Jason and Justin Sablich are here to help you with your fantasy football draft. The Sablich brothers will provide fantasy football advice throughout the season on this blog and on Twitter (@5thDownFantasy).
Complete fantasy football ranking for all positions, including PPR formats, updated throughout the preseason.
A look back at the week that was in preseason football, and the fantasy football implications.
Jets 17, Giants 3 – Eli Manning’s preseason struggles continued against the Jets. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if losing Steve Smith and Kevin Boss is going to be more of an issue than previously thought. Both Giants running backs looked excellent, outside of the Brandon Jacobs ejection. If he can resist the urge to toss his helmet into the stands and keep his fists from flying, he’s going to have a very good year. Consider him a rock-solid RB3 with the possibility of starting a handful of games thanks to Ahmad Bradshaw’s fragility.
Just when we were getting comfortable with Mark Sanchez as a QB2 he regresses in a major way. Poor pass protection and lackluster play from Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason did not help, but he was clearly off Tuesday night, completing just four passes to his intended wideouts.
Lions 34, Patriots 10 – Mathew Stafford was the star, finishing 12-for-14 with 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. It would have been an even better statline if Nate Burleson didn’t drop a 15-yard touchdown pass. Speaking of Burleson, he’s creeping up draft boards with Stafford relying on him heavily throughout the preseason. Targeting the Lions WR2 in the later rounds of your draft is a very good idea, while getting over Stafford’s injury tag and selecting him with a pick in the 7th round is an outstanding one.
Chad Ochocinco (4 targets) was unable to record a catch during the Lions thorough routing of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Clearly, the two have a ways to go as far as chemistry is concerned, but the all-out onslaught of the Lions defensive line didn’t help matters either. Brady thinks its only a matter of time before Ochocinco gets the offense under his belt, and that’s good enough to still believe in him as a quality WR3 option.
Chargers 34, Cardinals 31 – Kevin Kolb’s 80 yard touchdown hookup with Larry Fitzgerald was the first score for Kolb this preseason and a welcome sight for those of us who believe in him as a solid QB2 with upside.
Make that three consecutive weeks now that Beanie Wells has shown good speed and power. He’s averaging 4.8 yards a carry and has yet to fumble this preseason.
Ryan Mathews flashed big play ability with a 48-yard burst up the middle, but don’t get too excited. Mike Tolbert isn’t going away any time soon and will still get the majority of passing downs and goal line looks. Vincent Jackson continues to shine this preseason with 5 catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. We’ll take him ahead of Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace as our No. 6 ranked receiver in standard formats.
Buccaneers 17, Dolphins 13 – Brandon Marshall took in two balls for 90 yards and a touchdown from a surprisingly solid Chad Henne, but its hard to get too excited considering his quarterback’s inconsistent track record. We do expect a better year from Marshall, especially in the touchdown department, but Henne will have to string together a few more of these outings to be considered draft-able as a QB2.
After his outstanding Dolphins debut last week, Reggie Bush’s stock came back down to earth with 5 carries for negative 1 yard. He’s still miles ahead of rookie Daniel Thomas, who actually lost a goal-line carry to Bush and didn’t get on the field until the middle of the second quarter. Thomas is not a draft-able option in re-draft leagues unless you are handcuffing Bush. Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman continues to struggle, going 12 of 23 for 149 yards with 2 near interceptions. Relying on him as your QB1 this year is not advisable.
Steelers 34, Falcons 16 – Matt Ryan threw a whopping 42 passes in the first half to the tune of 22-for-42 for 220 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. While you can’t expect that kind of dedication to the passing game on a weekly basis, it’s a good indication that the Falcons are getting away from riding Michael Turner, who saw just seven carries on the night. Roddy White reminds Julio Jones that this is still his show with 8 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. The rookie finished with 5 catches for 59 yards despite only one less target than White received.
Ben Roethlisberger continues to favor Antonio Brown as the two burned Atlanta’s secondary for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Things will get interesting when Emmanuel Sanders, who was touted all offseason as the receiver to own in Pittsburgh next to Mike Wallace, returns to action from a broken foot. But right now, you have to give the edge to Brown as the late round flier as Sanders will likely get off to a slow start.
Cowboys 23, Vikings 17
– Dez Bryant was the focal point in the passing game, leading the team in targets and receptions with Miles Austin sitting due to a hamstring issue. Make it a point to land him as your WR2 this season. Tony Romo’s 15-20, 141 statline was better than it looked, considering he was under heavy pressure most of the night. Felix Jones continued his outstanding preseason with 38 total yards, 3 receptions, and a touchdown.
Adrian Peterson was in mid-season form, totaling 81 yards on 14 carries. There’s been talk that he will be more involved in the passing game this year, but we heard the same thing last season and he actually finished with seven-less receptions from the previous year (36). It definitely wasn’t the case during this game, as Peterson had zero targets on the night with Lorenzo Booker handling the passing-down duties.
