The 2014 NFL Preseason is nearly complete with just one more round of games for each team to play in Preseason Week 4 which all takes place Thursday, August 28. With that said, here are 10 fantasy football stories worth watching which may impact how you draft your fantasy football teams if you haven’t done so yet this season.
10. Miami Dolphins’ running backs Knowshon Moreno and Lamar Miller competing for starting job.
Moreno, who debuted with last week will get one more chance to compete with fellow running back, Lamar Miller for the starting job when Miami hosts St. Louis this week. Moreno, who played surprisingly well last week coming off of knee surgery, averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 10 rushes and looked like his old Broncos’ self.
Miller also put up notable performance rushing for 34 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per attempt. Both running backs have been splitting the first-team reps in practice this week and it is worth watching them perform one final time Thursday to see which one outplays the other and potentially makes a superior fantasy draft pick as an RB2 to add to fantasy rosters.
9. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith performing well with his new team.
Smith, a 13-year NFL veteran and former Carolina Panther is playing with a new team for the first time since 2001. Falling quite low in fantasy mock drafts, Smith has been impressive with the Baltimore Ravens in his preseason appearances, catching the eye of potential fantasy drafters.
Just last week, Smith caught six of his seven targets, racked up 80 yards and caught a touchdown and was quite beastly in breaking up tackles. Those numbers would have earned him high-end WR2 fantasy points in any given normal week.
In his final preseason performance in New Orleans Thursday, we will want to monitor Smith one more time to see where he fits in on potential fantasy rosters. If another inspiring performance is displayed by Smith, he may just edge himself into WR3 fantasy territory.
8. How will San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Carlos Hyde impact Frank Gore’s fantasy value?
Potential drafters of Hyde will want to follow his performance one final time when the 49ers travel to Houston this Thursday for preseason game No. 4. So far in his first three preseason games, Hyde as showed enough potential to earn his keep. Just last week, Hyde had a 20-yard long run, totaling 38 yards on six carries. Compare that number with Gore’s one rush attempt for a negative two yard gain, and a hint of writing appears on the wall.
Where we may see brief or no action from Gore this week, Hyde will get some snaps, so monitor his progress in his last preseason stint to see if he’s worth drafting as a potential counterpart to Gore. In order to keep their 10-year running back preserved, Hyde could certainly put a dent into Gore’s carries this season.
7. Are the Cleveland Browns’ quarterbacks, Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel even worth drafting as a backup?
Now that official news has broken that the Browns’ top wide receiver, Josh Gordon will be suspended for one full season, how will his absence impact Hoyer and Manziel? With Hoyer earning the start Week 1, will he look like a lost puppy without the team’s star wideout?
Behind Gordon, the receiving options for the Browns, other than tight end, Jordan Cameron are extremely sparse. Whether Hoyer remains the starter all season, or Manziel steps in at some point, the gaping hole left behind by Gordon clearly impacts both quarterbacks’ future fantasy value in my opinion.
Last week, neither Hoyer nor Manziel were overly impressive as the Browns sat Gordon out as a preparation stunt to see how the team would perform without him. During this last preseason game, monitor both quarterbacks as the Browns host Chicago for one final performance to see if either Hoyer or Manziel produces enough to make a worthy option to add to fantasy rosters.
6. Denver Broncos’ wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, gaining speed with his new team.
Sanders, whom the Broncos acquired during the free agency period to replace the vacancy left by Eric Decker, played extraordinarily well during his first preseason start with his new team. Entering his fifth year in the NFL, Sanders popped the 100-yard receiving mark, scoring two touchdowns and finishing his day with 128 total yards.
While we may not get a whole lot of opportunity to watch Sanders in action in Dallas this Thursday, we will want to take in all we can. If Sanders explodes once again, putting up the monster numbers he did last week, he certainly will capture the attention of those contemplating drafting him. It’s totally possible that Sanders will produce as a high-end WR2 during the regular season, making him a coveted draft pick you will want all for yourself.
5. Will Atlanta Falcons’ rookie running back, Devonta Freeman be stealing touches from Steven Jackson?
Current mock drafts have Freeman being selected just a couple of rounds behind the veteran Jackson. Thursday’s last preseason game in Jacksonville will be the final opportunity to view Freeman in action to determine his fantasy draft status.
