There is just over one week remaining until the start of the 2014 NFL regular season. And a whole heck of a lot has gone down thus far this preseason, especially from a fantasy standpoint.
While it's foolish to take into account preseason performances, it's important to look at trends and depth charts when drawing a final conclusion about who to pick up in your fantasy drafts.
Here at eDraft, we are more than happy to help you sift through the BS and draw a line in the sand. On that note, here are a few different fantasy football players who are currently on the rise as we enter the latter part of draft season.
Matthew McGloin, Quarterback, Oakland Raiders
With Matt Schaub struggling big time and now suffering through a shoulder injury that forced him to miss practice on Sunday, the Raiders quarterback job is now up in the air. While rookie Derek Carr took first-team reps with Schaub sidelined during practice, the Raiders have been pretty clear with their intentions not to force the Fresno State product out there in his first season.
If the Raiders stick to their guns while Schaub continues to struggle, McGloin could very well open the season as the team's starter. Through three preseason games, the second-year signal caller has completed 28-of-50 passes for 366 yards with three scores and zero interceptions. That's good enough for a well above-average 98.4 quarterback rating.
Now don't go out there drafting McGloin as a QB2 option. Instead, keep updated on the quarterback situation in Oakland and check in how he performs early in the season should he be named the starter. At the very least, he could be a solid waiver-wire add as a bye-week replacement or bench option.
Jake Locker, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
For the first time in his short NFL career, Locker has looked like a capable starting quarterback this preseason. The former first-round pick has completed 70 percent of his passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions through three games. More importantly, he's pushing the ball down field more. Locker is averaging 12.8 yards per completion thus far this preseason. He's doing this against opposing first-team defenses.
With a solid offensive line in front of him and a really good group of skill-position players, Locker is in position to have a breakout 2014 season. There could even be an argument made that he's a better option than the Eli Manning's and Alex Smith's of the world as a decent QB2 in standard 12-team leagues. With that said, Locker's injury history makes him somewhat of a risk.
Rashad Jennings, Running Back, New York Giants
Unfortunately, the career-ending neck injury to David Wilson all but means that Jennings will see 250-plus rush attempts for the Giants. Fortunately, he seems to be up for that task (and then some). The veteran is averaging six yards per attempt this preseason and has been the only bright spot for a first-team Giants offense that has struggled a great deal.
With Eli Manning playing nowhere near the level that we were used to a couple years back, the Giants could very well turn to more of a rushing attack on offense. If so, Jennings might be a surprise bottom-tier RB1 option. Remember, he's coming off a season that saw him rack up over 1,000 total yards for the Oakland Raiders. With an ADP currently at the top of the fifth round, Jennings could very well be a steal in upcoming drafts.
Carlos Hyde, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Hyde has been excellent thus far this preseason and is slotted in as Frank Gore's primary backup heading into the year. He's averaging nearly six yards per rush attempt, while continually showing both the strength and field awareness to be an immediate impact performer. With Kendall Hunter lost for the season, Marcus Lattimore still sidelined and LaMichael James struggling, there is no reason not to expect Hyde to accumulate 10-12 rush attempts per outing. If so, that makes him a perfect handcuff option for Gore, especially if you decide to ride the Frank Tank for one more season.
Emmanuel Sanders, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos
Sanders' importance to the Broncos passing attack may be on the verge of increasing a great deal with Wes Welker's most recent concussion. Welker is planning on playing Week 1, but there really is no reason to believe that he will be able to last the entire season. If not, Sanders immediately become a great WR2 option in standard leagues.
The free agent signee is averaging nearly 25 yards per reception this preseason and appears to have started clicking with Peyton Manning. It doesn't take a genius to understand what that means.
Jermaine Kearse, Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks
Kearse received his first real action of the preseason against the Chicago Bears on Friday. He racked up four receptions for 63 yards and a score on five targets. While it's unlikely that Kearse unseats Doug Baldwin as Seattle's No. 2 receiver, there is a good chance that he will see the field a great deal this season. That's only magnified by the fact that Seattle's top receiver, Percy Harvin, can't be relied on to stay healthy for the entire season. In reality, Kearse is a solid waiver-wire add in standard leagues and late-round pick in deeper drafts.
Richard Rodgers, Tight End, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers has started all three preseason games for the Packers and has the inside slant on their tight end position heading into the season. We also know very well that Aaron Rodgers loves to utilize his tight ends a great deal. So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the rookie from California tallied two receptions for 40 yards on Friday against Oakland. Rodgers has also played the second-most snaps of any Packers tight end, behind only blocking specialist Andrew Quarless.
Not necessarily worth a pick at this point, Rodgers is someone to check up on early in the season as a potential waiver-wire add.