2014 NFL Preseason Recap and Fantasy Football Notes: Week 3

**** NOTES FOR EVERY GAME WILL BE UP AS SOON AS I WATCH THEM **** Follow me @walterfootball for updates.



2014 Preseason Notes: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
2014 Fantasy Football Stock Pages: Preseason Stock Week 4 | Preseason Stock Week 3 | Preseason Stock Week 2 | Preseason Stock Week 1 | Training Camp Stock





Bengals 19, Cardinals 13

This game was painful to watch. The two starting offenses, despite playing well earlier in the preseason, combined for just nine points. Both quarterbacks struggled, though Andy Dalton was a bit better than his counterpart.

Dalton went 13-of-21 for 157 yards. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but they could have been so much better. He overthrew A.J. Green twice downfield and was high and behind Mohamed Sanu on one occasion. He finally got into a rhythm in the second quarter, leading two drives that culminated in field goal conversions.

Here were Dalton’s targets:

Giovani Bernard: 2
A.J. Green: 8
Jermaine Gresham: 3
Mohamed Sanu: 7

A.J. Green hauled in five of his eight receptions for 53 yards in just one half of action. It’s a shame Green can’t work with a superior quarterback; otherwise, his numbers would be otherworldly. As mentioned, Dalton overthrew Green twice downfield.

Mohamed Sanu led the Bengals with 70 receiving yards on five catches in just one half at Arizona. He finished with one target fewer than A.J. Green. With Marvin Jones sidelined until October, it appears as though Sanu will be a big part of Cincinnati’s offense until then.

Giovani Bernard was bottled up in this contest. He mustered just 17 yards on 10 carries and caught two balls for only one receiving yard. I wouldn’t worry at all about Bernard, who was battling one of the NFL’s toughest defenses.

There’s some bad news for the Bengals, and it involves Geno Atkins. The All-Pro defensive tackle doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to 100 percent. He has lost his quickness, as Cris Collinsworth noted. Atkins is coming off a torn ACL, so he may not be completely healthy until 2015.

While Dalton was simply sub par, Carson Palmer was anemic. Perhaps his former team had something on him, but that wouldn’t explain how inaccurate he was. Palmer was off by a bit in the early stages, throwing a bit too high for John Brown and slightly too far for Michael Floyd in the end zone on two occasions.

Things got worse after that. Palmer hurled a pick-six on a miscommunication with Larry Fitzgerald. He was then nearly picked off twice.

Palmer finished 7-of-19 for 92 yards and the pick. Nearly half of his yardage came on one play – a quick slant to Fitzgerald that went for 43 yards. Palmer did a good job of releasing the ball quickly, but that play was mostly Fitzgerald.

Here were Palmer’s targets:

John Brown: 5 (1 end zone)
Andre Ellington: 2
Larry Fitzgerald: 5
Michael Floyd: 3 (2 end zone)
Ted Ginn: 1
Rob Housler: 1
Robert Hughes: 1

Larry Fitzgerald has endured a couple of down years, but he’s looking like he’s at the top of his game right now. He led the team with 71 yards off three catches against the Bengals in just one half of action. Fitzgerald was impressive on a 43-yard quick slant and made an awesome, diving catch for a gain of 19. You can buy low on Fitzgerald right now because everyone is so down on him.

John Brown continued to shine in his third preseason game. He saw five targets from Carson Palmer and ultimately reeled in four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Brown is just a rookie, but has drawn comparisons to Marvin Harrison. He’ll contribute this year. He’s worth a late-round flier.

Andre Ellington was much better than his counterpart, as he registered 46 yards on nine carries, which includes a 24-yard burst. He also was able to move the pile on an 8-yard gain. That was very impressive considering his size.

Logan Thomas saw a bit of action after not taking the field last week. Thomas was spectacular in his preseason debut, but took a step backward Sunday night. Thomas went 2-of-7 for 21 yards and an interception that wasn’t his fault because a well-placed ball bounced off his receiver’s hands. However, Thomas struggled with pressure and skipped a pass while on the run. It’s no surprise that Thomas showed inconsistency, as he is a major project.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





49ers 21, Chargers 7

The 49ers had struggled offensively in their first two preseason games, so this was their final chance to get back on track before the regular season. That didn’t happen, however, as the first-string offense managed just three points in a quarter-and-a-half against a San Diego defense that isn’t anything special.

Colin Kaepernick had yet another pedestrian performance against the Chargers, going 6-of-12 for only 59 yards. He also fumbled twice, turning it over once. Kaepernick passed too high for his target on one occasion and struggled with pressure throughout the afternoon. He’s a very risky fantasy pick.

Here were Kaepernick’s targets:

Anquan Boldin: 2
Michael Crabtree: 1
Vernon Davis: 2
LaMichael James: 1
Vance McDonald: 2
Bruce Miller: 1
Quinton Patton: 1

Anquan Boldin was the only starting receiver who logged more than one reception for the 49ers. He looked good in his limited action, snagging two balls for 19 yards.

Both Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis had one catch for 10 and 16 yards, respectively. Davis dropped a pass. Neither played very much to say anything else.

Frank Gore barely played in this contest, rushing once for a loss of two yards. Carlos Hyde handled most of the remaining workload with the starters, and he once again ran very well with great power, gaining 38 yards on six carries. Get Hyde on your fantasy roster if he slips to the 10th round.

I berated Blaine Gabbert last week, so it’s only fair that I praise him for this performance. He went 7-of-11 for 66 yards and a touchdown. He made several impressive throws, though some of his incompletions were way off.

Whereas Kaepernick struggled, Philip Rivers was nearly flawless. He went 9-of-10 for 85 yards and a touchdown. He appeared to throw a score to Ryan Mathews on a broken play, but that was negated by a block in the back. That didn’t deter Rivers, who found Antonio Gates in the end zone a few plays later. Rivers nearly led a second touchdown drive, but the team turned the ball over on downs at the San Francisco 5-yard line.

Here were Rivers’ targets:

Keenan Allen: 1
Donald Brown: 1
Antonio Gates: 3 (1 end zone)
Ladarius Green: 1
Ryan Mathews: 2
Danny Woodhead: 2

Antonio Gates led the Charger starters in targets and receptions, catching three balls for 28 yards and a touchdown. Ladarius Green is being drafted before Gates in some leagues, which is just crazy. Gates, if healthy, can still post low-end TE1 numbers. Of course, Gates is always hurt, but he can function as a spot starter at the position for now.

Ryan Mathews also has trouble staying healthy, but he looks solid for now. He rushed for 22 yards on four carries in this game, though he was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 on the 5-yard line on the second drive of the game.

Three players were carted off in this game, with Chargers’ starting nose tackle Kwame Geathers being the most prominent one.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Rams 33, Browns 14

The Rams may have won this game according to the scoreboard, but they were the true losers because Sam Bradford tore his ACL. Bradford, who was coming off a torn ACL that he sustained in 2013, went down toward the end of the opening drive when a Cleveland linebacker sacked him after beating Jake Long. The Rams should’ve seen this coming because Bradford has never been able to stay healthy, dating back to his days in Oklahoma. They’ll have to spend an early pick in the near future on a signal-caller.

For what it’s worth, Bradford went 4-of-9 for 77 yards. Here were Bradford’s targets:

Tavon Austin: 1
Kenny Britt: 1
Jared Cook: 3
Brian Quick: 4

Bradford was just one of many Rams to suffer an injury in Cleveland. It was a bloodbath. Kendall Langford, Rodger Saffold and Trumaine Johnson all left the game with injuries. Johnson’s was the most serious, as he was carted off. Losing him will be huge because he’s a talented starting cornerback.

With Bradford done for the year, Shaun Hill is now St. Louis’ starting quarterback. Hill saw limited action, perhaps because Jeff Fisher wanted to preserve him once he saw all of his players getting hurt. Hill went 2-of-6 for 45 yards, though one of his incompletions was a dropped touchdown by Brian Quick.

Here were Hill’s targets:

Stedman Bailey: 1 (1 end zone)
Kenny Britt: 1
Jared Cook: 1
Lance Kendricks: 2
Brian Quick: 1 (1 end zone)

As mentioned, Brian Quick had a chance to haul in a touchdown at Cleveland, but failed to do so, letting it slip through his hands. He was also responsible for an illegal shift that nullified a Jared Cook 21-yard reception. Still, Quick was targeted more than any receiver, and he managed to come away with four catches for 47 yards and a score. Quick has enjoyed a fantastic training camp, so this isn’t coming out of nowhere. He might be worth a late-round flier.

Kenny Britt hauled in two passes for 68 yards. One was very impressive; he made a leaping catch over two defensive backs for a gain of 36 yards on a third-and-25 ball from Bradford.

It was strange to see Benny Cunningham start over Zac Stacy. Jeff Fisher told the media afterward that he simply wanted to see what Cunningham could do with the first-team offense. Stacy managed just 11 yards on five carries.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Michael Sam’s two sacks. Sam’s second sack, which occurred on the final play of the game, wasn’t very special because Johnny Manziel practically fell into him while trying to avoid other rushers. However, Sam impressively beat a backup right tackle to take down Manziel on his first sack.