Saints 40, Raiders 20 – Saints tight end Jimmy Graham was featured in the passing game, totaling 5 catches for 73 yards on 8 targets. It’s going to be much harder to land him after the 6th round following this performance. Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas both scored rushing touchdowns out of the rotation, but it’s Ingram who figures to be the favorite for goal-line duties.
Jason Campbell turned in a solid outing, minus his number one option Jacoby Ford (12-for-17, 150 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception). Darren McFadden didn’t suit up, giving rookie Taiwan Jones the opportunity to rack up yards on the Saints backup defense (81 yards, 1 touchdown). Obviously, he doesn’t garner much fantasy consideration with McFadden and Michael Bush on the roster.
Broncos 23, Seahawks 20 – Tavaris Jackson continues to look terrible as the Seahawks starting quarterback (13-22, 93 yards, 1 touchdown, 5 sacks). Sidney Rice managed just 2 catches for 11 yards during three quarters of action. It should be no surprise by now that his fantasy numbers are going to suffer big time thanks to Seattle’s inept options at the quarterback position.
Ravens 34, Redskins 31 – Tim Hightower racks up 56 yards and a score in another impressive performance. He can be safely considered as an RB2 option worth taking as early as round five in standard leagues. Santana Moss fans can only hope Rex Grossman wins the starting quarterback job over John Beck (16 targets, 120 yards, 2 touchdowns with Grossman starting this preseason).
Ray Rice converted on 1 of 2 goal line carries, which is further evidence he will be the man at the big white line this season. Lee Evans is looking like a bargain W 3 pick (3 receptions, 60 yards, 1 touchdown) as he is quickly building a nice rapport with Joe Flacco. He actually has a decent chance of out-producing Anquan Boldin in standard scoring leagues this season.
Eagles 24, Browns 14
– The Eagles offensive line struggled mightily to protect Michael Vick (9 targets, 7 receptions, 69 yards), which took away his downfield targets and turned the passing game into the LeSean McCoy show. This unit should eventually get it together under Howard Mudd’s guidance, but if you own McCoy, you’re certainly in no hurry as he will be the obvious benefactor with Vick under pressure. Peyton Hillis started for the Browns and looked strong, totaling 53 yards on 5 touches.
Bills 35, Jaguars 32
– Ryan Fitzpatrick turned in his first positive performance of the preseason and was more than solid, finishing 11-for-12 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. It’s not too surprising, considering the Jaguars defense couldn’t generate any pressure for the second consecutive week and have been a punching bag for the position over the last few seasons (4th best QB matchup in 2010). Steve Johnson’s solid preseason continued, reeling in 4 catches for 76 yards and a score (52-yard touchdown reception). He definitely deserves a bump up in our rankings. Fred Jackson is apparently back to the featured role but that can always change the way Buffalo’s backfield has been handled this preseason.
Packers 24, Colts 21
– Our love for Jermichael Finley hasn’t waned, (we took him with a fifth pick in our first draft). He looked fully healthy in this one, totaling 41 yards and touchdown. Donald Driver is healthy as well and has received a lot of attention from Aaron Rodgers this preseason. If you still think Greg Jennings is going to repeat last year’s statline, think again. James Starks caught 5 balls for 38 yards and continues to look better than Ryan Grant. Expect at least an even timeshare between the two, with Starks eventually edging him out for the featured role.
Reggie Wayne had a great game, catching 6 balls for 105 yards and a score despite missing Peyton Manning, who was recently taken off the PUP list and will begin practicing on a limited basis.
Rams 14, Chiefs 10 – Rookie tight end Lance Hendricks was Sam Bradford’s favorite target with 2 catches for 26 yards and a score. He’s shaping up to be a great TE2 option to be had in the later rounds. While Mike Sims-Walker showed up in the box score with a 6-yard touchdown catch, it was his only target on the night. The rest of the Rams receivers have yet to establish themselves as Bradford’s go-to option.
Titans 14, Bears 13 – While Jay Cutler has enjoyed better pass protection the last couple of weeks, his receivers still have a lot of improving to do. Roy Williams’s lackluster play continues as Cutler’s lone interception was completely on him. We’re not in love with Johnny Knox after last year’s disappointing season, but he could be getting his starting job back soon if Williams doesn’t perk up.
Chris Johnson was obviously missing here, but a deal is expected to be reached as soon as this weekend. The days of getting him in the back-end of the first round are over.
Bengals 24, Panthers 13 — Cedric Benson was on, rushing for 68 yards and a score. He isn’t expected to miss any playing time after pleading guilty Monday to assault. We’ve never been the biggest Benson fans, but he should produce decent RB2 totals since the Bengals will lean on him heavily with a rookie quarterback under center. A.J. Green was Andy Dalton’s favorite wideout, but most his damage came on a 40-yard touchdown pass. He’ll remain a low-end WR3 until his quarterback play improves.
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