This week was the first real taste of NFL football that we’ve had all summer (Editor’s Note: LETS GOOOOOO!!). All 32 teams were in action this week (even if it was only preseason), and plenty of players were awarded shots to impress their coaches and teammates.
The Giants’ first-round rookie QB Daniel Jones silenced his doubters by posting a perfect passer rating across 5 completions, 67 yards, and a touchdown. Rookie running back Devin Singletary flashed his true potential as a star by showing off his elusiveness and toughness running the ball. But perhaps the highlight of the week belonged to an undrafted player: Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi had a movie-worthy feel-good moment when he scored his first NFL touchdown after being homeless just mere weeks ago.
And the best part of the preseason is just that, it is only the preseason! We still have three more weeks of preseason and then 17 full weeks of beautiful, unadulterated NFL football. But until then, I’m here to give you all the news you may have missed. Here is this week’s rendition of the NFL Grab Bag:
Andrew Luck’s mysterious calf injury continues to concern fantasy managers.
Andrew Luck is certainly not a stranger to long-term injuries as we have seen in the past with his lingering shoulder injury in 2017, but it is my opinion that the Colts are just being overly cautious with their franchise quarterback. Why risk worsening an injury? There is little to nothing for Luck to prove in the preseason. He played at an incredible pace last season after missing the majority of the offseason, much like this offseason. I expect his season to be very similar to last season, if not better.
Spin: I am not worried about Luck’s fantasy value just yet. If we manage to get to week 1 and his status is still in question, then I will start to worry about him and his ability to play this season. But for now, continue to draft him as the top five quarterback that he is and will be.
First and second-year QBs light up preseason debuts.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Daniel Jones was extremely sharp in his NFL debut. Granted, it was in a preseason game against lesser talented second-teamers, but going 5 for 5 with a touchdown in the NFL is not an easy feat regardless of competition level. So, it is warranted to get excited about these guys’ successes, but keep that excitement in check until it translates into the regular season.
Jones’ quarterback counterpart in the preseason opener, Sam Darnold, also managed to post a perfect passer rating. He completed 4 of 5 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Elsewhere in the league, Lamar Jackson showed that he is more than just a running quarterback by completing 4 of 6 for 59 and a touchdown.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the number one overall draft pick of 2019. Kyler Murray was terrific in his debut, showing that he is more than a scrambling quarterback with the poise he showed in the pocket. I think the most promising sign of his first game was his success in the check down game. He was known as a risk-taking gunslinger in college, so seeing him take 5 and 10-yard gains instead of forcing something downfield is a great sign for his future.
Spin: I think that some of this fantasy season’s greatest values at the quarterback position sit with this group of young quarterbacks. Aside from Baker Mayfield, all of the first and second-year quarterbacks have a double-digit or later price tag on them in fantasy drafts. Sit back and relax knowing that you can grab a Mitch Trubisky or Josh Allen late in the draft. And hey, if they don’t pan out, you didn’t spend a lot to get them in the first place, so cutting them won’t hurt your squad at all.
Jerrick McKinnon will likely begin 2019 on the Injured Reserve.
There really isn’t a lot to say about this headline, other than it helps clear up the backfield picture in San Francisco. This makes Tevin Coleman a lot more appealing to me in fantasy drafts (especially at his current ADP in the early 5th), knowing that McKinnon will likely miss several games while one the IR. I think Matt Breida will only steal minimal work from Coleman, which means that Coleman will see an RB1-type workload.
Spin: Coleman will begin to rise up people’s draft boards the closer we move towards the beginning of the season. Kyle Shanahan went out and got his guy from his time in Atlanta because he liked what he brought to the offense there. Shanahan certainly did not sign him to not give him work. So, with those pieces of info in mind, look forward to seeing Tevin Coleman in the starting role in San Francisco.
Browns trade running back Duke Johnson to the Houston Texans.
This trade was a long time coming. All of the dominoes fell in the right places for this trade to happen with Duke Johnson requesting a trade and being disgruntled in Cleveland, D’Onta Foreman getting cut, and the Texans needing to supplement their short-yardage passing game with the injury to Keke Coutee in their first preseason game. I like the fit a lot, as Deshaun Watson could really use a reliable check down player to help avoid some of the tons of sacks he has taken.
Spin: I think the most substantial bump from this trade goes to Nick Chubb. Chubb was lacking targets in the receiving game last season, which he will likely see now that Duke has departed. He was a borderline PPR RB1/RB2 before this trade, but with the expected target bump, he will climb up the running back rankings toward the 8-10 RB range. Lamar Miller, on the other hand, will see a slight decrease in his production. I still expect him to see a pretty solid workload, but he will likely lose 3rd down work to Johnson. Johnson, the final piece of this trade, will see basically lateral movement from this trade. He went from one solid offense to another and will probably see very similar production with Houston. He is a PPR-only option for me.
Prolific offenses are overshadowed by the threats of RBBCs.
This headline is more so tailored towards fantasy players than anyone else. For NFL fans, this is probably a good thing because it means fresher players will consistently be on the field and your favorite offense will be operating faster and stronger. But for fantasy managers, RBBC (running back by committee) is the worst four-letter sequence known to man. It essentially means that a bell-cow back’s work will be divided amongst one or two other backs. In the context of this headline, three of the league’s best offenses have mentioned those four letters this week. The Kansas City Chiefs have rumbled about an RBBC after Damien Williams has been banged up for two weeks now. The Philadelphia Eagles have also mentioned an RBBC to possibly avoid having to decide who to start between Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders, who have both had great camps thus far. The Steelers are the third and final team to have chattered about possibly using an RBBC as the durability and pass-catching ability of James Conner have been questioned recently.
Spin: Essentially, I am bumping each of these guys down just a slight tick. It is really easy for coaches to say whatever they want in the preseason, but until I really see an RBBC in full effect during the regular season, I am not worried. Of the three teams mentioned, I think the Philadelphia Eagles have the greatest likelihood to use an RBBC during the season. Sanders will eventually be their bell cow back of the future, but as long as Howard is around, expect the two to split carries. The Steelers and Chiefs are both notorious users of one back systems, so expect to see Conner and Williams get the bulk of the load in-season.
Other Headlines:
- Antonio Brown’s feet are gross. Also, he is threatening to not play this year.
- Gordon, Elliott continue to stand steady in their holdouts.
- Cleveland Browns’ wideout Antonio Callaway suspended four games.
- D’Onta Foreman claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts.