If Bradford hadn’t gotten hurt, I might have led this recap with a Johnny Manziel breakdown. Manziel was coming off a horrific Monday night performance and was relegated to second-half duties with the scrubs as a consequence. However, Manziel performed much better in this contest, going 10-of-15 for 85 yards to go along with a 7-yard touchdown run.

Manziel showed much more confidence and decisiveness in this contest. He threw some impressive darts, including one pass on the run in which he found speedy return specialist Taylor Gabriel along the sideline. Manziel also allowed Anthony Armstrong to draw a pass interference in the end zone. Manziel may have led more than one scoring drive, but Charles Johnson dropped a pass on fourth down.

While Manziel showed some improvement, Brian Hoyer looked as pedestrian as ever. His numbers practically mirrored Manziel’s – 10-of-16, 84 yards, one touchdown, one interception – but they are deceiving because his score came against St. Louis’ backups in the third quarter. While playing the Rams’ starters, Hoyer was just 5-of-10 for 55 yards and the pick, which occurred because he stared down Miles Austin and just didn’t see Alec Ogletree.

Hoyer also lost fumble in which he showed zero awareness that Aaron Donald beat Mitchell Schwartz on the right side. He also missed Austin on one occasion because he threw behind the former Cowboy wideout.

Here were Hoyer’s targets:

Anthony Armstrong: 1
Miles Austin: 5
Jordan Cameron: 2
Andrew Hawkins: 5 (1 end zone)
Terrance West: 1

Josh Gordon didn’t play in this game, so that’s why Austin and Andrew Hawkins led the team with five targets apiece. Austin was predictably ineffective (2 catches, 23 yards), while Hawkins used his quickness to register 36 yards and a score on his five receptions.

Ben Tate started against the Rams, but didn’t see much action, rushing for five yards on only three carries. Tate gave way to Dion Lewis on third downs. Terrance West entered the contest after a bit. He finished with 17 yards on seven carries, though he had an awesome, 19-yard run in which he refused to go down nullified by a Joel Bitonio hold. Unfortunately, West dropped a pass as well.

A few notes on Cleveland defenders: Barkevious Mingo nearly sacked Bradford on the Rams’ opening drive, forcing a throw-away. Third-round rookie Christian Kirksey made tons of positive plays in this contest. And with Joe Haden out of the lineup, the Browns’ best defender was lineman Armonty Bryant, who was a one-man wrecking crew. Bryant, a 2013 seventh-rounder, has forced his way into the starting lineup.

Check out what Cleveland’s broadcast came up with:



Lolwut. I’d like to replace those items with the following to make it more accurate:

– Win one of the first four games.
– Win one of the next four games.
– Win one of the next four games after that.
– Win one of the last four games.
– Depress the fan base every single year.

Now you’re playing like a Brown.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Vikings 30, Chiefs 12

Because both the Vikings and Chiefs start mediocre, limited quarterbacks who are incapable of leading their teams deep into the playoffs in this new era of football, I might as well begin with a signal-caller who might be able to do so one day. Teddy Bridgewater didn’t see the field until the end of the third quarter, as Cassel saw extensive action.

Bridgewater didn’t have a good start, as he mishandled a shotgun snap. However, he got into a groove after that, hitting Allen Reisner for a pair of short touchdown passes, thanks to good field position on both drives. Bridgewater then lofted a nice ball along the sideline and fired a slant pass for a first down. Bridgewater finished 4-of-7 for 40 yards and the two scores. One of his incompletions was dropped.

Matt Cassel, meanwhile, was 9-of-17 for 152 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His score was a pretty, deep ball to Cordarrelle Patterson. He nearly had another long connection when he made an accurate throw to Greg Jennings for 25 yards or so, but the veteran wideout lazily didn’t get both feet inbounds. Cassel was also victimized by a couple of drops, including an easy one by Patterson, who had a wide-open field in front of him.

However, Cassel made some mistakes as well. His pick was a forced deep throw to Jerome Simpson in double coverage. Cassel was also responsible for a safety because a Kansas City lineman knocked the ball out of his hands in his own end zone. Cassel nearly had another interception as well. It’s a miracle Husain Abdullah didn’t pick it off, as the throw was a weak-armed pass to Jennings that didn’t get there quickly enough. It’s also worth noting that Cassel missed Kyle Rudolph in the end zone, but I won’t blame that one on him because he was hit as he released the ball.

Here were Cassel’s targets:

Matt Asiata: 3
Greg Jennings: 3
Jerick McKinnon: 3
Cordarrelle Patterson: 5
Kyle Rudolph: 4 (2 end zone)
Jerome Simpson: 1

Cordarrelle Patterson had another nice performance, snagging three of the five balls thrown to him for 71 yards and a touchdown at Kansas City. However, Patterson should’ve posted better numbers because he dropped an easy pass that could have gone for a long gain. Still, Patterson has displayed real-life WR1 and fantasy WR2 abilities all preseason. He’s going to have a big year.

Jennings, meanwhile, has no business being on a fantasy roster in 12-team leagues. He failed to register a single reception. He lazily failed to get both feet inbounds on what would’ve been a reception of 25 yards or so. Cassel was also nearly picked while targeting him. It’s amazing how poor of a decision Jennings made by taking the money and running to Minnesota. He has ruined his NFL career.

Adrian Peterson was out yet again, so we got to see more Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. Both actually posted nice stat lines, going 11-48 and 6-43, respectively. Asiata dropped a pass.

The Chiefs were missing key personnel themselves, as both Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles were out of the lineup. Alex Smith struggled severely without them, going 14-of-24 for 140 yards and two interceptions. Both picks were brutal. The first occurred in the end zone when Smith stared down his receiver and was late on the throw. The second happened because he didn’t see Chad Greenway.

Smith had several other poor moments. He repeatedly threw short of the marker on third down. He floated a pass out of bounds, missing his target on another third down. A throw of his to Donnie Avery on the sideline was high. He overthrew Knile Davis on a screen. Even his Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half was awful. Smith tried to launch the ball as far as he could, but the ball must have slipped out of his hands because it sailed way out of bounds.

Smith had a couple of nice moments, such as a play in which he shook off a sack and found Anthony Fasano for a first down. He also helped Avery draw a long pass interference. However, the negatives greatly outweighed the positives, and this game served as a harsh reality check of what Kansas City’s offense will look like if it loses its two best players. Smith is highly undeserving of anything close to what he’s asking for in his new contract.

Here were Smith’s targets:

Donnie Avery: 5
Knile Davis: 4
Weston Dressler: 1
Anthony Fasano: 5
Frankie Hammond: 4 (1 end zone)
Travis Kelce: 1
Joe McKnight: 1
Anthony Sherman: 1
De’Anthony Thomas: 1

With Charles out, Knile Davis started at running back. He struggled to get anything on the ground – 12 carries, 27 yards – but he made some nifty moves on a 21-yard screen pass.

Donnie Avery and Anthony Fasano paced the Chiefs with five targets each. Fasano actually reeled in all five balls for 41 yards, though he remains a TE3 at best. Avery also has no business being on a fantasy roster in a 12-team league. He managed just two receptions for 15 yards.

Unfortunately, I have no announcers to make fun of in this game. No Ron Zappolo and his time-traveling tidbits. Paul Burmeister and Trent Green are both professionals and seldom make errors. Sideline reporter Rachel Santschi, meanwhile, always provides lots of energy. I’ll be surprised if she’s not on a major network sometime soon.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.





Texans 18, Broncos 17

There were two key storylines in this game, both of which involved the Broncos. The first was an injury. Wes Welker suffered a concussion at the very end of the first half on a shoulder-to-helmet hit by Texans’ safety D.J. Swearinger. This is a huge deal because Welker has an extensive concussion history. He missed several games last year because of two concussions. Even if he’s ready for Week 1, Welker is a huge injury risk. Another concussion could sideline him for some time, and he’s very prone to getting them.

The other thing of note was the return of Denver’s running back. Montee Ball played in his first game coming off an appendectomy against the Texans. The Broncos wasted no time getting Ball involved, giving him a carry on the first play of the game and having Peyton Manning target him thrice on the opening drive. Ball didn’t play into the second quarter, but he looked good in his limited action, rushing for 13 yards on four carries and catching four balls for 21 receiving yards. He should be drafted at the beginning of the second round.

Peyton Manning struggled to put his team on the scoreboard until the end of the first half. There shouldn’t be any concern, however, as the Broncos seemingly used this as an experimental game. They seemingly put lots of effort making sure to utilize Ball and Emmanuel Sanders as much as possible because both players were making their first appearance of the preseason. In fact, Manning’s sole interception took place because he forced a pass to Sanders.

Manning finished 21-of-27 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. He had some trouble with pressure early on and overshot a receiver downfield. Welker didn’t help with a drop. However, Manning caught fire close to halftime, leading two touchdown drives that culminated with scores to Sanders. Manning humorously drew an unsportsmanlike penalty for taunting after his second score. It was justified though, as he went after Swearinger for his brutal hit on Welker. Manning barked in Swearinger’s face until an official tossed a flag.

