We’re two-thirds of the way through the 2023 NFL Preseason. Well, almost. The Ravens and Commanders hadn’t taken the field on Monday night before the publication of this article, so thoughts on that game will not be included here.
But there are some noteworthy takeaways from the other 15 preseason games that took place over the last few days. Let’s take a position-by-position look at some of the more interesting ones for fantasy purposes.
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Preseason Week 2 Takeaways
Here are a few position-by-position fantasy takeaways from the second week of exhibition games:
Quarterbacks
The second week of the preseason yielded just one notable takeaway at the QB position: Daniel Jones seems poised for another strong year. His one and only series in the Giants’ 21-19 win over the Panthers was a thing of beauty. He completed 8-of-9 throws for 69 yards, topped off by a 4-yard TD pass to Daniel Bellinger. His only incompletion came when Panthers safety Vonn Bell rocked Giants TE Darren Waller to jar loose a ball that Jones had put in Waller’s breadbasket. Jones also added a 6-yard run. He was good last year in his first year with Giants head coach Brian Daboll last season, and Jones could be even better this season.
Running Backs
An Eagles RB update. D’Andre Swift didn’t play — a good sign for his current and future investors. Kenneth Gainwell started, then Boston Scott came in, and then we saw Rashaad Penny, who played only two drives but had a nice 16-yard run. There’s been some speculation that Trey Sermon could conceivably beat out Penny for a roster spot, but that seems unlikely. Sermon had a 33-yard TD run, but any goodwill generated by that play may have been negated by the fumble he coughed up.
Bijan Robinson looked good. Well, duh. I suppose it’s somewhat noteworthy that he came in off the bench while Tyler Allgeier got the start, but that was probably just a case of veteran deference in the preseason. The smart money has Bijan starting over Allgeier in Week 1.
Dameon Pierce took every snap with the Texans’ starters on the first two drives and either had a carry or ran a route on all 14 of his snaps. Don’t worry about Devin Singletary cutting into his work.
Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane sustained a shoulder injury, but there’s optimism that it’s not severe. More concerning is Achane’s place on the Miami depth chart, where he appears to be the RB5 at the moment. There’s no question he’ll make the team, but it might be a while before he earns enough playing time to be fantasy-relevant. Achane did, however, show off his burst and agility on a nice 20-yard run in the Dolphins’ 28-3 win over the Texans.
Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine split backfield snaps with the Broncos’ starters, with Javonte playing a majority of early-down snaps and Perine playing most of the passing-down snaps. Javonte’s speedy recovery from a multi-ligament knee tear is encouraging, but make no mistake: Perine will have a prominent role in the Denver offense.
The Bears rested Khalil Herbert but not D’Onta Foreman or rookie Roschon Johnson. Herbert is the clear No. 1 running back in Chicago.
Fade Saints RB Kendre Miller. Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams were given the second game of the preseason off. Miller started but didn’t play on obvious passing downs. Once Kamara is back from a three-game suspension, Miller will be a third wheel, and I don’t know if he’ll have a big enough role in those first three games to warrant a spot in fantasy managers’ starting lineups.
Evan Hull started at running back for the Colts in Week 1. But Deon Jackson, back from a quad injury, started this past week. If Jonathan Taylor isn’t around for the Colts in Week 1, Jackson might be Indy’s primary early-down RB, with Hull as the primary passing-down RB.
Wide Receivers
We football nerds have been endlessly amused in recent months by the sheer number of slot receivers on the Giants roster. There might be only one who matters: Parris Campbell, who ran with the starters in the slot. Campbell should be fantasy-relevant when healthy. Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder and Cole Beasley probably won’t be.
This is more for dynasty than for redraft, but it’s worth mentioning how good rookie WR Cedric Tillman looked for the Browns. The 6-3, 213-pound Tillman is an imposing physical specimen. He had two catches for 50 yards on three targets, and the incompletion was a red-zone target that could have drawn a flag for defensive pass interference. Tillman is likely going to be the fourth receiver on the Browns’ depth chart behind Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Donovan People-Jones, but he might not be far from fantasy relevance.
Michael Wilson played with the starters for the Cardinals. The rookie third-rounder is almost surely going to be the Cardinals’ starting X receiver, with Marquise Brown as the other starter in two-receiver sets and Rondale Moore as the slot man. Wilson, whose college career at Stanford was interrupted by a series of injuries, is an intriguing late-round flyer in deep leagues.
Rashee Rice had the sexy stat line (8-96-0) in Kansas City’s 38-10 win over the Cardinals, but based on how much work they got with the starters, Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling appear to be 1-2 in the Chiefs’ WR pecking order (at least until Kadarius Toney comes back from injury, but maybe even after he returns).
Tight End
Darren Waller looked like a baller. He dominated the Giants’ picture-perfect first offensive series, catching 3-of-4 targets for 30 yards, and losing a fourth reception when he was rocked by Panthers safety Vonn Bell and lost control of the ball. Giants head coach and play caller Brian Daboll knows how to get Waller easy targets in open space. If Waller stays healthy — granted, a big “if” — he could put up huge numbers this year.
Second-year Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson was given the second game of the preseason off. It’s another good sign he’s going to play a significant role in the Dallas offense.
It’s a good sign that the Lions didn’t start rookie TE Sam LaPorta in their second preseason game. Rookie tight ends are a historically poor investment, but this is an unusually good rookie TE class, and LaPorta figures to get a lot of playing time for a good offense.
It was Teagan Quitoriano, not Dalton Schultz, who started at tight end for the Texans. This isn’t too concerning if you’re a prospective Schultz investor. The ex-Cowboys was still on the field when the Texans’ starters were in 11 personnel. But Schultz came off the field when Houston went to 2TE sets, which is mildly concerning. The Texans aren’t going to have a high-volume passing offense, so Schultz will need all the snaps he can get to move the needle for fantasy.
More of Fitz’s Fantasy Football Draft Advice
- Pat Fitzmaurice: (Targets | Avoids) (Premium)
- Fitz’s Perfect Draft
- Fitz’s Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
- Fitz’s Quarterback Primer
- Fitz’s Running Back Primer
- Fitz’s Wide Receiver Primer
- Fitz’s Tight End Primer
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