Week 1 of the NFL Preseason left fans both impressed and disappointed with some of their favorite and possibly targeted fanatsy football players' performances. Current unsettled quarterback competitions, to clarity on who a teams' No. 1 running back will be, are just a couple of situations which should be monitored as we get closer to participating in fantasy football drafts. Therefore, here are 10 fantasy football stories worth watching as the NFL Preseson games kicks into action this week.
10. Carolina Panthers Cam Newton Appears in his first Preseason Game
Panthers stud, “Superman” quarterback, Newton has received medical clearance to participate in the second preseason game as the Panthers host the Chiefs this weekend. Newton is easing back into the scene following a March ankle surgery.
Now that Newton has the official go-ahead to participate on the field in what will surely just be few opening drives, we will want to watch him in action with a revamped wide receiving crew. What to observe in Newton are if there are any signs of early chemistry building with veteran receivers, Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery.
Even more exciting to watch will be how and if Newton can connect with the team’s new rookie Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin has fared quite nicely on his own already, so we’ll be looking for that sign of “fantasy magic” to ignite.
Newton finished 2013 as the third-ranked fantasy quarterback, so, let’s focus on him this week as if he was in a crystal ball giving us a signal of what 2014 holds as far as his fantasy value.
9. New York Jets New Faces; Eric Decker and Chris Johnson
The Jets travel to Cincinnati to face off this Saturday for their second preseason game. Both wide receiver, Decker and running back Johnson were big men on their campuses last season and worthy of being on fantasy rosters. Now both are in New York and are not only battling to impress their new team, they are battling impress their future fantasy football drafters
If Decker, who is working through a quad injury can show us just a bit more than he did last week with just two catches and 12 yards, it would go a long way in his book. While I do not see the WR1 numbers his put up last season in Denver, he should hopefully transform into a reliable flex player at some point soon.
Johnson is worth observing in his second game, to see if the Jets remain lining him up as a receiver. As far as rushing, Johnson only had two yards on four touches. With a possible running back by committee situation ahead for Johnson, his fantasy value could further diminish. Let’s see how things plays out for Johnson this weekend.
8. Cincinnati Bengals Running Backs, Giovani Bernard, BenJarvis Green-Ellis and Jeremy Hill
Someone eventually stands to be the odd man out among this huddle of Bengals running backs. Fantasy football owners hope this decision is made sooner rather than later when it comes to considering where to draft the lead back, second-year Bernard, who currently sits at the top of the depth chart.
If Green-Ellis remains in the picture, as he is listed as the No. 2 back, then surely stands to eat into Bernard’s goal line action. Additionally, the team drafted the rookie Hill for added depth, so he is worth watching to see how the Bengals plan to rotate him into plays. Averaging 5.4 yards per carry, on five rushes, in his NFL debut, Hill certainly made his presence known and will possibly command more play time in the season.
How the Bengals continue to use their running backs and how well each performs is certainly worth observing so that we can get a clear picture of Bernard’s role moving forth. If any type of time share looks like a plan come the regular season, then Bernard’s value decreases to an RB2/flex with Green-Ellis and Hill around to muddy the waters.
7. Indianapolis Colts T.Y. Hilton Increasing Fantasy Value
Overly impressive in his first preseason game was Hilton, who caught all three of his targets for 38 yards, and who appears to be poised for a spectacular 2014 season. If Hilton can continue to put up numbers in his second preseason game like he did against the Jets, his fantasy stock will increase. Watch him to see what he has to offer this week as the Colts host the New York Giants on Saturday. If all goes smoothly for Hilton, it will bump him up further on the draft charts.
Of course Reggie Wayne and newly signed Hakeem Nicks are still in the wings, but Wayne’s workload should slow down some now that Hilton is showing his capabilities. Nicks has yet to do much to dazzle anyone, and should only be used when the Colts line up using three wide receivers. If all stars are aligned, by Week 1 Hilton will be a solid WR2 with WR1 upside to offer.
6. Can the Presence of Houston Texans Andre Johnson Revive Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Johnson is finally back to practicing since suffering a hamstring injury at the beginning of training camp. Surely to join in just a few plays when Houston hosts Atlanta this Saturday, Johnson will hopefully cast a magical aura over quarterback Fitzpatrick to snap him out of his funk.