Here were Manning’s targets:

C.J. Anderson: 1
Montee Ball: 4
Andre Caldwell: 3
Ronnie Hillman: 1
Emmanuel Sanders: 8 (2 end zone)
Demaryius Thomas: 1
Julius Thomas: 4
Wes Welker: 6

As mentioned, the Broncos forced passes to Emmanuel Sanders because he was seeing his first action of the preseason. This led to an interception early on, but Sanders ultimately hauled in five of his eight targets for a whopping 128 yards and two touchdowns in one half of play. With Wes Welker once again dealing with concussion problems, Sanders should continue to see tons of passes thrown his way.

Neither Demaryius Thomas (0 catches) nor Julius Thomas (4 catches, 32 yards) did much in this contest, but don’t worry about that. Manning was simply testing out Ball and Sanders to see how they’d fit into the offense.

Second-round rookie Cody Latimer is worth noting because he dropped an easy pass from Brock Osweiler. Denver’s young, backup quarterback also struggled, going just 4-of-11 for 43 yards and a pick.

As for the Texans, Ryan Fitzpatrick was a very mediocre 10-of-17 for 80 yards. Almost all of his throws were short, ineffective passes. Because he didn’t take many shots downfield, there’s not much to criticize, though he was high to Andre Johnson on one occasion.

Here were Fitzpatrick’s targets:

C.J. Fiedorowicz: 3 (1 end zone)
Garrett Graham: 1
Jonathan Grimes: 1
DeAndre Hopkins: 4
Andre Johnson: 5
Keshawn Martin: 2

Andre Johnson, playing in his first preseason action, led the Texans with five targets. He caught three of them for only 18 yards. Johnson’s numbers will be very limited this year because of Fitzpatrick. He’s being slightly overdrafted.

Jonathan Grimes started for Arian Foster once again. Grimes gained 22 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Rookie Alfred Blue (9 carries, 27 yards) rotated with him, but the good news for Grimes is that Houston saved him in the second half when the coaching staff used both Blue and Ronnie Brown.

I’d love to provide you with some Jadeveon Clowney analysis, but the No. 1 overall pick did not play in this contest. The announcers didn’t specify why.

Rookie Tom Savage was the third quarterback to enter the game for the Texans. He looked good, misfiring one throw that should have been flagged for pass interference. He was 5-of-6 for 68 yards and a touchdown, which was a nice throw down the seam for 31 yards. Savage showed off his superior arm strength on multiple occasions, including that play.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I may have found the worst announcer in NFL history. His name Ron Zappolo, and he’s an old, mustachioed man who serves as the Broncos’ play-by-play guy. Zappolo seemed oblivious as to what was going on at times, saying things like, “There’s a timeout on the field; we’ll be back” when the first quarter concluded. And when John Lynch, the color analyst, called Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman “thunder and lightning,” Zappolo responded with something along the lines of, “Oh, that’s a neat nickname!”

What made Zappolo really stand out was his pronunciation of Jadeveon Clowney. He called him “Jadaevius Clowney,” and he didn’t do it once. He said “Jadaevius Clowney” a whopping three times, even after Lynch said his name correctly, so it wasn’t even a slip of the tongue.

Zappolo then provided this tidbit: “The Texans could have went with a quarterback with the first pick in the draft. But they went with Jadaevius Clowney, which turned out to be a great pick.”

It turned out to be a great pick? How does he know what? “Jadaveius” Clowney hasn’t even played a regular season game yet! My theory is that Zappolo is from the future. He’s seen Clowney dominate, and he also knows that Clowney will eventually change his first name to Jadaevius.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Ravens 23, Redskins 17

Many consider the Redskins a potential sleeper team because Robert Griffin is healthy and no longer has to deal with Mike Shanahan. However, Griffin has struggled this preseason, and his third game was the worst of them all. Griffin went 5-of-8 for just 20 yards and an interception in more than one half of action. His rushing numbers (3 carries, 3 yards) were just as ugly.

Griffin did nothing well in this contest. He dropped a shotgun snap in the middle of the first quarter. He had DeSean Jackson on a deep ball, but led him out of bounds. He was pick-sixed – Daryl Smith tipped the ball into the hands of C.J. Mosley – and nearly had another one. He took a number of sacks and couldn’t elude defenders. He tried scrambling, but Matt Elam and third-round rookie Terrence Brooks spied him and did a great job of chasing him down.

Here were Griffin’s targets:

Pierre Garcon: 2
Roy Helu: 1
DeSean Jackson: 4
Jordan Reed: 2
Andre Roberts: 1

DeSean Jackson was targeted a team-high four times (at least for the starters), but didn’t log a single reception. He did draw a pass interference, but Griffin simply couldn’t connect with his new wideout. He missed him downfield by leading him out of bounds on one play.

Jordan Reed didn’t have a good statistical performance either – one catch, seven yards – but he had a 29-yard reception wiped out by a holding flag.

Alfred Morris at least ran well. He pummeled through for 29 yards on six carries, which included a powerful 19-yard burst. He’s safe as a top-end RB2.

Staying with the running back position, the big news for the Ravens in this contest was that Bernard Pierce suffered a concussion. He had to be taken into the locker room for tests and never returned to the game. Pierce suffered the concussion when fullback Kyle Juszczyk failed to recognize a blitzer, causing Pierce to get blown up in the backfield. Pierce, who lost five yards on that play, finished with minus-3 yards on four carries. He started, as Ray Rice was sidelined. Pierce’s other play of significance was getting stuffed on fourth-and-1 on the opening drive.

Joe Flacco was the much better quarterback in this matchup, though he endured some pass-protection issues as well. Right tackle Ricky Wagner, in particular, had problems. Some publications don’t consider Wagner much of a downgrade from Michael Oher, but they obviously didn’t watch the 2013 season opener when Baltimore’s offense was shut down when Wagner replaced Oher in the lineup.

With that in mind, it’s impressive that Flacco was able to go 16-of-23 for 180 yards and a touchdown despite having lots of pressure in his face. One of his incompletions was dropped by Jacoby Jones, by the way.

Here were Flacco’s targets:

Marlon Brown: 2 (1 end zone)
Justin Forsett: 1
Crockett Gilmore: 1
Jacoby Jones: 2
Kyle Juszczyk: 3
Bernard Pierce: 1
Dennis Pitta: 3
Steve Smith: 7 (1 end zone)
Torrey Smith: 5

I thought the Ravens overpaid for Steve Smith, who looked decrepit last year. It’s still too early to say for sure, but it appears as though I was way off on that opinion. Smith somehow looks completely rejuvenated. He saw a team-high seven targets in the third preseason game, snagging six of them for 80 yards and a touchdown. This wasn’t bogus yardage either; he had a 30-yard reception in which he broke free of multiple tacklers and angrily fought for extra yards. His score was a thing of beauty, as he reeled in a 24-yarder while diving out of the back of the end zone. His only blemish was a fumble in the 2-minute drill, but the ball rolled out of bounds.

Torrey Smith hauled in four of the five passes thrown to him for 41 yards. He had a nondescript night, but a 4-41 line isn’t bad for one half of action.

I’ve always liked the Ravens’ broadcasts in past years, but I was highly disappointed that they discontinued their groovy, 80s techno music that they used to play heading into commercials. I also thought this exchange was ridiculous:

Play-by-Play Guy: It’s time for our Twitter question! Here’s the question! Who is going to be the breakout player for the Ravens this year!?!?!

Color Analyst: Kyle Juszczyk. … … …

That was it. The entire answer. No explanation; no other words. Just Kyle Juszczyk. OK, then.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Titans 24, Falcons 17

The Falcons lost Sam Baker to a season-ending injury last week, so it was interesting to see how they’d respond with rookie Jake Matthews being moved to left tackle. It didn’t appear as though Atlanta skipped a beat. Granted, the team was battling a very weak Tennessee defense transitioning into a new scheme, but this was a promising performance.

Matt Ryan was especially prolific in this contest, though he got off to a slow start, overthrowing Julio Jones twice downfield on the opening drive. However, Ryan eventually caught fire, failing to connect on just three more passes the entire night. Ryan finished 18-of-23 for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Here were Ryan’s targets:

Harry Douglas: 2
Devin Hester: 5 (1 end zone)
Julio Jones: 7
Jacquizz Rodgers: 6
Josh Vaughn: 1
Roddy White: 6 (1 end zone)

Roddy White had a rough outing. He caught just half the passes thrown to him, hauling in three balls for 34 yards. He also dropped a ball and was responsible for two offensive pass interferences. After the second call, White began yelling at Titans’ linebacker Zach Brown. This eventually led to a couple of skirmishes, as Jerome Boger’s officiating crew completely lost control of this game.

Unlike White, Julio Jones was completely dominant in the team’s third preseason game. Though he managed to snag just two of his seven targets – for 63 yards and a touchdown – he also drew a long pass interference downfield. Jones’ score was a thing of beauty, as he caught the ball, broke free from one tackle and spun away from another to find the end zone on the 52-yard play. Ryan overthrew Jones twice on the opening drive; otherwise the stud wideout would’ve had a much greater stat line.

