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2024 Preseason Notes:
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3
2024 Fantasy Football Stock Pages:
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3
Redskins 20, Patriots 10
Some coaches have been too brazen with using their starters in the final preseason game. Jerod Mayo at least had the excuse of a competition at the position, but it may have been decided for him because of an injury.
Jacoby Brissett played just one drive because he injured his shoulder on a sack. Brissett failed to do much because he sailed a pass toward Antonio Gibson and then K.J. Osborn dropped a pass. Brissett was flattened on a sack, however, causing him to grimace in pain.
Here were Brissett’s targets:
Jaheim Bell: 1
Antonio Gibson: 2
K.J. Osborn: 1
Not only did Brissett get injured; Drake Maye performed on a high level to perhaps win the starting job. Despite the offensive line being a mess – eight penalties by the group in the opening half – Maye was able to lead the team to a touchdown on his initial drive. He made a 17-yard scramble to pick up a third-and-14, then completed a great pass when he stepped up into the pocket and delivered a perfect 29-yard strike to Ja’Lynn Polk. He then converted a third-and-8 to Demario Douglas on a 16-yard touch throw. He overshot Douglas on a routine pass, but made up for it with a touchdown to Kevin Harris on the next play.
The rest of Maye’s night was uneven, as he skipped some balls and threw a couple of passes behind his targets. He also had some big plays, including a 49-yard bomb to Osborn, negated by penalties by the offensive line. The front committed so many penalties in the first half that the official said, “Illegal formation, once again, on the offense.”
Joe Milton played the entire second half, save for one final drive piloted by Bailey Zappe. He had issues with his accuracy and had an interception thrown into double coverage wiped out by defensive holding, but he made some spectacular throws as well.
NFL Preseason Announcers: Cris Collinsworth had a Matt Millen moment when he said the following: “Let’s go bang around down there and enjoy ourselves.”
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Broncos 38, Cardinals 12
Neither team played their starters. In fact, the Cardinals didn’t even bother using Trey Benson. The Broncos, conversely, started their rookie running back, Audric Estime. The Notre Dame product had some nice runs, but given that he saw action in the preseason finale, that’s not good for his immediate usage.
There’s not much else to say about this game. Zach Wilson performed on a high level and may have won the QB2 job, though he was lucky to get away with a potential interception.
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Titans 30, Saints 27
Will Levis is a young quaarterback in a new system, so it made sense for him to play in the preseason finale. Levis was on the field for two drives, leading Tennessee to 10 points albeit against New Orleans’ backup defense.
Levis had a mostly positive performance. He completed a 22-yard pass to Tyler Boyd on the opening drive, then drew a pass interference flag on a throw to Treylon Burks in the end zone to set up a rushing touchdown. On the ensuing possession, Levis hit Calvin Ridley with a 33-yard pass, though he was nearly intercepted in the end zone when he fired a pass to Ridley into double coverage.
Here were Levis’ targets:
Tyler Boyd: 1
Treylon Burks: 1 (1 end zone)
Tony Pollard: 2
Calvin Ridley: 3 (1 end zone)
Nick Vannett: 2
Player performance is often overrated in the preseason, whereas player usage is much more significant. This was prevalent in the Titans’ preseason finale, as Tony Pollard was on the field for every single play during the opening drive. Tyjae Spears entered the field on the second possession, but lost snaps to Pollard on that drive as well. Spears even played a bit with Mason Rudolph. This is huge for Pollard’s fantasy outlook.
The Saints, meanwhile, used their backups. Spencer Rattler entered the game in the second quater and rotate with Jake Haener. Rattler hit Equanimeous St. Brown for a 21-yard touchdown on a perfect fade pass. He also drew an interference flag deep downfield, albeit on an underthrown pass.
NFL Preseason Announcers: The Saints announcers spent most of the time talking about the upgrades made to the Superdome. In between, they called Tony Pollard “Tony Benson.”
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Seahawks 37, Browns 33
Geno Smith saw his first action of the preseason. Given that he’s in a new system, it made sense for him to see at least one drive. That’s exactly how much he played in this game.
Though Smith didn’t take many snaps, he made them count. He missed his first throw, but then delivered a perfect fade pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 25 yards on the ensuing throw. Smith capped off the drive with a terriic 21-yard back-shoulder touchdown to D.K. Metcalf.
