Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets

Does anyone step up at running back for Atlanta?

With both Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman unlikely to go for the second consecutive game to start the preseason, other Falcons running backs have an opportunity to prove that they should get touches during the regular year. Antone Smith, who performed pretty well last season, struggled big time in the team's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans last week. He put up just 18 yards on nine rushes while continually showing issues following blockers and with field vision. On the other hand, second-year player Jerome Smith performed well, going for 25 yards on seven attempts. They will be joined by Michael Ford, who put up just 20 yards on 11 attempts last week. 

How much of a look will the Jets give Bryce Petty?

We already have a working knowledge of what Ryan Fitzpatrick brings to the table. He will be the team's starting quarterback when the regular season comes calling. But with Geno Smith now sidelined and potentially done as a long-term solution in New Jersey, the Jets would be smart to give this rookie fourth-round pick from Baylor an extensive look at home against Atlanta. In his preseason debut last week against the Detroit Lions, Petty struggled doing anything of substance down the field. He completed 10-of-18 passes for just 50 yards with a long of eight yards. That's going to need to improve, as will his ability to progress past that initial read. Giving him time in the second preseason game before starters play a vast majority of the time next week would be the smart move here. 

Justin Hardy

After what has been a stellar training camp performance, this rookie fourth-round pick may have the Falcons No. 3 receiver job locked up. In his preseason debut last week, Hardy put up three receptions for 41 yards on six targets. It will be interesting to see just how much action he gets as the No. 3 with Matt Ryan and the Falcons first-team offense. If Hardy continues to impress, he could be an under-the-radar early-season waiver add. 

Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs

Seattle's offensive line woes

The Seahawks plan on implementing a new starting lineup on the road Friday night. The good news here is that it's coming in the preseason. The bad news is that it's coming on the road at Arrowhead after this unit yielded seven quarterback sacks last week against the Denver Broncos. Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy will maintain their starting jobs. Outside of that, it's pretty much all new. Drew Nowak will start at center with Garry Gilliam taking over for Alvin Bailey at one of the guard positions. He will be joined by Justin Britt in the lineup. Outside of Okung and Sweezy, that's a grand total of 16 career starts for the other three players. With Evan Mathis slated to visit this weekend, Seattle could be getting a reinforcement soon. Though, it would make little sense for the team to play Russell Wilson much behind this line on Friday night. 

Alex Smith stretching the field?

Imagine that. While it didn't show up on the stat sheet in Kansas City's preseason opener, the Chiefs are looking for Smith to push the ball down the field. The king of dunk and dunk since entering the league in 2005, this is a completely new concept for the otherwise above-average quarterback. With more playing time this week and next, we might be able to acquire an understanding of exactly what Kansas City has planned here. Though, it might be best to temper expectations from a fantasy perspective. Teaching an old dog new tricks is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL. That's only magnified when said old dog plays quarterback. And no, Chase Daniel isn't going to be Kansas City's starter this year. August may be silly season around the NFL, but that's borderline rubber room crazy.