Another Falcon receiver who stood out was actually Devin Hester, believe it or not. He was actually very effective in the passing attack, drawing five targets. On one of the passes, Hester hauled in a slant and exploded with his great speed for a 31-yard score. Hester logged four receptions for 56 yards and a score. He also returned a kickoff close to midfield.

The Atlanta announcers discussed the possibility that Steven Jackson could play Thursday night in the preseason finale. Jacquizz Rodgers drew the start again and ran very well, gaining 33 yards on eight carries. He also caught five balls for 31 receiving yards, including one reception in which he made a great juke to avoid Zach Brown. However, he was stopped on a fourth-and-1 at the end of the opening half. Devonta Freeman, meanwhile, was used sparingly with the starters. He totaled 11 yards on the ground on his four carries.

As for the aforementioned Matthews, he had a mixed game. He blocked very well at times and opened good holes for Rodgers. However, he was flagged for a false start and was beaten by a defender on a Ryan sack.

Jake Locker also played well. He went 12-of-17 for 188 yards and a touchdown. He missed out on a second score when he misfired toward Nate Washington in the end zone because he was hit by Paul Soliai just as he released the ball. Locker also endured a 20-yard drop from Kendall Wright in the opening drive of the third quarter, so he could’ve posted even better numbers.

Here were Locker’s targets:

Justin Hunter: 4
Dexter McCluster: 1
Delanie Walker: 4
Leon Washington: 1
Nate Washington: 4 (1 end zone)
Kendall Wright: 3

Justin Hunter is a stud. I’ve been talking him up all offseason, and he has met expectations all the way through. Hunter’s stat line at Atlanta doesn’t say much – three catches, 48 yards – but he drew two defensive penalties downfield. He easily could have had a much bigger night, statistically.

Shonn Greene started at running back once again. This can’t continue for much longer because he is brutal. Looking as slow as ever, Greene plodded for 15 yards on six carries. Bishop Sankey, inexplicably seeing no first-half action, managed 44 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He was much more impressive. He’ll have to be inserted into the starting lineup soon.

The Titans have now surrendered opening-drive touchdowns in all three of their preseason games. There’s no shame in allowing Matt Ryan to march down the field, but the Titans couldn’t keep Matt Flynn and Luke McCown out of the end zone either.

Zach Mettenberger continued to show promise. Going 11-of-19 for 148 yards, Mettenberger only made a few mistakes all evening. He missed his target on his first attempt, overthrew another and passed behind a third. However, all of this was accompanied by several impressive heaves. Mettenberger could be a starter at some point.

As with all of the other preseason games, this one featured a barrage of awful illegal contact penalties. I think one of the Falcon announcers summed it up best:

“That’s an illegal contact on Pat Angerer… as we’re getting angerer and angerer about these rules.”

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Saints 23, Colts 17

Drew Brees saw his first action of the preseason in this contest, as he was sidelined with an oblique injury the past two weeks. Brees played exactly one quarter, but Sean Payton was apparently happy with what he saw because he pulled Brees in the middle of a drive.

Brees showed some rust early on. He had a miscommunication with a receiver and slightly threw behind Ben Watson in the end zone. However, he eventually got into a groove, leading the team on two touchdown drives and looking like he was on his way to a third before he was pulled. Brees went 9-of-15 for 128 yards and two touchdowns, meaning he was on pace for a 512-yard, eight-touchdown performance. What’s scary is that Brees would’ve posted better numbers, but Kenny Stills let a deep pass fall through his hands.

Here were Brees’ targets:

Marques Colston: 6 (1 end zone)
Jimmy Graham: 2
Austin Johnson: 1
Khiry Robinson: 1
Kenny Stills: 1
Pierre Thomas: 4
Ben Watson: 2 (1 end zone)

Marques Colston saw a whopping six targets from Drew Brees in the third preseason game. He and Brees had trouble connecting early, and Colston was flagged for offensive pass interference at one point. However, Colston also drew a defensive interference flag and eventually caught a touchdown. Colston is very undervalued, as everyone has seemingly forgotten that he finished the 2013 season on a very hot streak.

Jimmy Graham didn’t draw Payton’s ire in this game, though he didn’t even have an opportunity to do so. He saw just two targets from Brees, and he managed to drop one of them.

Mark Ingram continues to impress. He rushed for 46 yards on eight carries at Indianapolis. His best attempt, a 17-yarder, featured an awesome cut. He also made an excellent blitz pick-up to allow Drew Brees to connect with Jimmy Graham for a 38-yard pass. Sean Payton will see this on film and perhaps reward Ingram with more playing time.

Pierre Thomas is worth noting for what he did against the Colts. He saw four targets from Brees and came up with just as many receptions for 66 yards. He’s going to be a big factor in the passing game, so he’ll be effective in PPR formats.

There was a scary moment for the Saints when pass-rusher Junior Galette was down on the ground. Fortunately, he walked off on his own power, and the CBS crew reported that he just had the wind knocked out of him.

Andrew Luck had a pretty mixed performance against one of the tougher defenses in the NFL. He went 10-of-18 for 103 yards, one touchdown and an interception that was an underthrown pass to Coby Fleener. Luck actually was almost picked on a couple of other occasions, both of which involved Keenan Lewis. The Saints’ No. 1 corner nearly had a pick-six while covering Reggie Wayne in the first quarter. Lewis appeared to have an interception later, but the officials incorrectly ruled that the ball hit the ground. I was surprised that Payton didn’t challenge.

Having said that, Luck did some good things. He led the Colts on one touchdown drive and nearly had another. Hakeem Nicks fell inches short of the goal line and then T.Y. Hilton dropped the ball in the end zone (although he wasn’t aware that he was actually standing out of bounds at the time.)

Here were Luck’s targets:

Dwayne Allen: 3
Ahmad Bradshaw: 1
Coby Fleener: 4 (1 end zone)
T.Y. Hilton: 5 (1 end zone)
Donte Moncrief: 1
Hakeem Nicks: 2
Reggie Wayne: 3
Griff Whalen: 2

Reggie Wayne caught the first pass for the Colts and drew a standing ovation from the crowd because it was his first game back from injury. However, the reception was nullified because of an illegal formation. Wayne didn’t end up with a reception despite seeing three targets go his way.

Hilton also had a disappointing outing. He hauled in only one ball for five yards despite getting a team-high five targets. As mentioned, he was out of bounds when Luck targeted him in the end zone. Hilton dropped the ball anyway.

Trent Richardson had a promising, strong 8-yard rush in this contest, but otherwise disappointed. He finished with 17 yards on six carries. What’s sad is that he posted only three yards on two rushes versus the Saints’ backups in the third quarter. He was also standing on the sidelines when his team was at the goal line just prior to halftime.

Ahmad Bradshaw was on the field instead. Bradshaw made some nifty moves on an 11-yard screen pass, but couldn’t do much on the ground, tallying two yards on three carries. The good news though is that Bradshaw appears healthy for a change. That probably won’t last long though, so enjoy it for now.

A quick note on the CBS broadcast: I can’t recall a single thing that sideline reporter Jenny Dell said the entire evening, but she did a great job. Dan Fouts, meanwhile, had his usual conversations with himself. He even referred to defensive players at one point as “defensers.” I’ll be having some fun with that this season.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Dolphins 25, Cowboys 20

Despite all of its firepower, Dallas’ first-string offense managed just six points in one half of play. The team did what it usually does – shoot itself in the foot with dumb mistakes. The Cowboys killed themselves with illegal shifts, illegal formations and other things of that nature.

Tony Romo also had a mildly disappointing performance, going 10-of-18 for just 87 yards. He was a bit off on a couple of passes, including one in which he missed Cole Beasley on third down. Lance Dunbar didn’t help him with a drop, but the bigger issue was all of the penalties.

Here were Romo’s targets:

Cole Beasley: 5
Dez Bryant: 5
Lance Dunbar: 3 (1 end zone)
DeMarco Murray: 2
Devin Street: 2
Terrance Williams: 2
Jason Witten: 1

Dez Bryant tied for the team lead with five targets, and he managed to snag four of them for 32 yards. The lone exception was actually a brilliant, diving catch on the sideline. The problem was that his elbows landed out of bounds before the lower half of his body hit the ground.

Cole Beasley was the player who tied Bryant in targets. Don’t read much into that, however, as Beasley converted just one reception. Beasley doesn’t look like a player who should be utilized regularly in the NFL.

DeMarco Murray saw limited action, carrying the ball six times for 18 yards and catching a 6-yard pass. Lance Dunbar was mixed in; he managed 17 yards on four carries. He caught a ball for 17 yards, but dropped one of his four targets.

I’ll get to Ryan Tannehill in a second, but the biggest story for the Dolphins has to do with the running back position. Once expected to have problems making the roster because of a troublesome knee, Knowshon Moreno saw his first action of the preseason. He made his first appearance on the opening drive, gaining 18 yards on a very impressive carry. He then spun around during a 9-yard rush and made a nice cut on a 7-yarder. In total, Moreno tallied 64 yards on 10 carries, and he was so much better than Lamar Miller. Moreno will eat into Miller’s workload; if not commandeer most of it.