Here were Smith’s targets:
D.K. Metcalf: 2
Kenny McIntosh: 1
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 2
Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught two passes on one drive, including a 25-yard deep ball. Smith-Njigba is expected to make a big leap in his second year, so it was encouraging to see him have as many targets as D.K. Metcalf from Geno Smith, albeit in a very small sample size.
Smith took the field with most of his starters, but not the top two running backs. Kenny McIntosh got the nod instead. McIntosh ended up breaking free for a 56-yard touchdown with the backups.
Speaking of backups, those were the only players who participated for Cleveland. Jameis Winston drew the start and did well against Seattle’s No. 1 defense. He delivered a spirited pre-game speech, but it didn’t end up mattering.
The Browns made a curious choice to utilize their top two running backs, Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman. Given that these are the only two healthy viable backs on the roster, it was a strange decision by Kevin Stefanski. It nearly backfired when Foreman suffered an injury, but it doesn’t seem to be significant.
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Jets 10, Giants 6
No starters played in this game, as Brian Daboll apparently saw enough from Daniel Jones in half of action last week. The Jets, meanwhile, didn’t even use any of their top backups. Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis were both rested, yet Israel Abanikanda saw lots of work. This is obviously horrible news for Abanikanda’s chances of making the final roster. The same can be said of Isaiah Hodgins for the Giants’ 53-man roster, as Hodgins played as well.
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Chargers 26, Cowboys 19
Neither team played their starters in this game, but we got to see Trey “Please Stop Calling Me Colin Kaepernick” Lance for all four quarters. As per usual with Lance, we saw some moments of brilliance mixed in with frustrating mistakes.
Lance began the afternoon with a 25-yard bullet to a receiver along the sideline. However, Lance would later throw an interception when he telegraphed his pass. Lance compounded the mistakes by overthrowing a receiver on a short toss, but eventually made up for it with a beautiful fade touchdown to rookie receiver Ryan Flournoy.
Lance was more erratic in the second half. Lance zipped a conversion on third-and-12 to his target and then had a 21-yard gain after rolling left on a play-action bootleg. However, the drive ended with an interception thrown into the end zone where he didn’t see the safety. Lance rebounded by scoring a 46-yard rushing touchdown on the ensuing drive, and then fit the ball through a tight window for a gain of 19 yards the next time he had the ball. This possession concluded with a field goal, but the next drive was disastrous, as Lance heaved a pick-six to a linebacker he didn’t recognize in coverage. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Lance tossed his fourth pick when he launched the ball off his back foot into tight coverage. There was a fifth interception, but Lance was just trying to make something happen on the final play of the game.
Once again, Lance looked great at times, but showed some glaring flaws that made the 49ers choose Brock Purdy over him. He has some great potential, but isn’t ready to play in real action yet.
The Chargers didn’t bother with their top backups. They didn’t dress Kimani Vidal, which is a positive for the sixth-round rookie’s outlook. Conversely, Brenden Rice saw seven targets, so the rookie wideout may not make the final roster.
NFL Preseason Announcers: There was this annoying buzzing sound heard throughout the first quarter. The rest of the telecast featured Dan Fouts complaining about the horrible officiating, which was just as annoying.
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Packers 30, Ravens 7
No starters played in this game. In fact, many of the second-stringers lasted about a quarter. There were no fantasy football players to discuss.
Someone I’d like to highlight is Packers rookie quarterback Michael Pratt. The Tulane product threw a beautiful, 18-yard back-shoulder touchdown pass to Bo Melton. Pratt, however, fired an interception in the third quarter on a telegraphed throw, and to add injury to insult, he looked like he got hurt making a tackle. Pratt remained in the game on the ensuing possession, but he threw a couple of short tosses before his team punted the ball back to Baltimore.
John Harbaugh went years without losing in the preseason, yet he suffered two losses this August. I’d like to blame his horrible backup quarterbacks, as sixth-round rookie Devin Leary might be the worst quarterback the NFL has ever seen. Leary was responsible for multiple turnovers. He won’t be playing football much longer.
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Texans 17, Rams 15
This was an incredibly useless preseason game. It was so useless that Sean McVay didn’t even bother using his third-string quarterback, Stetson Bennett, or some of his promising young players like Jordan Whittington. Instead, someone or something named Dresser Winn played the entire game for the Rams.
