FANTASY FOOTBALL: PRESEASON WEEK 3 REVIEW

 Preseason week 3, the week that almost, kind of, sort of, matters. As I’ve mentioned before the third preseason game is when you’ll get the best idea

 

Preseason week 3, the week that almost, kind of, sort of, matters. As I’ve mentioned before the third preseason game is when you’ll get the best idea of what a certain player may be capable of in the regular season, as it’s the only time you will see the starters play for an extended period of time. With that, here are some quick observations for those of you who actually have a life and didn’t take the time to watch every team.

 

-Mr. Rodgers: If you selected Aaron Rodgers early in your draft you have to be very happy with yourself right now. Rodgers overcame some early inaccuracy in the first quarter to look like the top-tier fantasy quarterback most experts expected. He finished the game with 195 yards and 3 scores, in only one half of play. What was most impressive was Rodgers’ near flawless execution in the Packers final drive of the first half. With less than 2 minutes remaining Rodgers guided the Pack to a touchdown with seconds left in the half. There had been questions surrounding Rodgers in the past regarding his ability to handle the 2 minute offense, but if last Thursday’s game is any indication he may be on his way to answering those critics. Another bright spot for Rodgers is that he stayed relatively upright for his time playing. The Packers embattled offensive line did a great job of slowing the Colts’ dynamic pass rushing pair of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. If this trend holds for the year, Rodgers may be in line to exceed his numbers from last year.

-Third isn’t a charm: From the same game, we see some question marks for fantasy owners coming from Indianapolis. The third wide receiver position for the Colts has generally been a productive position, with that player usually warranting starting in deeper leagues, and in some cases nearly all leagues. However, this year it looks like a log-jam at that position may cause owners headaches throughout the year. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon appear to have locked down the first and second WR position on that team, but as of right now neither Anthony Gonzalez nor Austin Collie have won the third slot outright. Collie was injured for the game against Green Bay, which could have given Gonzalez an opening, but he didn’t capitalize. He managed to snag 3 balls, one of which may have been a questionable call if he had actually caught the ball. For now don’t plan on starting either of these guys in week 1. They’re worth stashing on your bench, however, to see if one will win that position outright.

-The new trendy sleeper is...: Mike Williams ... no not that Mike Williams, no need to bring up those bad memories, right Lions fans (although he hasn’t looked too shabby this preseason either.)? I’m talking about the rookie wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is immensely talented, but has slipped under some fantasy owners’ radar because he fell in this years’ NFL draft due in large part to character concerns. Luckily for fantasy owners there aren’t any point deductions for being a jerk, so Williams is absolutely worth a late round pick or a waiver wire pickup if you’ve already drafted. He’s still available in nearly 65% of ESPN leagues, and all signs are pointing to Williams being the number 1 WR in Tampa for week 1. He’s a low risk pickup with a potentially astronomical reward.

-Crash Landing: Anyone who bought the Mark Sanchez hype is probably scrambling to make a quick trade for some quarterback insurance right now. Sanchez has looked flat all preseason, and looked especially bland in his most recent game against Washington. While his completion percentage in the game wasn’t horrendous, his second quarter interception was a terrible read. He locked on to his receiver, threw into double coverage, and never even seemed to notice DeAngelo Hall breaking on the ball. I thought Sanchez would be mediocre this year, but after seeing him perform this preseason, I’m scaling that prediction back and I can honestly say I don’t recommend him to any fantasy owners.

-The Best Rookie: It’s been a long time since a Lions running back was a legitimate fantasy option, but I think that Jahvid Best may break that streak. He has looked very explosive this year, as evidenced by his 51 yard run against the Browns. Best used fantastic vision to quickly find the hole and explode through it for a huge gain. He’s been doing that kind of stuff all preseason, and I think he’s certainly worthy of a number 2 fantasy running back position at this point, with the potential to produce some huge games.

 

           That’s it for the third week of the preseason. I’ll be back next week with our first set of articles giving advice for that upcoming fantasy week. I’ll be letting you know who to start, who to sit at every position, and who might be a sneaky sleeper play. Don’t worry, those games will actually matter soon enough! 