Meanwhile, Lamar Miller posted decent numbers versus Dallas, totaling 34 rushing yards on seven carries. He hurt himself with a dropped pass that at first glance appeared to be a lost fumble on a lateral, however. With Knowshon Moreno looking dominant, Miller owners have to be extremely worried right now.

Ryan Tannehill went 13-of-21 for 119 yards and an interception. The pick actually occurred in the third quarter versus Dallas’ backups. I have no idea what Tannehill was thinking when he tossed a very poor throw toward Brian Hartline.

Tannehill had a mixed performance otherwise. He was hurt by some drops by Miller and Hartline, but he a couple of other mistakes. He was nearly picked by Bruce Carter on a pass to Dion Sims, and he overthrew Mike Wallace by a great distance in the red zone.

Here were Tannehill’s targets:

Charles Clay: 1
Brian Hartline: 5
Rishard Mattehws: 1
Lamar Miller: 3
Dion Sims: 3
Mike Wallace: 8

It was surprising to see Mike Wallace have a decent performance. Seeing a team-high eight targets, Wallace hauled in six balls for 67 yards. Tannehill did overthrow him once in the red zone, but that was the only blemish on an otherwise promising evening. Perhaps this will be a sign of things to come.

Charles Clay saw just one target (18-yard reception) because he left the game with a minor injury. The Dolphins’ broadcast noted that Clay would have been fine to return if this had been a regular-season game.

Every August, I remember how much of a joy it is to listen to the Miami broadcasters. Dick Stockton and Bob Griese are so old that they have no idea what’s going on anymore. Griese, especially, who opened the game with the following question concerning Tony Romo’s college: “Where did he go, Eastern Illinois, Northern Illinois?” Announcers are given depth charts with numbers, positions, college and years of experience to help them out, so Griese is either too lazy to read his sheet or to blind to see anything on it.

The sideline reporter, who is also old, tried to brighten the mood in a boring game by saying the following to Griese: “You’re going to love it down here, we’re not using Internets!” Maybe Griese should learn the Internets so he could discover what Romo’s alma mater is.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Buccaneers 27, Bills 14

The NFL Network billed this game as a matchup between the first two receivers taken in the 2014 NFL Draft, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Watkins was out because of the injury he sustained last week, but he reportedly would’ve been in the lineup had this been a regular-season game.

E.J. Manuel wished he had Watkins for this contest because he was absolutely terrible. That said, I don’t know if it would’ve mattered because Manuel was so incompletely inaccurate. He was way behind Robert Woods on a third-down pass. He was nearly picked while throwing to Fred Jackson across his body on what was called an illegal forward pass because he was over the line of scrimmage. He then fired way behind Jackson on an attempted screen. Manuel also took a number of sacks because he didn’t recognize blitzers. One of the sacks resulted in a lost fumble that turned into a defensive touchdown for Tampa Bay. Another sack was really him running out of bounds for a loss rather than throwing the ball away.

Manuel finished 19-of-28 for 198 yards, one touchdown and an interception, but don’t be fooled; most of Manuel’s positive yardage was meaningless because it came against backups. Versus the first-string defense, Manuel was a horrific 9-of-18 for 67 yards, an interception and a lost fumble, though the pick wasn’t his fault because Scott Chandler fell down. The crowd booed him a bit early on, but they really let him have it in the second quarter. The fans were completely irate by halftime. Meanwhile, on the sideline, Jackson yelled at his team in frustration. That didn’t help, as the offense couldn’t do anything until the Buccaneer reserves entered the game.

Here were Manuel’s targets:

Scott Chandler: 5
Marquise Goodwin: 1
Chris Gragg: 1
Chris Hogan: 1
Fred Jackson: 7
Lee Smith: 1
C.J. Spiller: 3
Frank Summers: 1
Mike Williams: 4 (1 end zone)
Robert Woods: 6

Same old for the Bills. C.J. Spiller started this contest, yet he and Fred Jackson had about the same amount of touches. Spiller was much more effective on the ground, gaining 36 yards on nine carries. He had an 18-yard rush and a 12-yard reception wiped out by penalties. However, he also lost a fumble on a 3-yard reception.

Meanwhile, Fred Jackson managed 15 yards and a touchdown (albeit against the backups) on five carries against the Buccaneers, but saw seven balls come his way in the passing game. He hauled in four of them for 23 receiving yards. Jackson has some value; most fantasy players are down on him because he’s old, while Spiller is getting too much credit. The two should be ranked more closely than what the consensus suggests.

Robert Woods paced the Buffalo wideouts in targets with six, but converted only two of those for 39 yards. Mike Williams was only slightly more effective, hauling in three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Before you get too excited, however, Williams’ score came against the Tampa backups.

Josh McCown hadn’t been especially sharp in his first two preseason games, so this performance is exactly what Tampa Bay was hoping for. McCown started slow, getting strip-sacked because he held on to the ball too long and then tossed an interception when Brandon Myers slipped on the turf (a problem for both teams), but he got hot afterward.

Playing one half of action, McCown went 13-of-16 for 112 yards, one touchdown and the pick. He barely missed out on a second score, as Doug Martin was tackled inches short of the goal line on one of his catches. McCown was precise on most of his throws all afternoon, which included a pretty 24-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans.

Here were McCown’s targets:

Jeff Demps: 1
Mike Evans: 4 (1 end zone)
Robert Herron: 1
Vincent Jackson: 6
Jorvorskie Lane: 2
Doug Martin: 2
Brandon Myers: 1
Bobby Rainey: 1

Vincent Jackson fantasy owners have to be happy with Tampa’s latest game. Jackson caught five balls for 43 yards in just one half of action. The important thing is that Josh McCown looked very capable against a decent defense.

Doug Martin also played well. He rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and also hauled in two balls for 27 receiving yards. He’s going to have a rebound season.

Mike Evans saw the second-most targets of the Tampa Bay receivers. He caught three of the four balls thrown to him for 44 yards and a touchdown in just one half. Evans, unfortunately, is being overdrafted because he’s a flashy rookie.

I don’t know if my feed of this game just sucked, but strange, yellow polygons popped onto the screen sometimes. It felt like I was watching Tetris. I also had issues understanding what the Bills’ announcers were saying on occasion. It sounded like they were slurring, as they seemingly called Lee Smith “Charles Tims.” Then again, one of the announcers referred to Vincent Jackson as “Mike Williams” and noted that C.J. Spiller’s lost fumble was an interception, so maybe the poor quality was all their fault.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Lions 13, Jaguars 12

Gus Bradley was with the Seahawks when a rookie quarterback outplayed a veteran signal-caller in the preseason. Pete Carroll, preaching the importance of competition at every position, made the right decision by giving the nod to the younger player, despite that player’s complete lack of experience. A year and a half later, that young quarterback was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

If Bradley saw Carroll make the correct choice with Russell Wilson, why won’t he do the same with Blake Bortles? There’s no question that Bortles has now outplayed Chad Henne in three preseason games. Bortles entered this contest with two minutes to go in the opening half, but was pinned back at the 5-yard line. This didn’t bother him, as he got out of poor field position by lofting an awesome, 28-yard touch pass to Allen Hurns.

Bortles, battling Detroit’s No. 1 defensive unit on this possession, led his team into field goal range before running out of time. Putting three points on the board in this circumstance was very impressive, especially considering that he converted a second-and-25 with a 28-yard dart to Marcedes Lewis. Bortles even pulled a Dan Marino toward the end, faking a spike and firing a pass toward the end zone, but the officials didn’t see it coming and blew the play dead.

Bortles, playing with the first-stringers the entire time, finished 10-of-17 for 158 yards and a touchdown. One drive was cut short by an Allen Hurns drop. Bortles did have two dropped interceptions – though one would’ve been nullified by illegal contact – but the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Here were Bortles’ targets:

Brandon Barden: 1
Mike Brown: 2
Allen Hurns: 7
Marqise Lee: 1
Marcedes Lewis: 1
Kerry Taylor: 2 (1 end zone)
Jordan Todman: 2

As for Chad Henne, he didn’t play poorly, but his level of performance wasn’t anywhere near Bortles’. Henne went 9-of-14 for just 70 yards. He made just one bad pass, missing Jordan Todman in the flat.

Here were Henne’s targets:

Mike Brown: 1
Allen Hurns: 3
Marqise Lee: 4
Marcedes Lewis: 1
Cecil Shorts: 2
Will Ta’ufo’ou: 2
Jordan Todman: 2

Toby Gerhart saw most of the first-string touches, gaining 32 yards on 10 carries. He had a couple of decent rushes, but looked like an average plodder for the most part. Pay-per-content publications are pushing Gerhart as an RB2 for some strange reason, but he’s nothing more than just an ordinary RB3. He’s going way too early in fantasy drafts.

Cecil Shorts saw his first action of the preseason at Detroit. He failed to catch either of his two targets. Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns were much more involved offensively, so Shorts may have to fight for targets. Factor in his injury issues, and Shorts is nothing more than late-round fodder.