As for the Texans, Case Keenum started and looked terrible, as he had an interception dropped by a scrub Rams defender. Tim Boyle played most of the game. The best player on the field was Cam Akers, who drew heavy praise from the Texans broadcasters.
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Vikings 26, Eagles 3
I have almost nothing on this game, as both teams played their deep backups. The Viking players looked better than the Eagle players, but Philadelphia did not take this game seriously. The Eagles ran on every single play of the opening drive, as it appeared as though they wanted this contest to be finished as quickly as possible.
The one thing to note is that the Eagles opted to hold out Will Shipley along with the starters. This is very bullish for Shipley, as he appears to be the direct backup behind Saquon Barkley, with Kenneth Gainwell likely serving as the third-down back.
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Lions 24, Steelers 17
Russell Wilson saw one drive in this game. His highlight was a 32-yard bomb to George Pickens to convert a third-and-14. This was nice to see – albeit against a backup defense – because Wilson spent the majority of the previous preseason game tossing passes way short of the line to gain on third down. Wilson’s sole drive concluded with a Cordarrelle Patterson touchdown, as Arthur Smith’s intergalactic mustache celebrated gleefully.
Here were Wilson’s targets:
George Pickens: 2
If you’re wondering, Patterson did not steal any touches from Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren. Of course, Warren is injured, but Harris didn’t play because he was rested.
Justin Fields played sparingly following Wilson’s only drive. He managed to lead the team into the end zone via a running back touchdown as well. He didn’t really do anything of note.
For the Lions, Hendon Hooker started and played three quarters. Hooker had some great scrambles in this game, but his pocket presence was rather lackluster. There were three occasions in which Hooker took sacks because he held on to the ball too long, with one play resulting in a fumble on a strip-sack. Hooker also threw a pass behind Donovan Peoples-Jones on one instance. He was intercepted in the third quarter off a deflection.
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Panthers 31, Bills 26
Bryce Young is a young quarterback entering a new system, so it made sense for him to play in the final preseason game. Young was on the field for one drive in which he led the team down the field and threw a touchdown to Jordan Matthews.
It seemed as though the possession would end with a punt when Young tossed a 2-yard pass on a third-and-6. However, Young made up for it on the next play when he bought time in the pocket and delivered a 17-yard pass to Diontae Johnson to move the chains on fourth down. He eventually found Matthews in the end zone amid a blown coverage.
Here were Young’s targets:
Diontae Johnson: 3 (2 end zone)
Jordan Matthews: 2 (1 end zone)
Jonathan Mingo: 1
Ja’Tavion Sanders: 1
Adam Thielen: 1
It was the backups for both teams the rest of the way. This included Miles Sanders for the Panthers, so don’t be surprised if he’s cut. Ben DiNucci, who started for the Bills, threw one of the worst passes I’ve ever seen from an NFL quarterback. DiNucci heaved a floater off his back foot way over the middle of the field. It miraculously wasn’t intercepted, though a Carolina defender was able to get a hand on the ball.
NFL Preseason Announcers: The Bills announcers called Bryce Young “Bryce Thomas.” Also, the sideline reporter said, “Frank Gore’s dad played in the NFL for several seasons.”
And if that wasn’t enough, there was a problem with the top portion of the transmission, as you can see here:
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49ers 24, Raiders 24
Brock Purdy played without the rest of his starters last week. It was unclear if Kyle Shanahan would utilize the same strategy, but he seemed to learn from his mistake, opting to use the other starters – save for the injured Christian McCaffrey and holdouts Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams – with Purdy instead. While Purdy still had a better chance of succeeding with his other first-string teammates, Shanahan was still foolish for putting his season in jeopardy. In fact, the 49ers may have suffered a significant loss when Leonard Floyd was injured.
As for Purdy, the former Mr. Irrelevant had an uneven game. He opened with a great 27-yard back-shoulder throw to Deebo Samuel, but then fired behind George Kittle on a third down. He took a sack from the Raiders’ backup defensive line, but then followed that up with a perfect throw to Kittle over the middle of the field for a gain of 19. Purdy’s night ended with an interception, as a pass of his to Samuel was tipped and picked in the red zone.
