This week the NFL's third series of preseason games continues. With fantasy football drafting now taking place, we will want to keep fwatching the games to see how well some of our targeted fantasy football players are performing. Therefore, here are 10 fantasy football stories to follow this week.
10. Will New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning Continue His Awful Level of Performance?
Is Manning trying to be the worst fantasy football quarterback we could possibly ever draft? Over the past two preseason games, Manning has only completed one pass on nine attempts for a lousy six yards. If you’re into torture, you will want to watch Manning this Friday as the Giants and the New York Jets play in Preseason Game 3.
If Manning, who achieved a 39.6 passer rating, continues to play at such a ridiculously raw level this week, he will pretty much guarantee that no one should even consider drafting him even as a backup, to you backup fantasy quarterback.
Surprisingly enough, the Giants won their last game against Indianapolis, however, not one ounce of credit should be giving to Manning for that accomplishment. He’s a train wreck you can’t help but take a peek through your fingers.
9. Who will come out on top as the New York Jets Quarterbacks Continue to Battle?
Geno Smith, who played the entire first half of his game against the Bengals did have his struggles finishing with one interception and no passing touchdowns on 10 completed passes. One saving grace for Smith was a one-yard run in touchdown he made in the second quarter. Totaling 98 yards, Smith finished his starting stint with a 65.5 passer rating.
It will be interesting to observe Smith versus Michael Vick, who played far more superior, this Friday as they square off against the New York Giants.
Vick, who had zero interceptions and accomplished more through the air in less time than Smith, ended his day with a total of 70 passing yards, a 17-yard touchdown plus 16 rushing yards. His passer rating was 117.8.
Both quarterbacks are worth watching in their third preseason game, obviously not to consider drafting as a starting quarterback, but to see which one might serve a decent backup quarterback in deeper leagues.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Wide Receiver Antonio Brown Potential Fantasy Stars?
Now, let’s proceed with an uplifting fantasy football story to watch in Preseason Game 3 as the Steelers play in Philadelphia this Thursday evening. Specifically, all eyes should be on Roethlisberger and Brown to see if they continue to rank as one of the top fantasy quarterback/wide receiving duos once again.
In case you missed it, Brown caught a short pass from Roethlisberger, then blasted the Bills’ defense for a 76-yard touchdown, finishing his three drives with a total of 93 yards on both of his targets. Not all the credit goes to Brown, as Roethlisberger played quite efficiently too summing up his day with 128 total passing yards, two touchdowns, and completing eight of his 11 passes.
Potential fantasy drafters of either Roethlisberger and/or Brown will be begging to see more spectacular plays like this come Thursday. Should the two connect for another dynamic touchdown score, their fantasy stock rises even higher.
7. Kyle Rudolph, Tight End, Minnesota Vikings Could be a TE1 This Season
Rudolph is being utilized just as we had hoped under Norv Turner’s aerial scheme, catching four of his five targets from Matt Cassel and scoring a whopping 51 yard touchdown. Yes, folks we may have another reliable TE1 to target in fantasy drafts.
Turner is known for making the most of his tight ends, and the 6’-6” Rudolph looks to be poised for a grand season. The next opportunity to watch Rudolph in action is in his third preseason game in Kansas City this Saturday. Rudolph, who caught four passes for 89 total yards, including his touchdown would have rewarded TE1 number just with these stats, and that was only for a partial game.
Rudolph should make a serviceable TE2 with major TE1 upside as the 2014 season progresses. Draft him with confidence.
6. Philadelphia Eagles’ Rookie Wide Receiver, Jordan Matthews Could be a Fantasy Football Sleeper
Currently holding the No. 3 receiving slot for the Eagles, Matthews had a memorable appearance this past week, nailing his nine targets and racking up 104 yards against New England. While he sits behind Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper in depth, Mathews displayed enough of a sampling to show that he is worth earning more time on the field come the start of the regular NFL season.
Watch for Matthews to hopefully dazzle us once again in his third preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As far as fantasy potential, Matthews could be a fill in on fantasy rosters should he be called to duty to fill in for the fragile Maclin and the inconsistent Cooper.