Let’s face it, Jackson, who has been hampered with lingering hamstring injuries, has never been a touchdown machine. While he achieved over 1,000 yards in his last eight seasons in St. Louis, he clearly stumbled in his first season in Atlanta. With the team definitely in need of reinforcements in the running back department, Freeman was drafted. See what he has to offer in preseason game 4 as he is likely poised to share in the running back duties this season.
4. Mohamed Sanu making a case as the No. 2 Receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sanu has played quite well over his first couple of preseason outings, including hauling in a 42- yard touchdown, and racking up a total of 126 receiving yards. Worth watching one final time is Sanu as he plays against Indianapolis this Thursday.
With fellow wide receiver Marvin Jones scheduled to be out for multiple weeks due to a broken foot, and A.J. Green drawing double coverage, Sanu could be a fantasy sleeper option who warrants a late draft round pick and who could become a viable WR3 while Jones misses time. Watch him in action as the preseason concludes to get a clear feel on his potential draft status.
3. Is Kelvin Benjamin of the Carolina Panthers the best rookie wide receiver to own?
When Carolina plays Pittsburgh this Thursday, fantasy fans of Benjamin will get one final chance to see him shine. Throughout the preseason Benjamin has totaled 117 receiving yards on seven receptions and scored one touchdown. Notably, the touchdown he scored was not off of the hands of quarterback Cam Newton, which shows Benjamin can perform well no matter who is passing to him.
While the trend would be to draft Sammy Watkins as the top rookie wide receiver, he unfortunately is hindered by his starting quarterback, E.J. Manuel, who has really looked quite scattered so far in the preseason.
Brandin Cooks of the New Orleans Saints has been rock solid also in the preseason, hauling in a noteworthy 25-yard touchdown on a 55-yard game. Obviously his quarterback, Drew Brees is the superior over Newton and sits miles above Manuel, however, the Saints have so many capable receiving options, that Cooks is bound to either have boom or bust weeks.
Watch Benjamin in action in preseason game 4 to see where he deems worthy of drafting. Keep in mind the other Panthers’ receiving options other than tight end, Greg Olsen are quite stale, therefore Benjamin should be Newton’s No. 1 target this season, who produces fairly consistent numbers from week to week.
2. Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback, Minnesota Vikings; last chance to see him in action.
This will be the last chance for an undetermined period of time to watch Bridgewater, who has passed four touchdowns in the past two weeks to dazzle his fantasy fans. With the Vikings making it official by announcing that quarterback, Matt Cassel will start in Week 1, Bridgewater will surely be amped to give a knockout performance just to prove he can be trusted if or when he is called to service during the regular season.
While Bridgewater’s potential fantasy value is quite murky at the time, take in one final performance from the rookie and see if he is truly worth owning in deeper leagues, or in a league where you would draft three quarterbacks. If Cassel isn’t exactly knocking his teams’ socks off after a few weeks as starter, and the team leans on Bridgewater, he will be worth that dark horse draft pick you spent on him.
1. Could Denver Broncos’ running back Ronnie Hillman end up splitting time with Montee Ball?
Hillman will play one final preseason game in Dallas Thursday and is worth observing as he been rather productive thus far in covering for Ball, who missed most of the preseason recovering from an appendectomy. Although Ball appears to be on course to start the season with no hindrances from his surgery, it is worth noting that Hillman brings a strong dose of pass protection to the table.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos utilize both young backs in tandem due to the skill set each one offers. Something to keep in mind, which drove fantasy drafters insane last year was the last-minute switch in the teams’ starting running back decision. Most people thought Hillman would start, then it was thought that Ball, who was a rookie last year would start. At the end of the day, the team leaned on Broncos’ former running back, Moreno as their workhorse, really throwing a monkey wrench into the lineups of those who drafted Hillman and Ball.
Watch Hillman, and Ball if he plays, in action one last time as it couldn’t hurt to pick up Hillman late in draft rounds with the expectation that he ends up seeing more time the originally planned in 2014.