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Fantasy Football: Thursday Night Roundup

ByDan Thomas|
Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) catches a touchdown as Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen (37) and cornerback Desmond Trufant (21) defend during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) catches a touchdown as Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen (37) and cornerback Desmond Trufant (21) defend during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicked off last night with a six-game slate. To the naked eye, not a lot of significant fantasy football action took place. However, with almost 12 starting offenses taking the field for a quarter or more, there was plenty of activity to notice. Let’s see who stood out.

I Like What I See

  • Bengals WR Tyler Boyd (2 receptions, 38 yards, 1 touchdown) followed up his solid Week 1 run with a repeat performance. Not only is he on squarely on the fantasy radar; he’s worth a flier in 10-team leagues.
  • Bengals QB Andy Dalton (7/9, 78 yards) is now 11/14 for 110 yards through two preseason games. He has star WR A.J. Green, rookie second-round pick Tyler Boyd and former first-round pick Tyler Eifert (who should return from injury sooner rather than later) to throw to. He’s well worth a flier as a QB2 in the 13th-round.
  • Lions QB Matthew Stafford (8/11, 113 yards) was solid for the second straight game. He’s now 12/17 and 171 yards in the preseason. Don’t forget, he was one of the best FFB QB’s down the stretch in 2015. Needless to say, he’s a bargain in the 12th-13th round.
  • Lions WR Marvin Jones (4 receptions, 65 yards) showed good chemistry with Stafford once again. With Calvin Johnson out of the picture, he’s a guy you want to invest a late-round pick in.
  • Bengals RB Jeremy Hill (3 carries, 16 yards, 1 touchdown) is the No.1 RB in the Bengals backfield, and it’s not even close. In standard or PPR, Hill is the guy you want to own and, in the fifth-round, has tremendous value as a RB2.
  • Falcons RB Devonta Freeman (4 carries, 42 yards, 1 touchdown) is picking up where he left off in 2015. Freeman will play in Kyle Shanahan’s offense for the second-straight year, so there’s no reason to believe he can’t produce similar numbers in 2016.
  • Browns TE Gary Barnidge (2 receptions, 26 yards, 1 touchdown) was one of the best FF TE’s last season but is going in the 10th-round or later in fantasy drafts. I get it. The Browns have a new head coach, offense, and quarterback. Still, he’s worth drafting at his current ADP.
  • Packers RB Eddie Lacy (9 carries, 45 yards and 1 touchdown) looked phenomenal. He’s going to bounce back in 2016 and he’s a steal in the late-second or early third-round.
  • Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount (11 carries, 69 yards, 1 touchdown) scored a touchdown in his second-straight preseason game. Explosive offense plus goal-line RB equals touchdowns for Blount. Be sure to scoop him up  in the 11th-12th round.
  • Bears RB Jeremy Langford (8 carries, 55 yards, 1 touchdown) looked a lot better in Week 2 of the preseason. More importantly, no backup RBs have put any pressure on him. In the 6th-round there’s no reason to not draft him.
  • Seahawks RB Christine Michael (11 touches, 64 total yards) looked like the real deal for the second straight game and needs to be drafted in all formats. Sorry Thomas Rawls but this is now a running back by committee backfield.

Too Much Hype, Not Enough Production

  • Steelers WR Sammie Coates (2 receptions, 30 yards) continues to struggle. At this point, he can only be considered a flier in 10-team leagues, and even that’s being generous.
  • Lions WR Golden Tate (3 receptions, 41 yards) hasn’t been bad this preseason. It’s just that Marvin Jones has been a lot better. Jones looks like he could lead the team in receptions and receiving yards and there’s no way Tate warrants his current fifth-round ADP when Jones is going in the ninth-round.

I’m Keeping My Eye on You

  • Eagles RB Kenjon Barner (6 carries, 41 yards) finished his second-straight preseason game with 5.0 YPC or better. Rookie RB Wendell Smallwood is missing time with a quad injury and this might make Barner the handcuff to often-injured Ryan Mathews.
  • Browns WR Terrelle Pryor (1 reception, 50 yards and 1 touchdown) is a freak. It’s the second-straight game he had a reception of 49 yards or longer. At this moment, it’s hard to tell what his playing time will be like once Corey Coleman and Josh Gordon take the field but as a late-round flier, why not?
  • Browns QB Robert Griffin III (6/8, 96 yards, 2 touchdowns and 36 yards rushing) looked good in Week 2. If he shows well in the Browns third preseason game, he’s a guy you want to take a chance on late in drafts as your QB2. With his athletic ability and high-upside WRs (Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman), he only needs a drive or two to put up big numbers.
  • Eagles defense forced four sacks and four interceptions against the Steelers. In Week 1, they forced three interceptions and three sacks against the Buccaneers. Their defense (led by Jim Schwartz) might make their fantasy football D/ST worth targeting in fantasy drafts.
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