Some people say preseason games matter much for fantasy, and others say they do matter. And then there are folks who say both, and those are my kind of people.
I want to take a couple minutes to walk through some (hopefully) fantasy-relevant observations that go beyond stats. Because although Kristian Wilkerson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey dominated for the Patriots, it's not as if we're going to make 'em top-60 WRs. So here are some thoughts on each team's most notable fantasy storylines.
For the Giants, Tyrod Taylor replaced Daniel Jones at the start of the second quarter, and while it's difficult to assess how much "worse" the Patriots' defense was compared to when Jones was slinging it, Taylor once again looked like a middling NFL starter--and that's a good thing. Because last year the Giants did little when Jones was quarterbacking, and did even less when he was out. Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm were top-to-bottom offensive liabilities. If this team once again falls apart and they pull the plug on Jones by November, Taylor could actually be serviceable enough to keep a couple of receivers on the streaming radar. That matters.
Also, as PFN Pass subscribers know, all summer I've ranked rookie Jashaun Corbin as Saquon Barkley's handcuff. We all know this is a relatively important role, given Barkley's injury woes the past 2+ years. So I was very interested in seeing whether Corbin looked the part. While Antonio Williams and Gary Brightwell ran better, Corbin's five catches on six targets was eye-catching. In the next 10-11 days, we might know for sure if he's a top 45-55 RB, or completely undraftable in most leagues.
For the Patriots, on the same day James White retired, I expected to see more from Pierre Strong, especially in the receiving game. Instead, fellow rookie Kevin Harris split touches almost down the line and also converted a goal-line look. Still, Strong ran better, and Strong's versatility should keep him ahead of Harris in rankings.
For the Titans, longtime community member (VIP?) Cory Nedd and I were lamenting on Twitter last night that Malik Willis fell deep into the third round of this year's draft. I've shared before that whenever I hear experts claim that a rookie QB isn't ready for the NFL in June, I respectfully ignore it. The gap between the draft and June is a split-second compared to the gap between the start of training camp and the third preseason game. Those 4-6 weeks give guys the opportunity to learn. Yes, learn. Adapt. Gel. Etc.
Malik Willis might or might not take over for Ryan Tannehill this season. But I have Tannehill ranked 78 spots below his ADP because I don't see a likely scenario where Willis sits on the bench on all season. The rookie looked raw and talented in his first live action. The Titans' first six opponents include the Colts (twice), Bills, and Raiders. Games 8-12 are against the Chiefs, Broncos, Packers, Bengals, and Eagles. If you believe Tannehill is a good bet to keep his job after that mess of opponents, then please tell me what I'm missing.
Finally, the Ravens: I didn't see as much as I thought I would from Justice Hill, while Tyler Badie saw only one target. I'm having trouble believing that Mike Davis will back up J.K. Dobbins Week 1 (assuming Gus Edwards remains sidelined). So the next preseason game will either solidify Davis's role, or return some fantasy relevance to the much younger Badie and Hill.
And how impressive was Isaiah Likely? Shades of Mark Andrews. On yesterday afternoon's podcast I record for PFN Pass subscribers, I discussed how he could realistically become Baltimore's #3 or #4 target. Given the team's lack of sure-fire WR weapons behind Rashod Bateman, last night's superb outing should reposition Likely as one of the most valuable non-#1 TEs in fantasy. Yes, it was only one game. But Likely isn't your typical "backup" rookie TE. If used frequently in two-TE sets, he could easily be a 55-600-5 guy.
---
Sign up for my 2022 Top 400 Fantasy Draft Rankings ("PFN Pass") or 1:1 Advisory Services ("Touchdown Pass"):
https://pass.profootballnetwork.com/
I want to take a couple minutes to walk through some (hopefully) fantasy-relevant observations that go beyond stats. Because although Kristian Wilkerson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey dominated for the Patriots, it's not as if we're going to make 'em top-60 WRs. So here are some thoughts on each team's most notable fantasy storylines.
For the Giants, Tyrod Taylor replaced Daniel Jones at the start of the second quarter, and while it's difficult to assess how much "worse" the Patriots' defense was compared to when Jones was slinging it, Taylor once again looked like a middling NFL starter--and that's a good thing. Because last year the Giants did little when Jones was quarterbacking, and did even less when he was out. Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm were top-to-bottom offensive liabilities. If this team once again falls apart and they pull the plug on Jones by November, Taylor could actually be serviceable enough to keep a couple of receivers on the streaming radar. That matters.
Also, as PFN Pass subscribers know, all summer I've ranked rookie Jashaun Corbin as Saquon Barkley's handcuff. We all know this is a relatively important role, given Barkley's injury woes the past 2+ years. So I was very interested in seeing whether Corbin looked the part. While Antonio Williams and Gary Brightwell ran better, Corbin's five catches on six targets was eye-catching. In the next 10-11 days, we might know for sure if he's a top 45-55 RB, or completely undraftable in most leagues.
For the Patriots, on the same day James White retired, I expected to see more from Pierre Strong, especially in the receiving game. Instead, fellow rookie Kevin Harris split touches almost down the line and also converted a goal-line look. Still, Strong ran better, and Strong's versatility should keep him ahead of Harris in rankings.
For the Titans, longtime community member (VIP?) Cory Nedd and I were lamenting on Twitter last night that Malik Willis fell deep into the third round of this year's draft. I've shared before that whenever I hear experts claim that a rookie QB isn't ready for the NFL in June, I respectfully ignore it. The gap between the draft and June is a split-second compared to the gap between the start of training camp and the third preseason game. Those 4-6 weeks give guys the opportunity to learn. Yes, learn. Adapt. Gel. Etc.
Malik Willis might or might not take over for Ryan Tannehill this season. But I have Tannehill ranked 78 spots below his ADP because I don't see a likely scenario where Willis sits on the bench on all season. The rookie looked raw and talented in his first live action. The Titans' first six opponents include the Colts (twice), Bills, and Raiders. Games 8-12 are against the Chiefs, Broncos, Packers, Bengals, and Eagles. If you believe Tannehill is a good bet to keep his job after that mess of opponents, then please tell me what I'm missing.
Finally, the Ravens: I didn't see as much as I thought I would from Justice Hill, while Tyler Badie saw only one target. I'm having trouble believing that Mike Davis will back up J.K. Dobbins Week 1 (assuming Gus Edwards remains sidelined). So the next preseason game will either solidify Davis's role, or return some fantasy relevance to the much younger Badie and Hill.
And how impressive was Isaiah Likely? Shades of Mark Andrews. On yesterday afternoon's podcast I record for PFN Pass subscribers, I discussed how he could realistically become Baltimore's #3 or #4 target. Given the team's lack of sure-fire WR weapons behind Rashod Bateman, last night's superb outing should reposition Likely as one of the most valuable non-#1 TEs in fantasy. Yes, it was only one game. But Likely isn't your typical "backup" rookie TE. If used frequently in two-TE sets, he could easily be a 55-600-5 guy.
---
Sign up for my 2022 Top 400 Fantasy Draft Rankings ("PFN Pass") or 1:1 Advisory Services ("Touchdown Pass"):
https://pass.profootballnetwork.com/