Here were Purdy’s targets:
Chris Conley: 1
George Kittle: 4
Jordan Mason: 2
Deebo Samuel: 3
Jake Tonges: 2
Deebo Samuel was busy in the final preseason game. He made a great adjustment on a back-shoulder throw from Brock Purdy for a gain of 27 yards, and he was given a carry that was negated by penalty. This is just a preview of what’s to come if Christian McCaffrey misses time and Aiyuk is traded.
George Kittle saw the most targets from Brock Purdy in the final preseason contest, catching three of the four passes thrown to him. Kittle will have a huge year if Aiyuk is traded and/or McCaffrey is injured.
With Christian McCaffrey sidelined in the final preseason game, Jordan Mason saw the entire workload with the starters. He made a diving catch that was ruled incomplete upon replay review, and he was also able to elude defenders on an 8-yard reception. Mason, who has won the No. 2 job, is worth a late-round flier because he’ll be very productive if McCaffrey’s calf injury continues to linger.
There’s not much to say about the Raiders, who didn’t play Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell. Rookie running back Dylan Laube made a defender miss on one of his runs, but ended up fumbling on the play.
Down three, Antonio Pierce was stuck with a fourth-and-15 at San Francisco’s 25-yard line with 22 seconds remaining. There is no overtime in the preseason, so it made sense for Pierce to go for it. Instead, he opted for a field goal, which ended this game in a tie. The old adage is that a tie is like kissing your sister. If so, then Pierce must be Jaime Lannister.
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Buccaneers 24, Dolphins 14
While the Dolphins sat their starters, the Buccaneers played theirs. However, Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White and Chris Godwin were on the field for just one drive. Mayfield threw only three passes, leading the team down the field and into the end zone via a White run. Mayfield’s best play was a downfield shot to Jalen McMillan, who hauled in a 28-yard reception near the sideline. The play was challenged, but the call was upheld.
Here were Mayfield’s targets:
Chris Godwin: 1
Jalen McMillan: 1
Rachaad White: 1
As mentioned earlier, McMillan made a terrific 28-yard reception near the sideline. He wasn’t on the field after that, which is good news for his 2024 outlook. I wouldn’t draft McMillan in normal leagues, but he’ll need to be added on waivers if Godwin or Mike Evans were to suffer an injury.
Another Buccaneer rookie, Bucky Irving, played the rest of the first half following White’s exit. Irving’s best play came when he made multiple defenders miss on a gain of nine.
Jaylen Wright made some nice plays as well. Miami’s rookie running back had some quality receptions and gained 10 yards on a run after he bounced off a tackler, though the play was negated by a hold.
NFL Preseason Announcers: The Buccaneer announcers spent some time talking about the movie Pitch Perfect. Unfortunately, I know of the movie as well because I am married.
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Jaguars 31, Falcons 0
Doug Pederson felt the need to play his starters, including Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, into the second quarter of his final preseason game. This was a stark contrast compared to the Falcons’ approach, which was to once again sit the starters. Though Pederson recklessly risked the health of his starters, it was fun to watch Jacksonville’s No. 1 unit operate, albeit against Atlanta’s backups.
Lawrence led the Jaguars to a pair of touchdowns amid misfiring just twice. He appeared to be in mid-season form, but this must be taken with a grain of salt, given the competition. There was also a scary moment where Lawrence was hit late on an opening drive. Fortunately for the Jaguars, Lawrence was able to pop up despite being hit low.
Here were Lawrence’s targets:
Gabe Davis: 2 (2 end zone)
Evan Engram: 4 (2 end zone)
Travis Etienne: 1
Brian Thomas Jr.: 2
Parker Washington: 2
Evan Engram is known for not scoring many touchdowns, but that could change this year. He saw four targets from Trevor Lawrence in the preseason finale, with two coming in the end zone. Engram converted on both. With Calvin Ridley gone, Engram could have his best season yet.
Brian Thomas Jr. had a huge play on the opening drive of the preseason finale, catching an intermediate pass over the middle of the field and then doing the rest en route to a 38-yard gain. He saw two targets.
Gabe Davis saw two looks in the end zone, but couldn’t convert on either. In fact, his targets accounted for all of Lawrence’s incompletions. The first was overthrown, while the second was broken up by a defender.