Henne had some protection issues in this contest. He took some sacks, partly because Luke Joeckel had problems blocking former undrafted free agent George Johnson, of all people.

Meanwhile, Detroit’s game plan was very curious. Matthew Stafford played into the third quarter, but many of the other starters exited in the middle of the second frame. Thus, Stafford had to operate with the likes of George Winn and Mikel Leshoure. I have no idea why Jim Caldwell put Stafford at risk like that. Stafford took a big hit on his final drive, so Detroit is lucky that he didn’t get hurt.

Stafford didn’t have a very good night overall. He went 10-of-16 for just 98 yards and an interception where he didn’t see defensive end Alan Branch dropping into coverage. Stafford was nearly picked a second time, but safety John Cyprien dropped the ball. He also threw wide of an open Golden Tate on one instance. His most eventful play was a shovel pass heaved at Joique Bell as he was falling down.

Here were Stafford’s targets:

Joique Bell: 1
Jed Collins: 1
Kris Durham: 1
Eric Ebron: 1
Corey Fuller: 1
Calvin Johnson: 3
Mikel Leshoure: 1
Golden Tate: 4
George Winn: 1

The only offense Detroit’s first-stringers could muster versus Jacksonville was a Reggie Bush 86-yard touchdown run. The score, which happened because of a great cut-back, would’ve been the longest of Bush’s career had it occurred in the regular season. Bush, who gained 95 yards and the touchdown on two carries, also had a 24-yard run wiped out by penalty. Bush will get a stock up for this performance, but keep in mind that he’s made lots of mistakes lately and could be benched at some point as a consequence. He’s going too early in fantasy drafts.

Joique Bell rotated with Bush, seeing the field on the second series of downs on the opening drive. He managed 24 yards on seven carries.

Calvin Johnson caught two passes for 27 yards. He was also targeted on Stafford’s sole interception. There’s nothing else worth noting.

Some eventful things that occurred in this game:

– Marqise Lee (3 catches, 10 yards), was flagged at one point for what the official called “abusive language.” Lee was then told to stand in the corner for 10 minutes.

– The inept Lions’ announcers had issues saying Will Ta’ufo’ou’s name. Not that I completely blame them, but they came up with “Will Tialui” and “Will Tialuaya.” I’d like to know where the hell they got that “L” from because there’s no “L” in that name. They could at least put some effort into it.

– Speaking of the Detroit analysts, here’s what a typical exchange sounded like:

“Here are tonight’s stats, brought to you by Wallside Windows, We can do that; we are the factory.”

“A good throw by Bortles. Allen Hurns advances past the first-down line. The first-down line is brought to you by Wallside Windows, We can do that; we are the factory.”

“This play is going to be under review, and the replay timeout is brought to you by Wallside Windows, We can do that; we are the factory.”

“That was a nice block by Will… Will… Tialauanalalala, who is brought to you by Wallside Windows, We can do that; we are the factory.”

I am not exaggerating. They literally said “brought to you by Wallside Windows, We can do that; we are the factory” a thousand times in this game. Wallside Windows can rot in hell as far as I’m concerned.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Patriots 30, Panthers 7

Two games aren’t much of a sample size, but the Panthers’ offense doesn’t look any good. The first-stringers put a doughnut on the scoreboard in this matchup, as pretty much everyone, save for Kelvin Benjamin, struggled.

Cam Newton had a poor performance against the Patriots. He went 8-of-12 for 88 yards. Those numbers don’t sound too bad, but he missed several open targets, including Greg Olsen twice for big gains. The offensive line couldn’t protect him either, and what’s worse is that Newton looks incredibly hesitant to scramble. He did run for seven yards on one play, but he bent over and grabbed his hip afterward. He had to leave the game for one play. Based on what I’ve seen this preseason, I wouldn’t want Newton as my starting fantasy quarterback.

It has to be stressed how poorly the offensive line performed for Newton. He was sacked twice on the opening drive, though he did find Benjamin twice for moderate-sized gains on the possession. Newton was then sacked a third time on the next series. Chandler Jones, who dominated the line of scrimmage all evening, brought him down for a second time. Newton didn’t take any sacks after that, he was pressured frequently. There were rare occasions in which he did have time, but that’s when his anemic receiving corps couldn’t separate.

Here were Newton’s targets:

Jason Avant: 1
Kelvin Benjamin: 7
Greg Olsen: 4
Jonathan Stewart: 1

Kelvin Benjamin looks like a star in the making. As the only functional player on Carolina’s offense at New England, Benjamin caught five of the seven balls thrown to him for 47 yards. Keep in mind that he had to deal with Darrelle Revis. Benjamin, unfortunately, is going too early in fantasy drafts. He’s a rookie receiver, so there are better, more experienced options out there. There’s no reason to gamble on an unproven commodity.

Nothing to note from Carolina’s backfield. Neither Jonathan Stewart (4 carries, 11 yards) nor DeAngelo Williams (5 carries, 9 yards) should be selected in the first half of your fantasy draft. Stewart once again looked better, but that’s almost like picking out the more attractive fat chick at a bar.

I was surprised when I saw Tom Brady’s stat line because I didn’t think he had a great game. Brady went 17-of-21 for 204 yards and two touchdowns in about a half of action (he played into the third quarter, but missed one drive in the second frame because Bill Belichick wanted to see how Ryan Mallett would handle being thrown under center without warning.) It’s worth noting that Brady’s second score, along with some of his yardage, came against Carolina’s backups.

Brady did a couple very nice things in this contest, such as convert a third-and-19 to Kenbrell Thompkins. He also endured a pair of drops from his receivers. However, Brady threw behind Brandon LaFell on a third down, tripped over his own lineman’s foot on one occasion, and made a poor decision by throwing the ball to Julian Edelman over the middle of the field with no timeouts as the clock was running down in the opening half. Edelman bailed him out by somehow navigating to the sideline.

Here were Brady’s targets:

Danny Amendola: 2
Julian Edelman: 8
Brandon LaFell: 6
Kenbrell Thompkins: 3
Shane Vereen: 5

Shane Vereen was the most impressive player for the Patriots in their third preseason game. He caught five balls for 57 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing six times for 18 yards. The first score, which was the only one against the starters, came on a 40-yard wheel route. Most of his rushes came in the 2-minute drill, where he showed decent running ability. Considering that he doesn’t fumble, Vereen should be given more ground work.

Stevan Ridley had a mediocre night. He led the team in rushing with 28 yards on eight carries, but his big gain – a 13-yarder – came against the backups. On the bright side, he didn’t fumble.

One Patriot running back to watch out for is Jonas Gray. I only say this because the Patriot announcers said that Gray was “creating a stir.” He’s a big back who lumbered for 20 yards on nine carries. This mostly came against the backups, but he did get some work with the starting unit. He also had an impressive 25-yard gain in the fourth quarter that was called back for a hold. I wouldn’t draft Gray or anything, but he’s someone to monitor.

Some fantasy publications – including those you have to pay for – are pushing the idea that Julian Edelman’s numbers will regress this season. That’s ignoring the fact that Brady loves targeting his slot receiver. Edelman actually caught all eight balls thrown to him for 99 yards. He’s going to once again be fantastic in PPR formats.

As mentioned, Mallett entered this contest in the second quarter. He would’ve “led” the offense to a three-and-out, but he was bailed out with a pass interference. It didn’t matter though because he proceeded to miss an open LaFell.

Mallett didn’t see action after that, as Jimmy Garoppolo operated under center after Brady left. Garoppolo, who went 9-of-12 for 105 yards and a touchdown, did one thing well and another poorly, with everything else pretty much nondescript. He was nearly intercepted when a defender had grabbed hold of his leg, but then he made up for it with a nice, 30-yard pass on a rope to Derrick Johnson down the sideline.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Seahawks 34, Bears 6

If this preseason has been any indication, the Seahawks are going to be nearly impossible to stop this year. They’ve always been a defense-first football team, but their offense has appeared to completely catch up, thanks to the maturation of Russell Wilson and return of Percy Harvin.

Wilson was amazing in this contest. Granted, he was battling one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but 15-of-20 for 202 yards and two touchdowns in slightly more than one half of action is not something that can be ignored.

Wilson was every bit as good as those numbers indicate. Many plays stuck out, including one in which he eluded a sack, scrambled left and looked like he was throwing the ball away – yet he still managed to hit Jermaine Kearse for a first down. Kearse later scored one play after Luke Willson dropped a touchdown.

Here were Wilson’s targets:

Doug Baldwin: 2
Percy Harvin: 3
Cooper Helfet: 1
Jermaine Kearse: 5 (2 end zone)
Christine Michael: 3
Zach Miller: 1
Luke Willson: 2 (2 end zone)

Wilson threw to Percy Harvin just three times, but the Seahawks did a good job of getting him into space on those occasions. He hauled in all three balls for 61 yards.

Jermaine Kearse led the Seahawks in targets with five, including two in the end zone. He managed to snag four of them for 63 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. This was a nice performance, but it’s difficult to take it seriously, considering that Kearse had just one catch this entire preseason heading into this contest. A different receiver steps up each week for Seattle, so owning them can be frustrating.

