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Preseason Action from Friday, August 24

Carolina Panthers defeated the New England Patriots 25-14:

  • Cam Newton finished 11-of-17 with 142 yards through the air. He also had two rushes for an additional 13 yards.
  • Christian McCaffrey carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards and also caught two passes for 16 yards. CMC has had a strong preseason as he has totaled 21 carries for 151 yards (7.2 YPC) and also caught eight passes for an additional 73 yards.
  • Greg Olsen hauled in four receptions for 44 yards.
  • Tom Brady completed 12-of-18 pass attempts for 102 yards.
  • Mike Gillislee outplayed Jeremy Hill in their battle for a spot on the Patriots roster. Neither player will have fantasy appeal at the start of the year, but this game may have swung the competition in Gillislee’s favor. While he didn’t put up a huge game – 10 carries, 35 yards, and a touchdown – it may have been enough, as Hill finished with nine carries for 25 yards. Gillislee was able to plunge into the end zone on a goal-line carry.
  • Cordarrelle Patterson caught five passes for 37 yards. A first round pick in 2013, Patterson has been a bust, but now on the Patriots and locked into a role; there may just be sneaky value here in deeper leagues.

New York Giants were victorious over the New York Jets 22-16:

  • Eli Manning was an efficient 17-of-23 with 188 yards.
  • Wayne Gallman , despite struggling, may have claimed the number two role in the Giants backfield. He finished with 11 carries for 23 yards, but veteran Jonathan Stewart was going the wrong way with -7 yards on three carries and also losing a fumble. Gallman also caught four passes for 19 yards.
  • Sterling Shepard had a big game, catching seven passes for 78 yards. Don’t get overly excited though, Odell Beckham sat this game out, opening the door for this big game from Shepard.
  • Sam Darnold only completed 8-of-16 pass attempts, but he did toss a touchdown and played turnover free football.
  • The touchdown recipient was Terrelle Pryor . Pryor was a huge fantasy disappointment last year, but was dealing with an injury. Now healthy and with a new team, catching a touchdown from his likely starting QB is a good sign. He can be drafted at the very end of drafts and has upside.

Denver Broncos took down the Washington Redskins 29-17:

  • Case Keenum finished 12-of-18 with 148 passing yards.
  • Chad Kelly was the second QB on the field for Denver and he once again outplayed Paxton Lynch – 7-of-11 for 73 yards compared to Lynch’s 3-of-7 and 39 yards – and it looks like the backup job has been won by Kelly.
  • De’Angelo Henderson led the Broncos in carries with seven and finished with 32 yards. He also caught three passes for an additional 31 yards.
  • Rookie Royce Freeman finished with five carries for 26 yards and a touchdown.
  • Devontae Booker started the game, but was the worst of the three backs, finishing with three carries for nine yards.
  • Alex Smith struggled in his brief time on the field, finished 3-of-8 for 33 yards.
  • Adrian Peterson had 11 carries for 56 yards, likely forcing himself into a solid role for the Redskins to start the year.

Minnesota Vikings were winners over the Seattle Seahawks 21-20:

  • Kirk Cousins finished 17-of-28 with 182 passing yards.
  • Dalvin Cook made his return to game action, but only had two carries for one yard. The stats aren’t as important as him taking the field though.
  • Stefon Diggs had four receptions for 51 yards.
  • Russell Wilson only completed 11-of-21 passes for 118 yards.
  • Chris Carson rushed seven times for 26 yards and a touchdown. He also had two receptions for 20 yards. Carson is a steal in drafts right now; he can be had in the middle rounds and is currently the defined lead back for Seattle.
  • Brandon Marshall caught three balls on three targets for 34 yards. Marshall hasn’t been fantasy relevant since 2015 and still isn’t, but given his history, he is someone to keep an eye on at the start of the year.

Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-30:

  • Matthew Stafford completed 9-of-18 passes for 113 yards.
  • LeGarrette Blount led the Lions in carries with 11 and finished with 45 yards.
  • Jameis Winston continued his strong preseason, finishing 6-of-10 with 60 passing yards and a score.
  • Peyton Barber looked the part of “lead back” as he carried the ball five times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
  • Ronald Jones continued to struggle mightily; he finished with only seven rushing yards on six attempts.
  • Adam Humphries finished with two catches for 15 yards and also did this:

Oakland Raiders beat the Green Bay Packers 13-6:

  • Derek Carr only played one series, but led his team to a field goal and completed two passes for 68 yards.
  • Amari Cooper snagged one pass and went for a 49 yard gain.
  • Doug Martin had six carries for 24 yards.
  • Brett Hundley started for the Packers and finished 8-of-14 with 78 yards.
  • Aaron Jones managed just 18 yards on five carries.
  • J’Mon Moore led the Pack in receiving, finishing with four receptions for 62 yards. He is way down on the depth chart though, so don’t take much out of this strong showing.

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Position Battles to Watch Tonight

Texans Wide Receiver 3: Bruce Ellington and Braxton Miller will continue to battle to be third in line for targets in the Houston offense. With Will Fuller sitting this one out, both should have plenty of chances to state their case.

Rams Running Back 2: Can rookie back John Kelly continue his strong preseason in pursuit of passing Malcolm Brown on the Rams depth chart to be the team’s backup?

Colts Running Back 1: With Marlon Mack still out, can rookies Nyheim Hines or Jordan Wilkins make a claim for the lead back role?

Jaguars Wide Receiver 3: Dede Westbrook , D.J. Chark , and Donte Moncrief are all in a battle to be the Jags number three, four, and five receivers. Who will separate themselves tonight?

Ravens Tight End 1: With Hayden Hurst going down with an injury – out three-to-four weeks – Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams will be in a battle for lead TE duties.

Chargers Wide Receiver 2: Mike Williams has been impressive in camp and in game action thus far, can he pass Tyrell Williams on the depth chart and be the teams number two option?

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Other News

Raiders Coach Jon Gruden is unsure if the Raiders have a backup QB on their roster. Not very good news for Connor Cook or EJ Manuel.

Terrance West is visiting with the Buccaneers.

Jermaine Kearse sat out the Jets preseason game with an abdomen issue.

Evan Engram is week-to-week after suffering a concussion in last night’s game.

Julius Thomas announced his retirement from the NFL. He finishes his career with 226 receptions, 2406 receiving yards, and 36 touchdowns.

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