Plenty to talk about after yesterday's preseason games, and also plenty not to get worked up about. Empty box scores are pretty meaningless at this stage, especially for veteran running backs. It's like the Pro Bowl a couple years ago when the AFC averaged 2.5 yards per carry while the NFC averaged 0.1. Avoiding injury is the top priority.
But for rookies and other players jockeying for better depth-chart positioning, yesterday obviously matters, and so it needs to matter to us.
MarShawn Lloyd's hamstring injury *might* be one of the more notable storylines. The third-round rookie has an RB48 ADP, right behind Ty Chandler and Rico Dowdle. A strong August could earn him #2 RB duties to start the season. But if his injury is serious, it could sideline him until at least Week 1. That would move A.J. Dillon (RB67 ADP) into must-draft territory as an experienced handcuff aiming to rebound after a disappointing 2023 campaign.
As subscribers know, I've actually had Dillon ahead of Lloyd for several weeks. Lloyd is turning 24 in January (old for a rookie RB) and earned more than 15 carries only three times in college. Dillon is barely 26 and was serviceable-to-great his first three seasons before flopping last year. Little suggests he can't rebound. The point is, even if Lloyd's injury isn't serious, I'm keeping him behind Dillon.
Another rookie running back, Braelon Allen, all but cemented his status as a valuable fantasy handcuff, netting a 6-54 rushing line. So much can go wrong for the Jets with a legendary-yet-aged oddity coming off a serious injury at quarterback. Still, Breece Hall reminded managers in 2023 that RBs can still dominate without strong QBs. Allen had been my RB50 (compared to an RB62 ADP). Now he's my RB47, jumping past Zeke Elliott, Elijah Mitchell, and Kendre Miller.
And the Titans' backfield remains fascinating. Tony Pollard probably was never suited to be a bell cow. But as a split-time back, he might still be a streamer. Candidly, despite his RB26 ADP, I've had Tyjae Spears (RB35 ADP) ahead of Pollard for a month. Spears converted a goal-line carry for a touchdown last night. He had only one near-the-goal-line (three-yard line) TD last season, essentially because those touches generally went to Derrick Henry. Pollard isn't a stranger to goal-line work. It'll be interesting/important to see not only how Tennessee divides their usage, but particularly who's more trusted near the end zone.
If anything notable jumped out to you last night, looking forward to hearing it.
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