Marshawn Lynch received his first carry of the preseason in this game. He looked good on all three of his attempts, gaining 16 yards and a touchdown. Lynch will post quality numbers when he’s healthy, but his recent, heavy workload pretty much guarantees a decline this year.

Despite fumbling twice this preseason, Christine Michael saw extensive work with the starting unit against the Bears. Michael was fantastic, rushing for 28 yards on six carries and also catching three balls for 36 yards and a touchdown. On one of his touches, he impressively broke out of a tackle on a 21-yard screen pass. Robert Turbin (6 carries, 26 yards) was still the second running back on the field, but it’s obvious that Michael is more talented. It’s also refreshing that a coach is willing to give his player a chance after a couple of mistakes.

The Bears posted zero points against Seattle’s first-string defense, but Jay Cutler can’t be blamed too much for that. Cutler had a fine outing overall, but he made a couple of mistakes that cost his team. Quarterbacks have to be perfect against the Seahawks’ stop unit, especially when playing in their stadium, and Cutler was not.

Cutler missed some throws early on. He sailed the ball too high for Alshon Jeffery on the first drive. He then launched a deep ball for Jeffery, and appeared to connect with his young wideout, but Byron Maxwell broke up the pass.

Cutler had some issues connecting with Brandon Marshall as well. He was nearly picked while going that direction and then threw wide of Marshall, who dived for the ball but couldn’t prevent it from hitting the ground.

Cutler also had lots of pressure in his face, especially in the second quarter. He did ultimately lead his team into the red zone, and it appeared as though the Bears scored on two occasions, but a pair of touchdowns were nullified. The first was wiped out because Martellus Bennett landed out of bounds at the half-yard line. The second was nullified because of a phantom offensive pass interference by Marshall. Even the homer Seattle announcers were taken aback by the call. On the very next play, Cutler handled a botched snap and didn’t see Lane as a consequence. The third-year nickel picked off the pass and advanced the ball to midfield, setting up a field goal to end the half.

Here were Cutler’s targets:

Martellus Bennett: 1
Alshon Jeffery: 8
Brandon Marshall: 7
Josh Morgan: 2
Dante Rosario: 1

Marshall and Jeffery were targeted nearly equally, and the two each caught four balls for 37 and 45 yards, respectively. Jeffery appeared to lose a fumble at one point, but the call was overturned by replay, as it became evident that his knee was down.

The big take-away regarding Chicago’s offense was that Matt Forte is not completely inept at running the ball. Forte hadn’t been able to generate positive yardage on the ground this preseason until this contest. He burst for 11 yards on his first carry and ultimately finished with 17 yards on three attempts.

Santonio Holmes saw his first action as a Bear. He was on the field sparingly with the starters, seeing most of his time with the backups. All he managed to do was snag a 7-yard reception.

I’m stating the obvious here, but Chicago’s defense is atrocious. Willie Young made a nice play on one occasion, but they just looked so inept overall. Lance Briggs was especially brutal. He’s lost quite a few steps.

I don’t know why, but NFL.com had the Bears’ feed, while the NFL Network aired Seattle’s telecast. The former was more entertaining, only because we got some more drunken Jim Miller. He had this gem prior to kickoff:

“The Bears have a new hot rod with San Antoni… Santonio Holmes!”

Yeah, that new hot rod had a nifty 7-yard reception, so that’s cool.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Packers 31, Raiders 21

The Packers probably wished they had a better test in their dress rehearsal. They whipped the Raiders, quite possibly the worst team in the NFL, with relative ease. The offense put 22 points on the board in a quarter-and-a-half despite using Eddie Lacy for only one drive.

Aaron Rodgers failed to complete half of his passes, going 9-of-20 for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He was victimized by some drops, particularly from Randall Cobb. Rodgers did have some accuracy issues though, as he wasn’t completely on his “A” game. He’ll need to be sharper against the Seahawks.

Here were Rodgers’ targets:

Davante Adams: 1 (1 end zone)
Jarrett Boykin: 1 (1 end zone)
Randall Cobb: 3 (1 end zone)
DuJuan Harris: 2
Jordy Nelson: 6 (2 end zone)
Andrew Quarless: 1 (1 end zone)
Richard Rodgers: 3
James Starks: 4

As mentioned, Eddie Lacy played just one drive in his third preseason game. He was completely dominant, gaining 36 yards and a touchdown on six carries. The Raiders bottled him up once, but looked pathetic trying to stop him otherwise. Lacy is an absolute stud and should be considered as the No. 3 pick in standard fantasy drafts if you’re concerned with LeSean McCoy’s injuries.

Randall Cobb had a rough outing against the Raiders. He was targeted just thrice, which is nothing compared to the seven balls Jordy Nelson saw go his way. Cobb didn’t even log a single reception because of two drops.

Jordy Nelson didn’t have much success converting his targets either. He caught only two balls for 19 yards. One pass was broken up by corner T.J. Carrie. Rodgers went back to Nelson on the very next play. Nelson caught the pass and broke away from Carrie for a touchdown. Otherwise, Rodgers missed Nelson downfield on a couple of occasions.

Richard Rodgers is worth monitoring as a TE2. Aaron Rodgers favored his rookie tight end on the opening drive against Oakland. Richard Rodgers, who has been talked up this offseason, caught two of his three targets for 40 yards.

Second-round rookie Davante Adams saw a bit of action with the starters, but played mostly in the second half. He dropped a pass and failed to haul in a single reception.

Julius Peppers, who made some splash plays last week versus St. Louis, continued his strong preseason with a sack on Matt Schaub. Meanwhile, B.J. Raji left the game in the second quarter with an arm injury.

I usually don’t post notes about kickers, but you may want to avoid Mason Crosby. The Packers went for two every single time in this game. Perhaps this is a sign that Green Bay will try two-point conversions more often this upcoming season.

The Raiders didn’t have Derek Carr available because of the concussion he sustained last week, so Matt Schaub was the only quarterback of any significance on their side. To be blunt, Schaub was absolutely atrocious. It was one of the worst performances I’ve seen this preseason, and that’s saying a lot, considering that I’ve had the misfortune of watching incapable quarterbacks like Blaine Gabbert and Landry Jones.

Schaub’s final numbers are very deceiving. He finished 13-of-27 for 110 yards, but most of that latter number came against the backups. Versus the Packer starters, Schaub was 6-of-12 for only 23 yards. His YPA wasn’t even two.

Schaub spent the early part of this game forcing passes to James Jones, perhaps because the former Packer made his return to his old home. This turned out to be futile. Schaub is glue-factory fodder, while Jones is an extremely inefficient receiver. Schaub then was nearly picked off three times – twice against the Green Bay reserves. There was one amusing stretch in which Schaub was almost intercepted by a backup linebacker, nearly picked by a backup corner and then strip-sacked by a backup lineman.

Schaub, as indicated, proceeded to pad his numbers in the third quarter when the Green Bay first-stringers were long gone. He missed out on two touchdowns then because Marcel Reece and Jones both dropped balls in the end zone.

Here were Schaub’s targets:

James Jones: 9 (1 end zone)
Denarius Moore: 6 (1 end zone)
Mychal Rivera: 5
Marcel Reece: 2
Kory Sheets: 3
Rod Streater: 3 (2 end zone)

James Jones led the Raiders with nine targets against the Packers, but he was very inefficient. He hauled in four of those balls for 36 yards. He struggled to separate and dropped a pass in the end zone. He should not be drafted in 12-team leagues.

The one positive for Oakland’s offense in its matchup against the Packers was Maurice Jones-Drew’s performance. He received just three carries, but sprinted for a 40-yard touchdown, breaking away from A.J. Hawk. Jones-Drew looks like the same player from 2011, which is why he rests atop my Fantasy Football Sleepers list.

Some notes on a few Oakland defenders – some good, most bad: Khalil Mack made some quality plays in this matchup, including an interception. Mack read the screen perfectly and picked off Matt Flynn as a consequence. Unfortunately, fellow linebacker Sio Moore was carted off and taken to the hospital with a neck injury. Tarell Brown and Nick Roach also left this game with head issues.

CBS covered this game, meaning we got to listen to Phil Simms, who is probably the worst color analyst on any major network. Simms said a number of strange things, as usual, including one instance where he declared that James Jones didn’t lose control of the ball in the end zone when he clearly dropped it while falling out of bounds. Simms spent the rest of the evening answering his own questions.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Giants 35, Jets 24

Eli Manning had been dreadful in three preseason games leading up this matchup. This was probably his final chance to get for the regular season by playing a first-string defense. The Jets sport a poor secondary, so Manning almost certainly had to get back on track. He didn’t.

Manning’s final numbers are very deceiving. He finished 12-of-21 for 139 yards and a touchdown, but most of his yardage came in the 2-minute drill just prior to halftime, but he still didn’t look right. He should have never been able to complete his drive because a pass of his that was intercepted was negated because the defender was ruled out of bounds after replay.

