Dynasty Fantasy Football Preseason Rundown
Well, here we go. It’s just about that time for actual NFL games that count. With the preseason in the books, it’s time to scour the rosters, evaluate the performances and assess where each team may stand in terms of the dynasty value created. Let’s run down the entire NFL and cover what we may have learned from a dynasty perspective.
Arizona Cardinals
Rookie Trey Benson did enough to get Michael Carter cut (though he was later brought back) and it’s clear Benson is going to be the backup to James Conner. While Conner has seemingly held on to the starting job, it’s going to be hard to keep Benson off the field eventually. Marvin Harrison Jr. was as advertised in limited action and showed little to make us believe he’s not worthy of being the top position player taken in rookie drafts. Kyler Murray could prove to be a “buy low” as reports on his dedication to getting better and performance in camp have been outstanding.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons shut down Michael Penix Jr very early in the process, stating they’d seen what they wanted to. Kirk Cousins is the unquestioned starter but Penix is clearly bridging the gap a bit. Bijan Robinson looks to have the breakout we wanted and a new coaching staff could unleash Drake London and Kyle Pitts as well. The Falcons are a very intriguing team from a fantasy perspective.
Baltimore Ravens
Nothing too exciting here. Derrick Henry is going to carry the mail for the Ravens, Lamar Jackson is, well, Lamar Jackson, and nobody really stepped up to challenge Zay Flowers for targets this preseason. The one player to keep your eye on is Isaiah Likely, who looks to have a much bigger role this year.
Buffalo Bills
Keon Coleman has had a pretty quiet camp and that’s a mild concern. The Bills are saying all the right things but it seems Coleman may take some time to develop and the early returns may not be fantastic. Ray Davis remains a popular sleeper but it’s hard to see him having an early role with James Cook as the primary runner.
Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young finally showed some real signs of progress. While the preseason means little, he really did look better than he did at any point last season. Jonathon Brooks is going to be on the shelf for at least the first month, so the progress of Chuba Hubbard is going to of keen interest to dynasty managers. If he performs well, this could be a bit of a time share. The other question on the mind of dynasty managers is if Jonathan Mingo or Xavier Legette can emerge as a solid option. Frankly, it’s too early to tell.
Chicago Bears
The Bears and Caleb Williams are going to be under a microscope early and often this season. Williams himself looks the part and that’s good news for DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze. The concern here is at running back. How are the carries and touches going to be split between Khalil Herbert and D’Andre Swift? This is a huge issue for dynasty managers and week one is going to be a big one for anyone with either of these two on their roster.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are simply going to need to pay through the nose to keep Ja’Marr Chase long-term and they’ll likely do just that in the coming days. Tee Higgins is back for at least one year and Joe Burrow is healthy. The real issue here is at running back. It’s really anyone’s guess as to how the touches are going to be distributed between Chase Brown and Zack Moss. If either of them can separate themselves from the other, they could put up RB1 numbers. If they split time, they’re both going to be low-end RB2 or flex players at best. Cross your fingers.
Cleveland Browns
All eyes are on Deshaun Watson, who we haven’t really seen at all this preseason as he deals with “arm soreness.” Watson is one of the most polarizing players in dynasty leagues as this year really may represent his last chance to return to elite-level status. With Nick Chubb out as he continues his recovery from a gruesome knee injury, Jerome Ford looks like a relatively solid flex play early in the season. Keep an eye on Jerry Jeudy as well – most reports are looking for the much-anticipated breakout from the former Alabama superstar.
Dallas Cowboys
With CeeDee Lamb signing a monster contract, it’s put up or shut up time for Dak Prescott. However, this is yet another team with a murky running back situation. How does this play out with Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, and Rico Dowdle all vying for carries? This is a huge storyline and one we just didn’t get much clarity on this preseason.
Denver Broncos
Bo Nix was great this preseason and he looks like a sure-fire QB2 to start the season. Courtland Sutton is going to be solid but it seems both Josh Reynolds and Marvin Mims are poised for a decent number of targets. Tight end Greg Dulcich had a great camp and he could be a big-time breakout star if (!) he stays healthy. Meanwhile, the demise of Javonte Williams was clearly exaggerated as he looks like the top back at this point. However, look for Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, and Blake Watson to all make a push for playing time.