In other words, Texans’ fans and fantasy football drafters of Johnson truly need to see Fitzpatrick improve from his catastrophic performance last week where he completed just six of 14 passes for 55 yards, and threw two interceptions. Perhaps the presence of Johnson as a target will ignite that much-needed spark in Fitapatrick.
Johnson’s future fantasy value depends on well he can connect with his quarterback, and at this time, it is a bleak forecast. Johnson in all reality should be drafted as a low-end WR1, so monitor him and Fitzpatrick as they play and hope for some positive results.
5. Vikings Quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel Compete; Round Two
At the conclusion of the first Minnesota Vikings preseason game, Cassel outplayed rookie quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, and will start as the Vikings host the Cardinals in their second preseason game.
Bridgewater will get another opportunity to improve upon his first performance where he only completed six of his 13 pass attempts and endured one sack.
Keep in mind that the Vikings play the Cardinals who were brutal against the Texans last week, holding them scoreless. Bridgewater definitely has his work cut out as he will attempt to play more competitively to achieve a shot at the starting job come Week 1. If Cassel once again outperforms, Bridgewater’s fantasy value falls deeper down the charts.
4. Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo Makes First 2014 Preseason Appearance
Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones has reported that Romo will participate in this Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Romo is worth monitoring coming off of a December back surgery to look for any signs of limitation by the 34-year-old quarterback.
We’ll have to watch quickly and carefully, as Romo is slated to only participate in a few series of plays. Typically, you can always count on Romo to pass for upwards of 4,000 or more yards in a season, rewarding his fantasy owners high-end QB2 numbers. Cowboys’ fans and potential drafters of Romo should examine his preseason play to see if he still deems worthy of his standard draft pick.
3. Buffalo Bills Sammy Watkins and E.J. Manuel Still Working out the Kinks
Preseason Week 2 actually brings us to the third opportunity to watch the second-year quarterback Manuel attempt to connect more accurately with rookie Watkins as the Bills head to Pittsburgh this Saturday. Watkins went without a catch in his NFL debut then caught just three passes, one of which was from Manuel last week and still remains scoreless.
What fans and potential fantasy drafters need to see is a bit more depth from the young quarterback and wide receiver duo this week. A touchdown would be icing on the cake. Watkins simply oozes talent and makes some dynamic plays and catches in practice. He’s worth drafting if you’ve got the space and patience to wait for Watkins and Manuel to mature out on the official playing field.
Let’s hope for a little more magic this week.
2. Will Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers be More Impressive as They Debut at Levi’s Stadium?
The 49ers host the Denver Broncos in their brand new Levi’s Stadium in a Sunday afternoon matchup. Will the new stadium ignite some type of fire in Kaepernick and 49ers, who played rather sleepily losing to the Ravens 3-23 last weekend? Other than Kaepernick leading his team to field goal territory, with one completed pass for 17 yards, the bulk of the yards came from rookie running back, Carlos Hyde.
Those considering drafting Kaepernick will want to see more action and a few more completed passes from him as the 49ers officially christen their new playing field. A touchdown drive off the hands of Kaepernick would even give us more promise.
The Broncos, who beat the Seahawks last week, aren’t exactly the easiest of contenders, so hopefully Kaepernick and the 49ers will show up with more to offer their fans in their second preseason game.
1. The Cleveland Browns Need to Decide Between Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel Already
The Browns’ quarterback competition between the Hoyer and Manziel needs to be settled by the end of the second preseason game. One day Manziel is ahead then the next day Hoyer is. First Manziel is going to start in the second game, now it’s being reported that Hoyer will start Monday night.
Between trade rumors that the Browns were considering trading Hoyer to the Texans, for which they have denied, to signing 12-year quarterback, Rex Grossman into the mix, who knows what is happening in the Browns’ camp.
Rotating first-team reps in practice earlier his week, both Hoyer, who was a better passer in the first preseason game, and Manziel who displayed his ground expertise, need to play their hearts and bodies out Monday night. Let’s hope at the end of the matchup against the Redskins, Coach Mike Pettine can finally shed some light onto who the team believes will be the true starter come Week 1.
Manziel is too popular and skilled not to draft as a backup quarterback for fantasy football purposes, so with any luck those who take a flier on him, will have the opportunity to utilize him at some point during the regular season.