It’s always tough to go by the numbers in the preseason. Players don’t always get the same number of snaps as their competitors, and backups have their numbers inflated from playing against second-team defenses.
But by using per-attempt numbers and overall usage in the offense, we can look at which 10 fantasy football targets were disappointing this preseason. This may cause them to fall slightly in drafts leading up to the regular season, but this list is more just something to keep in mind as the season develops to monitor how these players perform and what their role is in the offense.
10. Dennis Pitta, Tight End, Baltimore Ravens
Pitta only had four receptions the entire preseason for 46 yards, and 16 of them all came on one catch. He didn’t play at all in the fourth preseason game, but he just didn’t seem to be very involved in the offense. His quarterback, Joe Flacco, did attempt 45 passes in those games, but the Ravens are stacked at receiver now with Steve Smith, Torrey Smith, Marlon Brown and Jacoby Jones, so it’ll tough for Pitta to find consistent targets this season.
9. Terrance West, Running Back, Cleveland Browns
West’s stock rose over the course of the offseason, which was fair considering Ben Tate’s injury history. But his stock is on a slight decline now after the preseason. He averaged just 2.7 yards per carry, and fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell had a 100-yard rushing game in the fourth preseason game. I’ll cut West some slack because these were his first touches in the NFL (which is an even bigger jump for him considering he played in the FCS) but Crowell could make a case to get some more carries in Cleveland.
8. Hakeem Nicks, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
Fantasy owners were already steering clear of Nicks, but after the preseason, they’ll probably distance themselves even more. He had a great game in Week 2, catching five passes for 53 yards, but besides that, he didn’t play in Week 4, and he had just three total receptions between the first and third games. Nicks just didn’t look as explosive as he used to on the Giants, but he could still be worth something this season if Reggie Wayne doesn’t return to form. I would have just liked to see more from Nicks to be a convincing fantasy pick.
7. Tavon Austin, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
The Rams have failed to develop any receivers in the past four years or so, and Austin looks to be headed down the rabbit hole of wide receivers in the league. He has the talent, but he just can’t seem to grasp the role of an every-down receiver. He caught three passes in the first game, but after that he caught only two more passes in Week 2, and he played in Week 3 but didn’t catch a single pass. Without Sam Bradford, too, I’m selling the entire Rams’ passing game.
6. Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
With DeSean Jackson gone, Maclin was supposed to take over as the primary receiver in Philadelphia. Neither Maclin or Riley Cooper had particularly good preseasons, but I’m more concerned for Maclin because he had two injury scares already after missing all of last season, and he didn’t play in Week 2. In Week 1, he caught just one pass, and even in the third game, when he caught six passes, he averaged just 7.2 yards per catch.
5. Nick Foles, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
After the numbers he posted last season, Foles suddenly became a top 10 fantasy quarterback. I’m not going to be the “hot takes” guy and throw Foles under the bus for the two-touchdown game in Week 1, but besides that game, he was still fairly disappointing. He averaged 8.1 yards per completion in the second game, and in Week 3 against an aging Pittsburgh Steelers secondary, he averaged 6.2 yards per completion, and threw a third preseason interceptions. Foles could still have a fine year, but this preseason was proof that the hype on him needs to slow down.
4. Giovani Bernard, Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals
With Jeremy Hill directly behind him on the depth chart, I would have liked to see more out of Bernard. In three games, he averaged just 2.4 yards per carry, and his longest run was only for 10 yards. He had 20 carries, which is a fair number to see a sample size, but he did face the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, who all have solid run defenses. In the passing game, he had just four receptions for 16 yards, and a good chunk of Bernard’s value relies on catching the ball out of the backfield.
3. Trent Richardson, Running Back, Indianapolis Colts
Just when Richardson’s stock couldn’t have fallen anymore, it did this preseason. The same things that held Richardson back last season seem to have carried over to this season. He was slow and often went down on first contact. He had 20 carries, averaged 2.6 yards per carry, and his longest run was just eight yards. Richardson could produce in fantasy still based on a volume of carries, but I’d be apprehensive to take him in any format.
2. Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
Manziel was the most hyped fantasy rookie quarterback because he can run, but he didn’t do much in the preseason to convince owners that he needs to be drafted. Even in the fourth preseason game, he completed just 35.3 percent of his passes and didn’t start really running until that game against the Chicago Bears. After the preseason, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater both have a better outlook for the season than Manziel.
1. Robert Griffin III, Quarterback, Washington Redskins
I don’t want to be one of the Kirk Cousins truthers who are trying to get Griffin benched, but from a fantasy perspective, this preseason dropped Griffin’s stock immensely. From a playcalling perspective, new head coach Jay Gruden didn’t give Griffin many designed runs, and the plays were fairly vanilla. If Griffin is going to be successful as a fantasy quarterback, he needs to be more creative and get out of the pocket. In Week 1 he averaged 2.3 yards per completion, and 2.5 in Week 3. Granted, he had a low number of attempts in the entire preseason, but that’s still not what you want to see. He had just 27 rushing yards in the preseason, and lost a fumble as well. I won’t be owning Griffin in any fantasy leagues this season.