when DJ Moore took a short pass 62 yards for a touchdown. Fields completed all three of his pass attempts against the Tennessee Titans. It’s important to note that he averaged negative 2.3 air yards per pass attempt as most of his pass attempts were close to the line of scrimmage.

Kyle Trask, TB

Trask had a tough outing tossing one interception while also being sacked three times. Although he completed 60 percent of his pass attempts, Baker Mayfield was the quarterback to watch as he completed eight of his nine pass attempts. It appears it’s going to be tough for Trask to beat out Mayfield for the starting job.

CJ Stroud, HOU

He looked as you would expect a talented first-round rookie would look like. He completed two of his four pass attempts while tossing one interception. Still, a very small sample to make an informed opinion on his transition to the NFL game considering he only has seven total dropbacks to reference.

Anthony Richardson, IND

Richardson had an up-and-down performance in his preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He displayed his mobility by carrying the ball two times for seven yards. He also completed some passes over the middle. There was one pass attempt that would have blown up social media but it was dropped. He also threw an interception that was off the mark. This is a performance that you would expect from a talented rookie quarterback. Dynasty gamers should be patient while watching him during the early stages of his career since he is a developmental prospect.

Bryce Young, CAR

Young completed four of his six pass attempts. He showed quick mental processing and good awareness in his debut. He was pressured on three of his seven dropbacks. Young also took one sack. With all things considered, he looked like a rookie quarterback out there. He still has a lot of promise and we’ve heard a lot of good things from training camp. This is another building block to a long career.

Trey Lance, SF

He drove the 49ers offense to three-and-outs in his first three series. He also took four sacks. On the bright side, he completed ten of his 15 pass attempts for one touchdown. Things need to get right in a hurry or the starting job is going to get out of reach.

Aidan O’Connell, LV

O’Connell exceeded expectations against the 49ers, completing 15 of his 18 pass attempts for 141 yards and one touchdown. He was accurate and poised under pressure. Pro Football Focus gave him a 90.8 passing grade while he accumulated a 94.4 percent adjusted completion rate. His stock is on the rise and he’s going to be a fun prospect to watch for the rest of the preseason.

Sean Clifford, GB

There could be secret ambiguity at the quarterback position in Green Bay. We have not seen Jordan Love tear it up in the league for multiple years left to be 100 percent certain things are going to work out. With Clifford completing 20 of his 26 pass attempts and leading all quarterbacks in week one with 208 passing yards, Clifford is on to a good start.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, CLE

Thompson-Robinson was one of the top quarterbacks to not receive first-round draft capital in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has plenty of experience at the college level. If you count the Hall of Fame Game, We’ve seen him complete 17 of his 21 pass attempts equating to an 81 completion rate. The former fifth-round selection has started his NFL career on the right foot in his first preseason performance.

RUNNING BACK

Tank Bigsby, JAC

The stat sheet looks good for Bigsby. He had a run where he was able to get the edge and eat a good portion of yardage. There were also multiple plays where the Dallas defense did a good job of stuffing the holes. When everything was said and done he had nine carries for 52 yards while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He also didn’t see any targets in the passing game.

Deuce Vaughn, DAL

Vaughn was the little engine that could on Saturday night. He reeled off multiple good runs. He carried the rock eight times for 50 yards while averaging 6.3 yards per attempt. He also created three missed tackles while averaging 5.38 yards after contact per attempt. He also caught all three of his targets for six yards. Vaughn displayed excellent vision and explosiveness. There’s going to be a spot on this team for Vaughn.

Israel Abanikanda, NYJ

Abanikanda received a lot of work in his first preseason game, rushing the ball 14 times for 56 yards and one touchdown. He also caught all four of his targets for 36 yards. Per PFF, the rookie running back led all running backs with 53 yards after contact. He blew up social media when he hit the circle button to spin out of a tackle and rumbled his way to the end zone.

Zamir White, LV

White carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards and one touchdown. He displayed a good burst when hitting the running lane. His workload is an indicator that he could be heavily relied on if anything were to happen to starting running back Josh Jacobs.

WIDE RECEIVER

Richie James, KC

James has secretly been a dark horse in this wide receiver room during training camp. He has been making big plays every day. He had another good performance in his first preseason game catching two of these three targets for 44 yards and a touchdown.

The battle at the wide receiver position at Chiefs camp is what every dynasty gamer has been paying attention to too. We’ve been seeing Justyn Ross, Rashee Rice, and Skyy Moore posting highlights all off-season.

Jordan Addison, MIN

Addison has been putting on a clinic in training camp. In his first preseason game, he had a grab along the sideline that was called out of bounds. However, when you look at the tape he was clearly in which should have counted as a catch for Addison. He finished his performance with one catch for 22 yards.

Tank Dell, HOU

Dell had his viral moment when he had a highlight catch for a touchdown. He also had another moment when he scooted free over the middle and was able to get some yards after the catch. He finished the day catching five balls for 65 yards and one touchdown.

Calvin Austin, PIT

Austin led all wide receivers with 73 yards. He had a huge catch and run for a touchdown. They also let him run the ball a few times. Austin has the speed to easily burn defenses. He’s a weapon and as long as he stays healthy, he will make an impact on the offense.

Quentin Johnston, LAC

Johnston had a volatile performance against the Rams in his first preseason game. He caught three of his six targets for ten yards and a touchdown. He also got credited for a downfield drop in this game. It’s very encouraging that he racked up 69 air yards with an 11.5 ADOT while on the field. Deep targets will fuel his fantasy production and make it possible for him to hit his upside.

TIGHT END

Jake Ferguson, DAL

The fourth-round tight end from the 2022 NFL Draft appears to have a leg-up compared to the rest of the tight ends on the roster. Rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker has recently come back from an injury. Ferguson in the Cowboys’ first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars caught all three of his targets for 38 yards which was the seventh most among tight ends in week one.

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Preseason Week One Stock Up, Stock Down
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