Preseason Week Three Stock Up, Stock Down
The preseason is officially over and we are now gearing up for the regular season. We’ve seen plenty of winners and losers throughout training camp and in the preseason game. Like always, the final preseason game is a gateway to seeing how talented a team is on the backend of their depth chart. This is a fun time to plug into the NFL if you like to monitor longshot prospects.
Let’s dig into some of the top performances from the third and final week of preseason.
QUARTERBACK
Aaron Rodgers, NYJ
Aaron Rodgers’ first TD pass as a Jet is a BEAUTY 👌🏻pic.twitter.com/bJeaOtrUXk
— PFF (@PFF) August 26, 2023
The connection between Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson is real. We’ve seen Rodgers target Wilson on numerous plays in training camp. The touchdown pass to Wilson in week three was just the icing on the cake. Dynasty gamers should be excited about what Rodgers has left in the tank as he will be fueled with one of the top young receivers in the league.
CJ Stroud, HOU
CJ Stroud throws his 1st TD to Nico Collins! 🙌
📺: #HOUvsNO on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/FotAW7rSeG— NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2023
After a rough start to the preseason, Stroud finally found his groove. He completed two of his four pass attempts. He connected with Nico Collins for a touchdown. Dynasty gamers will need to remain patient with these rookie quarterbacks as they develop to the NFL game. This season will be a major learning experience for a lot of these rookies.
Stetson Bennett, LAR
Bennett started the preseason on fire but since then the flames have gone out. In week three he tossed two interceptions on just nine pass attempts. The Broncos defense held him to just four completions for 14 yards. Now there are questions about where he’s going to be able to on the depth chart. Will he be the QB2 behind Matthew Stafford or are the Rams going to lean on someone else if they have to lean on their backup?
Will Grier
The Dallas Cowboys traded for Trey Lance which had a significant impact on Grier’s status with the team. He made his moment count as he completed 29 of his 35 pass attempts for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Mike McCarthy stated that might have been the best preseason performance he has seen since probably 1999. Grier’s tape might latch him onto another depth chart here soon.
RUNNING BACK
Damien Harris, BUF
Damien Harris for SIX!
📺: WIVB | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/lWb1nU7piE
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 26, 2023
The Bills weren’t afraid to show their hand with Harris. He rushed for seven carries for 25 yards and one touchdown. Harris looked good with his red zone rushing attempts which could be an indicator that the Bills will use him on a lot of short yardage and goal line situations this year.
Chris Rodriguez Jr, WAS
We haven’t heard much from him during training camp but we got to see him perform against the Cincinnati Bengals in week three. He had seven carries for 52 yards. Rodriguez has a run of 25 yards. The team cut three running backs after this game which is a good indicator that he has latched on to the roster.
Joshua Kelley, LAC
casual 75-yard touchdown
📺 | CBS LA + ESTRELLA + NFLN pic.twitter.com/4dvZjRwMEV
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 26, 2023
Kelley has been battling Isaiah Spiller for the RB2 role on the depth chart. He made the most of his opportunity by taking a hand-off 75 yards to the house. His performance might have cemented his backup duties for this season.
WIDE RECEIVER
Marvin Mims, DEN
.@Jarrett_Stidham, my oh my. 😱 On the first play of the drive, a 50-yard pass for the @Broncos QB.
📺: #LARvsDEN on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/2r88q7BwFe— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2023
After Jerry Jeudy went down with an injury earlier last week, Mims showed up in the final preseason game against the Rams to remind us that he has a ton of potential. He caught two balls for 51 yards. We saw Mims blow up social media with a downfield that was 50 yards downfield. Mims has the speed to stretch the field and the ball skills that allow him to play bigger than his size.
Justyn Ross, KC
JUSTYN ROSS ‼️‼️
pic.twitter.com/uLczZoZTd1— PFF (@PFF) August 26, 2023
Ross has been looking good in training camp and the preseason games. We saw him make another highlight-reel grab in the end zone over the weekend. There’s a chance we are watching him revert to his old form where he was a dominant player at the collegiate level. If this is the case, then we might watch Ross blossom throughout the season as he earns more opportunities on a very competitive wide receiver depth chart.
Michael Pittman, IND
Pittman was in on 36 snaps and was targeted five times. He was targeted by Anthony Richardson on all five of his targets, owning a 29.41 percent target share of Richardson’s pass attempts. This is an indicator that the volume might still be there for Pittman to provide fantasy production.
TIGHT END
Albert Okwuegbunam, PHI
Okwuegbunam caught all seven of his targets for 109 yards and one touchdown. He was second among all tight ends in targets and routes ran in week three. His performance in his final preseason game helped him land a job with a new team as he was traded from the Broncos to Philadelphia at the roster cut-down deadline.
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