Detroit Lions
All eyes are on Jameson Williams in Motown as he looks like a potential breakout star. It’s fair to wonder if Jared Goff can carry elite-level value with both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Williams but it really does look like Williams will take a big step forward this season.
Green Bay Packers
Few teams are more intriguing from a dynasty perspective than the Packers. At running back, things are in flux as AJ Dillon was placed on season-ending IR. MarShawn Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson are battling for RB2 status behind Josh Jacobs and both merit dynasty roster spots. At receiver, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will end up with the most targets. It could be Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, or even Dontayvion Wicks. This is a huge story that’s developed over the past month as Wicks has reportedly really impressed.
Houston Texans
How are the Texans going to manage one of the deepest receiving corps in the game? After John Metchie really performed well this preseason, they have four different receivers worthy of targets when you factor in Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell. This is a situation worth monitoring in dynasty leagues as the player who is left in the cold could represent a solid “buy low” opportunity.
Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson looked the part this preseason but an extended run of NFL success is necessary for any dynasty manager to feel comfortable moving forward. The fate of Michael Pittman, Adonai Mitchell, and Josh Downs is all tied to Richardson staying healthy and developing like many think he can. This is a huge question mark for the Colts and in dynasty leagues. This preseason gave us some positive signs but this is far from a done deal.
Jacksonville Jaguars
If you’re looking for a sleeper this year, Parker Washington might be a candidate. While he’s currently behind Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas, he was a standout all camp long and looks like a player who could make some serious noise if he’s given a chance. Travis Etienne didn’t play much this preseason and that bodes well for him as much of the talk all off-season was about him ceding a lot of work to the other running backs. We shall see.
Kansas City Chiefs
The two-time defending champions already have the game’s best quarterback and best tight end. We were looking to see which receiver would separate themselves this preseason and it really looks like Xavier Worthy is going to be an early X-factor for this team and on dynasty rosters. Rashee Rice looks like a “buy low” at the moment but he and Worthy may both have really big seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders
Most expected the Raiders to add someone like Dalvin Cook or Kareem Hunt to help out Zamir White but they added only a pedestrian talent in Alexander Mattison. While a lot of dynasty managers are focusing on some bigger names at the position, White is poised to have a serious breakout this year and could be undervalued at this point. Meanwhile, the Raiders are going with Gardner Minshew and it’s hard to get too excited about Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, or Tre Tucker really building on much from last year in what looks to be a conservative (and frustrating) offense.
Los Angeles Chargers
Another team expected to add a running back was the Chargers but they didn’t, either. Instead, this looks like a situation where Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins create “Baltimore West.” Keep an eye on Kimani Vidal if this starts out slow, however. The Chargers seem to like him and he does have some talent. At receiver, Quentin Johnston did very little to make many feel better about him not being a total bust but we’ll wait and see.
Los Angeles Rams
Talk about fascinating. The Rams did nothing this preseason but add fuel to dynasty fires. The receiving corps is in flux as Cooper Kupp looks like a player poised for a major comeback. At running back, it really does look like LA wants nothing to do with giving Kyren Williams all the touches and Blake Corum is going to be involved. If Kupp is really back and Corum plays a lot, this could be a bit of a mess.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are refusing to set a depth chart at running back and this looks like a nightmare. Raheem Mostert was unreal last year but expecting a repeat could be foolish. De’Von Achane was awesome at times but didn’t see the field as much as many would have wanted. Jaylen Wright looked downright explosive all preseason and he adds another dynamic to things as well. We learned a lot this preseason but we certainly didn’t learn what we wanted to about this backfield. Stay tuned.
Minnesota Vikings
All eyes are clearly on Sam Darnold, With JJ McCarthy getting injured in the middle of the preseason, this represents the best chance Darnold has likely ever had to establish himself as a bona fide starter in the NFL. Ty Chandler is also under the spotlight as his preseason performance could earn him major time behind Aaron Jones.
