Pat Fitzmaurice | Mon, Aug 19th 2024, 7:07am EDT

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: NFL Preseason Takeaways (Week 2)

A lot of you have fantasy football drafts coming up this week. Which of the developments from the second week of the NFL preseason warrant your attention if you’re in the final stages of fantasy football draft prep? Read on, my friend.

By the way, a hat tip to Nathan Jahnke of PFF for snap-count data. And in case you missed the first installment in this series, these were my top fantasy football takeaways from Week 1 of the preseason.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: NFL Preseason Takeaways

Quarterback

The Raiders on Sunday named Gardner Minshew their Week 1 starter. The decision seemed somewhat arbitrary considering how little separation there seemed to be between Minshew and second-year man Aidan O’Connell in the Raiders’ QB derby. After O’Connell started the team’s first preseason game, Minshew started the second and completed 10-of-21 passes for 95 yards with no TDs or INTs. O’Connell was 14-of-20 for 96 yards against Dallas on Saturday with one TD and one INT. Minshew becomes the preferred Las Vegas QB target in superflex drafts, but his hold on the starting job is tenuous.

If I had to set an over/under number on how many games Jacoby Brissett starts for the Patriots early this season before giving way to first-round pick Drake Maye, I’d go with 2.5. The idea that this was going to be something close to a redshirt year for Maye was always silly. Brissett is an average QB on a good day — and last Thursday wasn’t a good day (er, night) for him. Brissett was 3-of-7 for 17 yards in three series with no TDs and one INT. He also took a sack. Maye’s passing numbers weren’t dazzling either (6-of-11 for 47 yards with no TDs or INTs), but he showed off his big arm and his mobility, rushing four times for 15 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots need to get Maye ample seasoning this year so that he’ll be ready to win games for them in 2025. If you’re in a superflex league or an ultra-deep league where it makes sense to draft multiple quarterbacks, Maye should be one of the first 30 QBs drafted.

Running Back

The Giants treated their second preseason game as a dress rehearsal of sorts, letting QB Daniel Jones play 33 snaps against the Texans. RB Devin Singletary was on the field for 29 of Jones’ 33 snaps. Rookie Tyrone Tracy, who appears to be the Giants’ No. 2 running back, was out with an ankle injury. Still, it’s possible Singletary plays something close to a workhorse role for the Giants this year. He had 10 carries for 20 yards and a touchdown on Saturday night. Singletary has had just under 1,100 yards from scrimmage in three straight seasons. He looks like a draft value with his ADP sitting in midrange RB3 territory.

Another player who might be a bargain as a midrange RB3: Denver’s Javonte Williams. Broncos running backs drew a league-high 153 targets last season, and first-round draft pick Bo Nix is a ball-control quarterback who thrives on short throws. In the Broncos’ second preseason game, Williams turned a little Nix dump-off into a nice 15-yard gain and also had a 14-yard TD catch negated because Nix had crossed the line of scrimmage before releasing the ball. Williams had 47 catches last year, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he had 60-plus catches in 2024.

James Cook played all 15 snaps with Mitch Trubisky, who started at quarterback for the Bills vs. the Steelers. Cook is Buffalo’s undisputed lead back, but rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis looked terrific off the bench. Davis had eight carries for 58 yards, consistently finding creases in the Pittsburgh defense and making yardage after contact. He’s a compelling later-round RB flyer.

Wide Receiver

Malik Nabers was on the field for 30 of QB Daniel Jones‘ 33 snaps on Saturday. Giants WRs Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton each played 18-20 snaps with Jones. Nabers is likely to be the Giants’ only fantasy-relevant receiver.

Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy played 15 of the 18 snaps that Patrick Mahomes played and had three catches for 62 yards, including a 39-yarder up the sideline and a 22-yard touchdown where Worthy got behind the Lions’ defense. It’s worth noting that Hollywood Brown didn’t play for Kansas City because of a shoulder injury, but Worthy should have a substantial role in the Chiefs passing game nevertheless.

Buffalo’s Khalil Shakir played fewer snaps than Mack Hollins and didn’t play in two-receiver sets, even though Curtis Samuel didn’t play in the Bills’ second preseason game. Shakir is still an intriguing later-round option, but this wasn’t the sort of usage Shakir enthusiasts are hoping for.

Washington’s Jahan Dotson was a fantasy disappointment last season, but his usage in the Commanders’ second preseason game offers reason for optimism. Dotson had a single 3-yard catch on two targets, but he played 16 of the 18 snaps that QB Jayden Daniels played and continued to take snaps in the slot. A healthy dose of snaps and dual inside-outside usage for Dotson bodes well for a rebound season.

K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton were the starting outside receivers in New England’s second preseason game ahead of rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. This feels like meaningless deference to veterans. Polk and Baker are still worthy of late-round picks in large and medium-sized leagues, while Osborn and Thornton probably aren’t. It should also be noted that DeMario Douglas only played in three-receiver sets last Thursday. If the 5-9, 192-pound Douglas only sees the field as a slot man in two-WR sets, he’s not going to be fantasy-relevant.

Chargers rookie, Brendan Rice, a seventh-round pick (and the son of legendary 49ers WR Jerry Rice) started ahead of 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston. It’s probably not worth betting on a second-year breakout from Johnston, who hasn’t been able to get traction in his second NFL training camp.

Tight End

Gerald Everett has now played more snaps with starting QB Caleb Williams than Cole Kmet has in each of the Bears’ first two preseason games. And obviously, Bears WRs D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze are collectively going to take up a lot of the oxygen in Chicago’s passing game. Don’t bother drafting a Bears tight end.

With a 6-foot-7 frame and 4.51 speed, Colts TE Jelani Woods was an intriguing sleeper a year ago — well, intriguing to me, at least. Woods missed the entire 2023 season with a hamstring injury. He’s now battling for a roster spot, and he left Indy’s second preseason game with a toe injury. It’s probably safe to leave him off your draft cheat sheet.

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