Fantasy Football Draft Advice: NFL Preseason Takeaways (Week 3)

The final week of the NFL Preseason isn’t quite as irrelevant as it used to be when the exhibition season lasted four weeks and pretty much every team rested its starters in Week 4.

It’s not as if we got an avalanche of interesting fantasy developments in Week 3 of the 2024 preseason. A lot of teams kept their fantasy-relevant players on ice. But still, there were a few interesting nuggets. Let’s dig in.

In case you missed last week’s preseason recap, these were my top takeaways from Week 2 of the preseason. And once again, a hat tip to Nathan Jahnke of PFF for his invaluable snap-count data.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: NFL Preseason Takeaways

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Quarterback

Some fantasy managers might be getting cold feet on Anthony Richardson after he threw an unsightly pick-six in the Colts’ preseason finale vs. the Bengals and was mocked by at least one member of the Cincinnati defense during a joint practice last week. (“Is that all he does is run?” Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt reportedly asked a fan.) Realize that Richardson will probably be an average passer at best this season. It’s his running that could make him profitable in the fantasy realm. In last year’s small sample size, Richardson averaged 0.43 fantasy points per snap. Josh Allen, who led all QBs in fantasy scoring, averaged 0.36 fantasy points per snap. Don’t bail out on Richardson.

Can new Panthers head coach Dave Canales turn Bryce Young into a viable NFL quarterback after Young’s nightmarish rookie season? We can’t answer that question based on a single drive in an exhibition game, but Young looked sharp in his only action of the preseason. He played Carolina’s first drive against Buffalo and completed 6-of-8 passes for 70 yards, capped off by an 8-yard TD throw to Jordan Matthews, before leaving the game. You’re not drafting Young to be your starter in 1QB league, but he’s certainly rosterable in superflex and could become a viable 1QB streaming option.

Human wishing well Trey Lance threw for 323 yards and a touchdown, ran for 90 yards and a touchdown, but threw five interceptions against the Chargers. Still not ready for primetime, Lance is expected to be the Cowboys’ No. 3 quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Running Back

Tony Pollard was on the field for 11 of the 18 snaps that Titans starting QB Will Levis played and was in for Tennessee’s entire first drive, scoring on a 1-yard TD run. Tyjae Spears entered the game on the Titans’ second series and played seven snaps with Levis. Titans head coach Brian Callahan has talked about the two RBs being interchangeable pieces, but it appears that Pollard is 1a and Spears is 1b for now.

If you draft fleet-footed Dolphins rookie Jaylen Wright, realize that the best-case scenario is delayed gratification. Wright played behind Jeff Wilson Jr. in the Dolphins preseason game against the Buccaneers, meaning that Wright is currently fourth on the depth chart behind De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert and Wilson. On the bright side, Wright had a productive game against the Bucs, with 7-36-0 rushing and 4-41-0 receiving on six targets.

For the 12 snaps that Panthers QB Bryce Young played against the Bills, Chuba Hubbard was on the field for 10 of them, Miles Sanders for only two. Rookie Jonathan Brooks could very well take over this backfield at some point, but until Brooks is deemed sufficiently healed after last November’s ACL tear, Hubbard should be at least flex-worthy in medium-sized and larger fantasy leagues. Sanders isn’t roster-worthy.

It’s still hard to get a read on who’s going to be the top backup behind 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, but Jordan Mason is making a strong case. He played 21 of a possible 24 snaps with starting QB Brock Purdy and had eight carries for 42 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders, along with a 7-yard reception. Mason’s primary competitor for the backup gig, Elijah Mitchell, recently began practicing again after a hamstring injury but didn’t play vs. Las Vegas.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Wide Receiver

Although Christian Kirk didn’t suit up for the Jaguars in their game against the Falcons, it was encouraging to see first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr. play 19 of the 23 snaps that QB Trevor Lawrence played. Thomas turned his only target into a nice catch-and-run that went for 38 yards. Thomas is an intriguing option in the middle-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts.

Snap counts for the New England wide receivers on the 40 snaps that Patriots QBs Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye played: K.J. Osborn 29, Ja’Lynn Polk 26, Tyquan Thornton 24, DeMario Douglas 18, Javon Baker 12. A lot of fantasy managers have been panning for late-round gold here, but the Patriots’ WR situation is a mess, and New England figures to have one of the least productive passing attacks in the league. There are better ways to spend that 16th-round pick.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Tight End

Evan Engram should once again be the security blanket for Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. Engram drew four targets in his 16 snaps against the Falcons and caught all four of them for 28 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth continued to rotate with fellow TEs Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a former tight ends coach, used his TEs heavily last season as the head coach and playcaller for the Falcons, but the production was chopped up among Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith and others. A similar pattern is developing in Pittsburgh, and perhaps Freiermuth won’t have the sort of fantasy value that some fantasy managers are expecting.

Colts TE Jelani Woods is expected to miss four months after having surgery for turf toe. Four Indianapolis tight ends played snaps with QB Anthony Richardson in the Colts’ preseason finale. Kylen Granson was on the field for 14 of Richardson’s 25 snaps. Granson is only draftable in the deepest of fantasy leagues, but he could become waiver-worthy at some point.

Fantasy Draft Advice NFL Anthony Richardson Cam Taylor-Britt Josh Allen Bryce Young Jordan Matthews Trey Lance Dak Prescott Cooper Rush Tony Pollard Will Levis Tyjae Spears Jaylen Wright Jeff Wilson Jr. De’Von Achane Raheem Mostert Chuba Hubbard Miles Sanders Christian McCaffrey Jordan Mason Brock Purdy Elijah Mitchell Christian Kirk Brian Thomas Jr. Trevor Lawrence Jacoby Brissett Drake Maye K.J. Osborn Ja’Lynn Polk Tyquan Thornton DeMario Douglas Javon Baker Evan Engram Pat Freiermuth Darnell Washington MyCole Pruitt Kyle Pitts Jonnu Smith Jelani Woods Kylen Granson