The highly regarded dress rehearsal expired over the weekend and we found out a few details on the starting jobs for our favorite teams. Brian Hoyer, Matt Cassel and Chad Henne will all start in front of their rookie teammates while Geno Smith is primed to start over the veteran Michael Vick. None of these guys have fantasy appeal, and probably won’t anytime in the near future, so let’s get down to the true fantasy propaganda and see what week three had in store for fanatics.
Preseason Fantasy Propaganda: Week 3
Emmanuel Sanders, WR DEN- No surprise here. After watching a couple touchdown connections from the great Peyton Manning, Emmanuel Sanders launched up draft boards and out of your reach. Honestly though, that second TD grab in traffic dropped my jaw in amazement. As Fantasy football freaks we allow a one game instance to envelope our conscience and motivate our irrational tendencies into making risky decisions. Obviously with Welker suffering a concussion, the third in a year span, it promotes our Ill-gotten rationale to reach for players with high upside. Everybody, pump the brakes. Sanders is an excellent selection in this year’s draft, but don’t put him on a pedestal ahead of the clear No. 1 wide receivers on most teams. You’re still picking Michael Crabtree, Cordarelle Patterson, or even Percy Harvin before Sanders.
John Brown, WR ARI- Ever since camp started and the cameras were geared towards the field, everyone started noticing third round rookie John Brown. In Arizona’s third preseason game against the Bengals this last Sunday, we caught a glimpse of the hype. Late in the third quarter, with Drew Stanton at the helm, we watched a 30 yard pass drift into the endzone where Brown fully extended his body to grab the floater. It was truly a thing of beauty. My problem lies in that most of his action came when Stanton was directing traffic. He did receive 4 targets from starter Carson Palmer, but was only able to reel in one of those receptions for a gain of seven yards; and once the regular season begins it will be a hill to climb for Brown to steal looks from Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. If there is a spot on your bench in deeper leagues, I’d suggest securing a seat for Brown in the off-chance he emerges from the depth charts.
Shane Vereen, RB NE- While no running back on the Patriots that stunned while toting the rock, one shined in other ways. Shane Vereen impressed on a couple of passing plays that ended in touchdowns. His first score was on a 40 yard burner that left defensive player of the year, Luke Kuechly, sucking dust. The second was a quick pass to the right where Vereen planted his right foot on the edge of the sideline and dove for the pylon. At the end of the day Vereen compiled 5 receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns, which gives PPR players tachycardia. All in one half. Vereen should be on your watch list.
Jonathan Grimes/Alfred Blue, RB HOU- As the season is dawning upon us, we still have no sight of Arian Foster. There are rumors circling that he could suit up for Houston’s preseason finale with San Francisco, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. In the Texan’s third game, they rotated between the two backups, Jonathan Grimes and Alfred Blue, in the first half. It appears that Grimes is ahead of the duo as he was more effective with the ball by extending a short pass into a 24 yard gain and turning five carries into 22 yards; including a goal line plunge to break the plane. Blue saw continued work in the second half, which leads me to believe that they want to see more from him. At the end of the day he took in no receptions and totaled 27 yards on nine carries averaging out to a measly three yards per carry (YPC) Even if we see Foster on the field for their final preseason showing, I’d make a move to adopt Grimes, and possibly Blue since we’re on a short sample size here.
Quick Hits:
Maurice Jones Drew looked like the little Hercules of yore by blasting through the Green Bay defense for a 40 yard touchdown. It looks like EJ Manuel has found a target in Mike Williams (19 yard TD), which isn’t a big surprise since Williams was an above average target back in Tampa Bay. Same team; Fred Jackson showed that he can still get at a good angle and beat defenders to the end zone on an 8-yard run. Jermaine Kearse showed his concentration on a 12 yard touchdown catch where several Bears defenders were clogging the middle of the field anticipating a major hit. The Baltimore Ravens have hit pay dirt on the tough veteran Steve Smith SR as he laid out for a 24 yard pass, sliding through the back of the endzone, which was good for six.
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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 07: Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders #10 of the Denver Broncos walks the field before a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field Field at Mile High on August 7, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
