Preseason Week 1 is in the books and there were quite a lot of things to focus on heading into the games. Now, let’s not overreact to what we saw in Week 1 and claim that every great performance means a player will break out and every bad one means a player will be a dumpster fire this year. Nearly every team didn’t play their starting lineups much, if at all, and a decent number of rookie QBs and other skill position players usually saw time against second and third string defenses which could inflate their stat lines and make them look better. With that said, let’s recap some of the key takeaways from Week 1 of the preseason and what it means fantasy-wise.
Unsettled Quarterback Battles
Some of the rookie quarterbacks that were taken in the first round were drafted to be the starters, but some clearly were going to be in position battles. Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones all come to mind in that regard and while all showed flashes of why they were taken that highly, there is still some question, for most, if they will be starting Week 1 of the regular season or not. Trey Lance showed ability to throw the deep ball but he is still working on some mechanical stuff with his motion and was sacked four times. Jimmy Garappolo is still the starter...for now. Justin Fields had the Twitterverse ablaze over the weekend with his performance for the Bears and then said after the game that the speed of the game was actually slow for him, though he mostly faced the second and third stringers which could explain why things were slower. Let’s face it, he is likely to beat out Andy Dalton for the starting role, but it’s not decided yet. Lastly, Mac Jones was a smooth operator in the New England dump-off scheme on Thursday against Washington, but didn’t really show much more than that. Cam Newton has looked much improved in camp so far and adds a lot in the running game so Jones might be further away from the starting lineup than Pats fans might want to believe.
Dolphins, Bills, Texans, Broncos, and Cardinals...Oh My!
We should all be aware by now that lone lead backs in the NFL are dwindling faster than you can say three-down back, but what makes these teams interesting is how their backfields are shaping up right now. For the Dolphins, the acquisition of Malcolm Brown this offseason was a nice move but if you’re a Myles Gaskin fan, it might not be what you’re wanting to see as Brown saw more snaps than Gaskin this weekend and that work came with the starters. Gaskin might be looking at more of a change-of-pace role than previously thought so pay attention as Brown might wind up being a value starting RB in drafts. Buffalo is missing Zach Moss in the offense right now...or are they? Devin Singletary took full advantage of Moss not playing with nine touches for 48 years and a touchdown catch. This has been a thing for a couple of years now, and not sure there’s any resolution early this year either. Houston surprised most of the football world by putting Philip Lindsay atop their first depth chart of the year ahead of Mark Ingram and David Johnson and then saw most of the work with the first-team offense this weekend. If Deshaun Watson is still under center this season, Lindsay could have some sneaky fantasy value. In Denver, the thought since April is that Javonte Williams would ultimately be the starter in the backfield and at least right now, he’s got a path to do that. Albeit because Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone are injured but this will certainly only serve to bump Williams’ ADP up even more. Did anyone see how the Cardinals were using Rondale Moore involved in the game plan? Even though he’s tough to see at 5’7” and listed as a wide receiver, he caught passes and rushed a couple of times against the Cowboys and could very well be a gadget guy for them and be used as often out of the backfield as he is in the passing game.
Veteran Wideouts Clicking
Okay, Howard, it’s time to avert your eyes, but Corey Davis seems to be clicking well with the Jets number-two overall pick Zach Wilson early on in camp. Davis saw four targets in the brief time on the field in the game against the Giants and appears to be the early security blanket for his rookie QB. Down in Jacksonville, even with all of the wideouts in that receiving corps, it’s Marvin Jones who appears to have the early rapport with Trevor Lawrence. It certainly helps that Jones has experience in the offense already but he could be a deep sleeper in fantasy drafts if you want to take a shot on the Jacksonville offense. Lastly, Tyrell Williams is getting along well with new QB Jared Goff and should be the top target for the position, behind TJ Hockenson, who at TE, will be the top receiving threat on the roster.