Football is back baby! The weekend was the second week of the preseason and that means the fantasy season is already in the starting blocks. Gone are the days when we had to rely on the sparse (and often not entirely true) information provided by beat reporters on the sidelines of training camps, we can finally analyze data and snap counts ourselves again. Yes, the sample size is of course small and coaches don’t always give us all the true information either, but again in Week 2 we saw clear signs of the fantasy perspectives of some players. You can find out which players these are in the following paragraphs.
Here are the TD24 Fantasy Rankings: QB / RB / WR / TE
And here are the most important fantasy insights from week 1 of the preseason
Dameon Pierce winkt Three-Down-Rolle in Houston
Pierce was already a fantasy starter as a rookie last season, but the 23-year-old could have an even bigger role on the Texans offense this year. In 2022, Pierce was a consistent fielder on first and second down, but not on third down situations. On third or fourth downs with five or more yards to go, Pierce played just 3 percent of the snaps in 2022. In the first two drives of Saturday’s preseason game against Miami, Pierce was already on the turf for four such snaps.
August 19 reminder that Dameon Pierce is good at football
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 19, 2023
Of course, it could be that Houston just wants to give him more experience in a rather unimportant game and changes his strategy in the regular season. Still, Pierce’s getting pass-down snaps in the prep is good news, because it shows the Texans at least see the potential for Pierce to develop into a three-down back. There’s no guarantee that he will at this point, but the possibility alone should give Pierce a small boost in fantasy drafts.
The James Cook hype train is picking up speed
I pointed out last week that Cook will be one of THE steals in many fantasy drafts in the coming days and weeks. The 23-year-old, brother of new Jets back Dalvin, played almost all snaps with the starters against the Steelers for the second straight week. The only two snaps he missed were on the second drive, having previously been on the turf for nine straight snaps. It’s normal for running backs to be substituted after too many snaps in a row.
Cook only ran the ball three times for 3 yards, so if you just look at the box score, you’re missing out on the important story behind it. In view of the small sample size, this shouldn’t worry us too much. Cook’s ADP (Average Draft Position) will continue to rise over the next few weeks, but he’s still an excellent mid-round value pick. And a prime trade target for any teams in leagues that have already drafted.
RBBC trauma in Denver threatens to continue
Good news for Broncos fans: Javonte Williams was back on the pitch against the 49ers on Saturday for the first time since tearing his cruciate ligament early last season. He even started the game but shared the snaps with newcomer Samaje Perine. Williams stood on 12 first- and second-down snaps (Perine: 5), with it being Perine who dominated third-down snaps (6/7). Still, it was Williams who was targeted five times in the passing game.
As great as it is to have Williams — an explosive and athletic back — back on the field, it’s going to be hard from a fantasy perspective to trust either Broncos back at the start of the season. The roles appear to be dominated and the lack of third-down snaps could take a toll on Williams’ ceiling. Nevertheless: Williams has the potential to be on the field even in pass situations, so it is important to continue to monitor the situation. Both backs are worthy of drafting as they have clear paths to a fantasy starter role as the season progresses.
Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba still be relevant to fantasy?
Smith-Njigba, who the Seahawks brought on with their first-round pick in this year’s draft, only played 11-person snaps (with three WRs on the field) the previous week but had already shouldered more responsibility against the Cowboys in Week 2. He fielded 100 percent of all snaps in 11-person and even got 50 percent of the snaps in 12-person (2 WR) and all four snaps as the only wideout in 13-person. Only in 21 personnel did JSN not stand on the lawn with the starters.
Smith-Njigba ended his night on the third drive on the Seahawks offense, meaning only five of his 14 total snaps were in the slot during the first three drives. He caught three passes for 58 yards and already showed excellent route running. Just look at this catch:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
– Role in offense already expanding
– Playing in 11, 12 and 13 personnel
– Seeing snaps with Lockett on field
– Caught 3 passes for 58 yards in three drivesJSN is shaping up to be a PPR monster this season.pic.twitter.com/BvaHcLrVCt
— Joe Orrico (@NoExpertFF) August 21, 2023
The bigger role is a good sign that JSN could be on the flex radar as early as his rookie season. It is important to continue to monitor the situation, but the 21-year-old should now be worth a pick in one of the later draft rounds.
Does Mingo have the biggest upside of any Panthers receiver?
From a receiver perspective, Mingo has been the only bright spot in the Panthers’ roster so far. Similar to the previous week, the rookie started with 11 people alongside the veterans DJ Chark and Adam Thielen. Unlike the blowout loss to the Jets (0:27), Carolina didn’t rotate as much in the narrow loss to the Giants (19:21). Terrace Marshall Jr. is currently struggling with a back injury, but is – from what you hear – the clear number 4 in the depth chart anyway.
With that, we only have to deal with Mingo, Thielen and Chark. It was Mingo who had to leave the field at 12-person, but he was the only receiver on the plays at 13-person. Putting numbers aside, he was clearly the most explosive playmaker of any Panthers receiver, breaking an opponent’s tackle, catching a first down and leading his team in receiving yards. We know what Thielen and Chark can do at this point in their careers, which makes Mingo a clear upside play on this offense. If he can carve out a role early in the season, he could reward brave managers who are already drafting him in the second half of the season.
Bijan gives us our first taste of RB1 numbers
Robinson is already getting off the board in the top three running backs in some drafts, and given the 21-year-old’s incredible talent and optimal position in Atlanta, it’s hard to argue against that. If anything, Bijan showed against the Bengals on Saturday why so many pundits are counting on him so much. Just look at this 12-yard run in the first half:
Bijan Robinson really reminds me of Saquon Barkley as a rookie. That burst is real. 💨pic.twitter.com/aq7yRUIy0y
— Pepper Brooks (@peppertakes) August 18, 2023
Robinson fielded more than 70 percent of the snaps with the starters against the Bengals, with another talented young player in Tyler Allgeier getting the rest. If Robinson can hold the 70 percent mark, he will pay back his high ADP. However, it is still unclear what role Cordarelle Patterson will play once he returns to training in good shape.
In short: Bijan has a few question marks, but also enough upside that you won’t get him outside the top 10 in most leagues. That’s the price you have to pay for generational talent.
2023-08-22 09:01:21
#Key #fantasy #takeaways #Week #NFL #Preseason
