With the majority of fantasy football drafts drawing near, let’s look at 10 players (ordered from least to most promising) who have made a name for themselves in training camp and Week 1 of the preseason. With continued success, these players are great late-round picks in fantasy draft (some of them even waiver wire pickups), and will continue to shine as the season progresses.
10. Lache Seastrunk, Running Back, Washington Redskins
There’s no guarantee that Roy Helu will be the third-down back for the Redskins, and Seastrunk made a compelling case in Week 1 of the preseason, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He’s a bruising back who could be used in short-yardage situations, while Helu is mainly used as a guy who can catch out of the backfield. There’s no way he should be drafted barring any injuries, but Seastrunk is certainly worth keeping an eye on toward the middle of the season to see if he gains any more favor with the coaching staff in Washington.
9. Tyler Eifert, Tight End, Cincinnati Bengals
You hate to say that anyone “benefits” from an injury, but if anyone does from Marvin Jones missing the first few games, it’s Eifert. He didn’t do anything in the first preseason game, but Eifert was targeted 59 times last season, and he could even line up in the slot for some plays without Jones. He has the skill set to run routes like a receiver, and even when Jones returns, could be a check-down guy for Andy Dalton. Again, he probably won’t be drafted in standard leagues, but it’s worth monitoring his role in the offense.
8. Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback, Miami Dolphins
With a new offensive line in Miami and a new running back in Knowshon Moreno, Tannehill could take a step forward this season. Tannehill completed all six of his passes in the preseason opener for 62 yards, and as long as he’s able to stay upright, he could be a high-end QB2 in leagues that deploy two quarterbacks, and a solid backup for any owners with quarterbacks who are injured.
7. Khiry Robinson, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
Sure, Mark Ingram looks good so far in camp and in the preseason, but he’s had good camp reports for his entire NFL career, and has never been able to carry it over into the regular season. Robinson is a great candidate to slip in and steal some touches in New Orleans’ offense. Reports out of Saints’ camp also say that Pierre Thomas is struggling, making Ingram and Robinson the top two rushing options, and New Orleans has a history of splitting time between backs.
6. Brandin Cooks, Wide Receiver, New Orleans Saints
Many owners like Kenny Stills to fill the Lance Moore role in New Orleans, but the rookie Cooks is a sleeper fantasy option who could find himself with more targets than people expect. Cooks has five receptions in his first preseason game for 55 yards and a touchdown. That obviously wasn’t going up against the opponents’ best defenders, but he could be a higher-usage player than people think.
5. Robert Woods, Wide Receiver, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo is actually developing a solid receiving corps with Woods, Mike Williams and Sammy Watkins. With Watkins being the big-play guy, Woods could fill the role of the possession receiver, as long as someone in Buffalo can throw it to him. Woods led all receivers through the first week of the preseason with eight catches, and he averaged 14.7 yards per catch last season. If E.J. Manuel takes a step forward this year, so will Woods, and he could turn out to be the No. 2 pass catching option on this team behind Watkins.
4. Cleveland Browns defense
The Browns are currently on the bubble of being drafted as a fantasy defense in 12-team leagues, and are completely undrafted in 10-teamers. After the offseason they had and the showing they put up against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, they could be a good defense to get in the second-to-last round, while spending earlier picks on sleeper skill position players. The front seven is stacked with guys who can force sacks, and new head coach Mike Pettine showed some exotic packages and blitzes in the short time his defensive starters were on the field. A secondary of Joe Haden, Buster Skrine, Justin Gilbert, Pierre Desir and Donte Whitner is sure to cause some turnovers as well.
3. Travis Kelce, Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs
Sure, it was only one play that put Kelce on the map for fantasy (a 69-yard catch-and-run touchdown), but after seeing that, I’m on the Kelce bandwagon for a TE2. Dwayne Bowe’s time as a No. 1 receiver are completely over, and there’s almost no one left in Kansas City to catch the ball besides Jamaal Charles. Kelce is a big guy, but is speedy and could be a deep threat for Alex Smith this season, something that the Chiefs lacked all last year. He’s a great value pick in the late round to pair with someone like Kyle Rudolph who is touchdown dependent.
2. Zach Ertz, Tight End, Philadelphia Eagles
All of the reports out of Eagles’ camp are that Ertz is really shining, and Jeremy Maclin is looking rough. There’s certainly a scenario in play for Philadelphia where Ertz is second on the team in targets after Riley Cooper given Maclin’s injury history. DeSean Jackson was targeted 126 times last season, and fellow tight end Brent Celek was targeted 50 times. Although Celek is still on the roster, someone is going to have to take on Jackson’s targets, and Celek will be even less involved with the offense this season than he was last. Celek could be in line for 80 or more targets, and in Philadelphia’s offense, there’s the opportunity for plenty of touchdowns.
1. Terrance West, Running Back, Cleveland Browns
West has been shooting up everyone’s draft boards since camp opened, and the case should be even stronger now after the first preseason game. Ben Tate fumbled once against the Lions (which was recovered by the Browns) and although West struggled at times against the Lions, it was with the second-string offensive line. If Johnny Manziel starts on Monday against the Washington Redskins, West could easily line up behind him to get some reps with the starting O-Line. Given Tate’s injury history, and the rave reviews West is getting out of camp, a featured role for him in Cleveland’s offense certainly isn’t out of the question.