Some of Manning’s lowlights include:

– He underthrew Rueben Randle on a deep pass. Antonio Allen was able to get in position to break it up.

– He had a dropped-pick six on a pass to Jerrel Jernigan.

– He was strip-sacked by Jason Babin. Luckily for him, a teammate recovered the ball. He fumbled a second time, but it fell out of bounds.

– The offensive line did Manning no favors, as it once again failed to block well. Manning threw four passes away under heavy pressure. He also took a sack. Making matters worse, the newly signed Geoff Schwartz had to leave the game with a dislocated toe.

Manning did do some nice things this evening. This includes lofting a nice touch pass to Randle for a 26-yard gain. However, the negatives outweighed the positives for the fourth preseason game, and it looks like this is going to be a very long season for the Giants.

Here were Manning’s targets:

Victor Cruz: 8
Marcus Harris: 1
Rashad Jennings: 2
Jerrel Jernigan: 4
Mario Manningham: 1
Rueben Randle: 4 (1 end zone)

Victor Cruz had a neutral outing. He caught four of the eight targets thrown his way for 61 yards. That’s not a bad stat line for one half of action, but most of his damage came in one drive.

While the passing game struggled versus the Jets, Rashad Jennings thrived. He rushed for 67 yards on 13 carries and also caught a 7-yard pass. Best of all, Andre Williams was used sparingly in the first half. Jennings projects as a decent, undervalued RB2.

A scary moment for the Giants: Jason Pierre-Paul was down on the field and appeared to have a serious injury, but he managed to walk off on his own power and then reentered the game.

Geno Smith had a less-eventful night than Manning – which is definitely a good thing. Smith went 9-of-14 for 137 yards and a touchdown, and unlike Manning, all of his numbers are legitimate. In fact, his stats could’ve been even better, but Eric Decker dropped two passes, including one in the end zone.

Smith had one poor throw when he missed an open Decker on third down, but otherwise looked pretty decent. Of course, Smith struggled with consistency last year, so it would be nice if he could carry this over to the regular season and maintain it.

Here were Smith’s targets:

Jace Amaro: 3 (1 end zone)
Eric Decker: 5 (2 end zone)
Stephen Hill: 3
Chris Ivory: 1
Chris Johnson: 1
Jeremy Kerley: 2
David Nelson: 1
Bilal Powell: 1
Zach Sudfeld: 2 (1 end zone)

I mentioned Decker dropping two passes and being missed on another. The good news for him is that he caught three balls for 34 yards and a touchdown. The score came in the third quarter from the backup quarterback.

Jace Amaro actually led the Jets with four catches, 37 yards and a touchdown, which came against the Giants’ starters. Amaro saw three targets from Smith, though he was flagged for offensive pass interference on one play.

As with Eli Manning, Chris Johnson had some bogus numbers. Chris Johnson rushed for 42 yards on nine carries and also caught two balls for 35 yards. However, he had a 12-yard gain on the ground and a reception of 19 yards versus the backups. Johnson has done nothing this preseason but rack up bogus yardage versus the backups, looking extremely mediocre otherwise. Ignore him in fantasy drafts.

Chris Ivory also had some BS yardage (he rushed for 50 yards on six carries), but looked more explosive than Johnson. It’s only a matter of time before he emerges as the starter.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


Eagles 31, Steelers 21

The big story entering this game was that Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were allowed to play following their dual marijuana possession arrests on Wednesday. The Steelers actually opened up with two Bell carries to begin their initial offensive series. Bell managed minimal gains, but on his third run, he made a nice cut and bounced off Malcolm Jenkins for a gain of eight yards. Bell’s other eventful play was when he was blown up by DeMeco Ryans on an attempted reception. Ryans was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver.

Bell gained 23 yards on nine carries. Blount actually outgained him on fewer rushes, tallying 32 yards on his seven tries.

As for the passing offense, it did absolutely nothing in this contest until it battled the backups in the third quarter. Ben Roethlisberger’s numbers – 15-of-24, 157 yards, one touchdown, one interception – are misleading because he went a perfect 7-of-7 for 117 yards in the second half against the second-stringers. This means that he was just 8-of-17 for 40 yards versus the starters. That’s not good.

Here were Roethlisberger’s targets:

Dri Archer: 4
Le’Veon Bell: 3
LeGarrette Blount: 1
Antonio Brown: 6
Justin Brown: 1
Heath Miller: 6 (1 end zone)
Markus Wheaton: 7

Pittsburgh’s offensive ineptitude wasn’t all Roethlisberger’s fault, though his pick was a careless throw-away when he was under pressure. Roethlisberger just wasn’t on the same page with Markus Wheaton the entire evening despite talking him up during the week. He had a miscommunicaton with Wheaton when he wanted to throw a back-shoulder pass, yet Wheaton kept on running. Roethlisberger missed poorly on three attempts to Wheaton, and then Wheaton proceeded to drop a pass in the second quarter.

This was a poor showing for Pittsburgh’s new No. 2 wideout, as Wheaton hauled in just two of his team-leading seven targets for 24 yards. He’s a very inefficient receiver right now who is unworthy of any sort of fantasy roster spot.

Antonio Brown was Pittsburgh’s leading receiver. He didn’t do anything against the starters, however, as most of his damage came in the second half.

I focused in on Jarvis Jones when the Steelers were on defense. Jones did absolutely nothing. Granted, he was going against Jason Peters, but the second-year pass-rusher was completely shut down.

As for the Eagles, they suffered a huge scare when Jeremy Maclin went down in the first half. He was clutching his knee, and was clearly in agony. I thought he was done for the year, but not only did he walk off; he came back to the field a bit later and caught a pass on his first play.

Leading the team with 10 targets, Maclin logged six receptions for 43 yards in just one half of action. This was a promising performance from a statistical standpoint (especially in PPR formats), but Maclin’s knee scare was a reminder of how brittle he is. Maclin will suffer at least one injury this season, and he’ll frustrate his fantasy owners by always being listed on the injury report.

Nick Foles obviously would’ve seen a stock down had Maclin actually suffered a brutal knee injury. Foles began slowly with a poor throw to Maclin, a wide pass toward Jordan Matthews and an overthrow to Brent Celek on a touch pass in the red zone. Foles also endured a couple of drops; one by Darren Sproles, and another from Riley Cooper in the end zone.

However, Foles rebounded after that, as he got into a rhythm. He finished 19-of-29 for 179 yards, one touchdown and an interception that wasn’t his fault because Sproles fell down on a screen.

Here were Foles’ targets:

Brent Celek: 3
Riley Cooper: 6 (2 end zone)
Zach Ertz: 2
Jeremy Maclin: 10
Jeff Maehl: 1
Jordan Matthews: 3
LeSean McCoy: 2
Darren Sproles: 4 (1 end zone)

Riley Cooper had a rough night against the Steelers. He saw six targets go his way, but caught just half of them for 25 yards. He dropped a touchdown and had the ball knocked out of his hands for what would’ve been a 20-yard gain. He was also flagged for offensive pass interference in the end zone.

Another player who gave his team a scare, LeSean McCoy went into the locker room at the end of the first quarter against the Steelers to get X-rays on his thumb. The X-rays came back negative, but I’m not liking McCoy’s sudden durability questions. He’s dealing with a slight turf toe, which could cause him problems later this season. It didn’t affect him tonight, however, as he gained 24 yards on four carries.

It’s time to make fun of the Eagles’ announcers again. The play-by-play guy, who called Mychal Kendricks “Mychal Kendrickson,” exclaimed the following during Philadelphia’s first possession:

“The Eagles are using the same personnel they did on the first play of this drive!”

What’s odd is that he shouted this as both teams were substituting. There were literally guys running on and off the field as he said this, so I have no idea what he thought he was watching.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


2014 Preseason Notes: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
2014 Fantasy Football Stock Pages: Preseason Stock Week 4 | Preseason Stock Week 3 | Preseason Stock Week 2 | Preseason Stock Week 1 | Training Camp Stock

More 2014 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings

2014 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 8/27 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 6/4 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 6/4 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings - 5/18 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 8/22 (Walt)

2014 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 2-QB - 8/21 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 8/14 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR - 8/12 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 3-WR - 8/7 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 7/31 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 3-WR - 7/24 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR - 7/17 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Standard - 7/10 (Walt)

2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - PPR - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 2-QB - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - TD - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Spreadsheets - 8/28 (Walt)

2014 Fantasy Football Articles:
2014 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Training Camp - 9/3 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: It's All About Value - 9/1 (Kenny)
2014 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 8/31 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Busts - 8/31 (Walt)
2014 NFL Preseason Recap, Fantasy Football Notes - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Preseason Stock - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Quarterback Targets - 8/30 (Walt)
FanDuel $1 Million Contest - 8/30 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator - 8/30 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy - 8/17 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Running Backs - 3/28 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: Overdrafted Players - 2/16 (Walt)
2014 Fantasy Football: First-Round Bust History - 2/14 (Walt)
Running Backs with Most Carries - 2/14 (Walt)




2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 16


NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22


Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19


NFL Picks - Feb. 12