It made less sense for Etienne to play than Lawrence, yet Etienne remained on the field into the second quarter. Etienne had a huge play on the opening possession, bursting for a gain of 19 yards. It could have been a longer run, but Etienne tripped over his own two feet.
NFL Preseason Announcers: The Falcons announcer pronounced Etienne “It-EE-in” which I suppose isn’t as bad as former Eagles announcer Kevin Reilly calling Maurice Jones-Drew “Maurice Drew-Jones.”
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Colts 27, Bengals 14
The Bengals didn’t bother playing their starters in the final preseason game, but in a curious decision, the Colts decided to have Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor play in this game. Richardson saw action into the middle of the second quarter, which was extremely risky, given Richardson’s poor durability.
The good news for the Colts and Shane Steichen’s job security is that Richardson didn’t suffer an injury in this game. The bad news for the Colts and Steichen’s job security is that Richardson didn’t perform very consistently. This might be an issue if we didn’t see Richardson struggle in last year’s preseason before thriving during real games. Conversely, Kenny Pickett looked like the next John Elway, but was atrocious when regular-season action began.
Richardson’s first drive was great. He drilled an 18-yard dart to Alec Pierce on his initial throw, which was the beginning of a 6-of-6 start. His first incompletion occurred when he missed tight end Drew Ogletree in the end zone, though he hit Adonai Mitchell on a short connection during the next play, and Mitchell ran into the end zone.
Things looked great for Richardson, but he was just 2-of-8 following his 6-of-6 start. His second possession was over in the blink of an eye when he threw a pick-six immediately. It was the result of either an inaccurate pass or a miscommunication with Kylen Granson. Richardson also made mistakes on his ensuing two drives. He was hurt by a Michael Pittman Jr. drop, but he then overthrew Mitchell by a mile. On the final series, Richardson fumbled on a strip-sack because he held onto the ball forever.
Again, this performance must be taken with a grain of salt, even if it occurred against Cincinnati’s backups. The preseason is no longer a barometer of how players will perform, though the upside with Richardson and his supporting cast is certainly very real.
Here were Richardson’s targets:
Tyler Goodson: 1
Kyle Granson: 3
Adonai Mitchell: 4
Drew Ogletree: 1
Alec Pierce: 2
Michael Pittman Jr.: 2
Jonathan Taylor: 1
Adonai Mitchell saw the most targets from Anthony Richardson in the preseason finale. This is a very significant development, as Mitchell becomes a very intriguing late-round fantasy flier. Mitchell’s first reception was a short toss in which he picked up nine yards thanks to some good blocking. He then caught another short pass and scored a touchdown.
What’s even dumber than Richardson playing in the preseason is Taylor doing so. A veteran back like Taylor doesn’t need preseason work, yet he was given four carries for some reason. Had he gotten seriously injured, Steichen could have been out of a job by the end of the year.
I bet on the Colts -6.5, so I have to thank Zac Taylor for taking a knee in the final minute rather than trying to get a back-door touchdown. My sportsbook betting account appreciates you, Zac!
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Bears 34, Chiefs 21
There were no starters to speak of in this game, as both Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams both sat. The Chiefs didn’t even use their No. 2 quarterback, with Carson Wentz resting as well.
Given that this was a game comprised of mostly practice squad players, there isn’t much to say about this contest. However, it must be noted that Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman both played extensively in the first half, which is not a good sign for their 2024 outlook.
Chiefs undrafted rookie running back Carson Steele rushed for a 31-yard touchdown in the second quarter in which he broke through four tackles. There’s an outside chance Steele could become the No. 2 running back at some point.
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2024 Preseason Notes:
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3
2024 Fantasy Football Stock Pages:
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3
More 2024 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 5/8 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2024 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 9/3 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 PPR - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Half-PPR - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 2-QB - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Touchdown League - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Spreadsheets - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Articles:
2024 Fantasy Football Stock Report: OTAs, Training Camp - 9/4 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 8/30 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Busts - 8/27 (Walt)
2024 NFL Preseason Recap and Fantasy Football Notes - 8/26 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Preseason Games - 8/26 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy Guide - 8/9 (Walt)
2024 Fantasy Football Hidden Gems - 7/2 (Walt)
NFL Picks - Sept. 13
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Sept. 11
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
NFL Power Rankings - Aug. 28