New England Patriots
Can the Patriots offense score? With Jacoby Brissett “holding off” Drake Maye (who thoroughly outplayed him this off-season), it’s fair to wonder just who may be lineup-worthy on this team. Rhamondre Stevenson may finally get the kind of work many have wanted with Bill Belichick gone but anyone outside of him is going to be tough to put in lineups. We need to see a month or so worth of action to recommend Kendrick Bourne, Demario Davis, Ja’Lynn Polk or anyone else on this offense.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints failed to add anyone else behind Alvin Kamara and the biggest dynasty storyline here may just be their epic frustration with Kendre Miller, who they seem to be losing patience with. This group looks like a mess, though both Rashid Shaheed and AT Perry look like quality sleepers after solid camps.
New York Giants
Oh boy. Daniel Jones returned to action and it did not look promising. Malik Nabers has been as advertised but this group is looking like one of the most anemic offenses in all of football. The only real dynasty storyline here is the progress of Tyrone Tracy, who could push Devin Singletary for touches. Other than that, this looks ugly based on the preseason. We shall see.
New York Jets
All the attention is on Aaron Rodgers, who could really unleash this offense. We know Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are talented. The real dynasty storyline from the preseason, however, was the performance of Braelon Allen, who is looking like one of the premier handcuffs in fantasy football at this point. There is going to be a window to buy on Allen and it’s wide open right now. Getting him on as many rosters as you can before his price goes up could be an important move to make.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles were one of the most disappointing teams the second half of the NFL season last year and dynasty owners want to see a major bounce-back from Jalen Hurts. Outside of that, it’s going to be very interesting to see how Philly deploys the newly acquired Jahan Dotson, who has seemingly been placed as their WR3 behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. This could be one of the most explosive or frustrating offense to rely on, especially since we have no idea just how Saquon Barkley is going to perform now that he’s playing behind a better offensive line.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of disappointing, we get to the Steelers. Russell Wilson has won the job (for now) as Justin Fields just couldn’t eliminate costly fumbles and mistakes this preseason. Najee Harris is back and could be a bit of a bounce-back candidate as well but Jaylen Warren is going to be a thorn in his side. The big story here is George Pickens, who is finally going to get his chance to be a WR1. Can he really capitalize?
San Francisco 49ers
I am personally relieved to see the Brandon Aiyuk contract situation resolved. After what seemed to be countless player updates on news (or the lack of news), Aiyuk is going to be in the bay long-term. This offense is pretty well set, though we need to see just how long Ricky Pearsall may be out after being shot (a sentence I did not think I’d type today).
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are entering a new era now that Pete Carroll is gone and that could bode well for Kenneth Walker, The biggest story from the preseason was the progress from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who looks like he could have a breakout similar to that of Jameson Williams this year. Geno Smith will need to take another step forward in Ryan Grubb’s new offense but this is looking like a team that could be much more exciting from a dynasty fantasy football perspective.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We know what we’re going to get from Mike Evans and Chris Godwin but Jalen McMillan has also looked the part this preseason. He remains a very solid late round rookie pick and he could actually progress a little faster than many receivers taken ahead of him. Meanwhile, dynasty managers have to love what they’ve seen from Bucky Irving. While Rachaad White is going to remain the starter, Irving is already pushing for time after a solid preseason.
Tennessee Titans
Much like with so many other teams on this list, the touches at running back are of supreme interest to dynasty owners here. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears have been billed as “Co-RB1s” all off-season. If that’s the case, this is going to be a mess. If one or the other can establish themselves as the better option, we could have something. Meanwhile, Will Levis had a solid preseason and is looking like a potential breakout player as well. Dynasty managers are watching this team closely because there are more question marks in Tennessee than on the Riddler’s costume in an old-school Batman episode.
Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels has certainly done all he could to look like he should start on day one and he’ll do just that. The biggest dynasty nugget here is trying to figure out who the WR2 is going to be in Washington. We know Terry McLaurin is locked in as the WR1. Will the second option be Noah Brown, Olamide Zaccheus, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey or someone else? This is going to be important in dynasty leagues as it seems nobody has really separated themselves.
Here we go! We learned some but still have a long way to go!
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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