Preseason week 3, the week that almost, kind of, sort of, matters. As I’ve mentioned before the third preseason game is when you’ll get the best idea of what a certain player may be capable of in the regular season, as it’s the only time you will see the starters play for an extended period of time. With that, here are some quick observations for those of you who actually have a life and didn’t take the time to watch every team.

 

-Mr. Rodgers: If you selected Aaron Rodgers early in your draft you have to be very happy with yourself right now. Rodgers overcame some early inaccuracy in the first quarter to look like the top-tier fantasy quarterback most experts expected. He finished the game with 195 yards and 3 scores, in only one half of play. What was most impressive was Rodgers’ near flawless execution in the Packers final drive of the first half. With less than 2 minutes remaining Rodgers guided the Pack to a touchdown with seconds left in the half. There had been questions surrounding Rodgers in the past regarding his ability to handle the 2 minute offense, but if last Thursday’s game is any indication he may be on his way to answering those critics. Another bright spot for Rodgers is that he stayed relatively upright for his time playing. The Packers embattled offensive line did a great job of slowing the Colts’ dynamic pass rushing pair of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. If this trend holds for the year, Rodgers may be in line to exceed his numbers from last year.

-Third isn’t a charm: From the same game, we see some question marks for fantasy owners coming from Indianapolis. The third wide receiver position for the Colts has generally been a productive position, with that player usually warranting starting in deeper leagues, and in some cases nearly all leagues. However, this year it looks like a log-jam at that position may cause owners headaches throughout the year. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon appear to have locked down the first and second WR position on that team, but as of right now neither Anthony Gonzalez nor Austin Collie have won the third slot outright. Collie was injured for the game against Green Bay, which could have given Gonzalez an opening, but he didn’t capitalize. He managed to snag 3 balls, one of which may have been a questionable call if he had actually caught the ball. For now don’t plan on starting either of these guys in week 1. They’re worth stashing on your bench, however, to see if one will win that position outright.

-The new trendy sleeper is...: Mike Williams ... no not that Mike Williams, no need to bring up those bad memories, right Lions fans (although he hasn’t looked too shabby this preseason either.)? I’m talking about the rookie wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is immensely talented, but has slipped under some fantasy owners’ radar because he fell in this years’ NFL draft due in large part to character concerns. Luckily for fantasy owners there aren’t any point deductions for being a jerk, so Williams is absolutely worth a late round pick or a waiver wire pickup if you’ve already drafted. He’s still available in nearly 65% of ESPN leagues, and all signs are pointing to Williams being the number 1 WR in Tampa for week 1. He’s a low risk pickup with a potentially astronomical reward.

-Crash Landing: Anyone who bought the Mark Sanchez hype is probably scrambling to make a quick trade for some quarterback insurance right now. Sanchez has looked flat all preseason, and looked especially bland in his most recent game against Washington. While his completion percentage in the game wasn’t horrendous, his second quarter interception was a terrible read. He locked on to his receiver, threw into double coverage, and never even seemed to notice DeAngelo Hall breaking on the ball. I thought Sanchez would be mediocre this year, but after seeing him perform this preseason, I’m scaling that prediction back and I can honestly say I don’t recommend him to any fantasy owners.

-The Best Rookie: It’s been a long time since a Lions running back was a legitimate fantasy option, but I think that Jahvid Best may break that streak. He has looked very explosive this year, as evidenced by his 51 yard run against the Browns. Best used fantastic vision to quickly find the hole and explode through it for a huge gain. He’s been doing that kind of stuff all preseason, and I think he’s certainly worthy of a number 2 fantasy running back position at this point, with the potential to produce some huge games.

 

           That’s it for the third week of the preseason. I’ll be back next week with our first set of articles giving advice for that upcoming fantasy week. I’ll be letting you know who to start, who to sit at every position, and who might be a sneaky sleeper play. Don’t worry, those games will actually matter soon enough!