5. Is Chicago Bears’ Quarterback Jay Cutler, Actually Worth Drafting as a QB1?
Who is this quarterback masquerading around in Cutler’s uniform? Why it is actually Cutler himself who has been playing mighty expertly these past couple of weeks. Connecting with Brandon Marshall for a touchdown, completing seven of nine passes, which could have been eight thanks to a drop by Marshall, and totaling 75 yards, left fans of Cutler’s wanting to see more. Over Cutler’s past two outings, he has been solid and has yet to toss an interception.
Cutler’s true preseason challenge will come to reality this week as the team travels to Seattle to face the NFL’s toughest defense. Definitely follow Cutler this week, and if he still manages to perform with the accuracy and durability that he has thus far in the preseason, fantasy football owners might have another upper-end quarterback to target come draft day.
4. Will the San Francisco 49ers finally Score?
After two dreadful preseason performances, the San Francisco 49ers have managed a total of three points from a field goal in their preseason opener. As you can surmise, the team has the lowest cumulative score of all 32 NFL teams and they have allowed 57 points to be scored against them.
What is occurring in front of our eyes by the 49ers starters and secondary team is absolutely not what we want to repeat itself in the third preseason game. By now anyone who has drafted a 49er is probably beginning to panic, and if you haven’t drafted yet, not too many of the 49ers names are very popular as potential draftees.
Someone, anyone from the 49ers, primarily, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, needs to show up and score as the 49ers play once again at Levi’s Stadium where they host San Diego on Sunday. If another scoreless, goose egg of a game is hatched by 49ers, especially in their pricey new stadium, the team as a whole needs some serious examining, especially when it comes to fantasy options.
3. Does Detroit Lions’ Quarterback, Matthew Stafford Really Need Megatron?
The Detroit Lions star wide receiver, Calvin Johnson has yet to step onto the field in official game play this season, as the team is exercising caution when it comes to their 28-year-old touchdown machine.
With that said, the absence of Johnson hasn’t seemed to phase Stafford, who played nearly flawlessly, completing nine of his 10 passing attempts. To top that off, Stafford connected for two touchdowns with a 28-yard pass to Golden Tate, and a four-yard score to Kris Durham in just the three series for which he played. Ending the night with 88 total yards, the two scores and zero interceptions was exactly what those who are considering drafting Stafford want to see.
Let’s see what the third preseason game brings for Stafford without his Megatron as the Lions host the Jaguars this Friday afternoon.
2. Washington Redskins’ Quarterback, Robert Griffin III Building Chemistry with Wide Receiver, DeSean Jackson
Jackson, who made his official debut for Washington, was limited to just a few series in Monday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. However, RGIII didn’t hesitate in utilizing his new wide receiver, whom he targeted four times in the first quarter. Jackson caught two of his passes for 34 yards, including a long 23-yard pass in the first drive of the game.
Next up for Washington’s third preseason game is a matchup in Baltimore this Saturday. Worth following again are RGIII and Jackson as they continue to develop their on-field chemistry. While Jackson was a fairly solid WR1 while in Philadelphia, the jury is still out on him for his first season in Washington.
Since RGIII has other reliable targets such as trusty wide receiver Pierre Garcon and his second-year tight end, Jordan Reed, it would be presumptuous to conclude that Jackson should be drafted with the same expectations as he performed last year. RGIII and Jackson are a fantasy football duo to keep an eye on.
1. Will Cleveland Browns Quarterback, Johnny Manziel Have Any Future Fantasy Relevancy?
Now that the Browns have officially named quarterback, Brian Hoyer as the starter for Week 1, that puts the rookie Manziel on the bench come the start of the fantasy season. However, we will still want to watch Manziel perform in the third preseason game when the Browns host St. Louis this Saturday, so that we can monitor his level of play.
If Manziel ups his game this week, and perhaps even outplays Hoyer, it will be difficult for the team to ignore the possibility that Manziel may see some start time as the regular season progresses.
In the meantime, though, the Browns’ formal announcement of Hoyer as the starter has caused Manziel’s fantasy stock to drop and it will plummet even further if he remains the Browns’ permanent backup option. How well Manziel performs and keeps his attitude in check through the remainder of the preseason depends on his future this season with the Browns. At this time, Manziel makes a risky draft pick as a backup fantasy quarterback, who currently stands to see little action when the official NFL season starts.
Keep an eye on both Manziel and Hoyer in their next two preseason games to see if there is a hint of a future change in command.