As a nation, I think we can all agree that this preseason has already gotten out of hand and we haven’t even seen the second week yet. Many NFL hopefuls are trying to earn their place on a roster, while others are eyeing that starting role at their respective positions. That is what the preseason is about. Fantasy football fanatics drip from panting tongues when underdog prospects emerge against second, third, and even fourth string defenses. Sometimes you have to take a step back, slap yourself, and say “GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!” It is the preseason after all. We are all guilty of this conviction. During the hall of fame game, I found myself on twitter saying, “Andre Williams looking for work. Jennings better step it up!” What was the point of that tweet? Not sure. Just over the weekend Rashad Jennings broke off a 73 yard touchdown blast on the Steelers “massively improved defense.” Irrational by every stretch of the word, but that happens when you’re devoted to an imaginary game. Now that I’ve thoroughly talked you off the ledge, I’m going to talk you back on by opining my takeaways.
Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams, NYG RB
Yeah, I know we just talked about these guys. Hear me out. Do we recall the Bradshaw/Jacobs days? Those days when Head Coach Tom Coughlin would deploy a tandem back field? The days where Bradshaw would rake in the yards and Jacobs would plunge into the endzone and vulture a would-be TD? In 2010 the pair totaled 2,058 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns; Bradshaw the favorite on yardage (1,235) and Jacobs the favorite on TDs (9). The current configuration is eerily similar with Jennings being an absolute freak out of the backfield with sticky hands, and Williams can edge out the tough yards and goal line duties. Prepare for the Big Blue to return to dual threats in the run game; they have the necessary weapons.
Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN WR
In a small sample size for Flash (Patterson’s nickname) we saw enough to say that the kid is learning his role as a wide receiver. Coming out of Tennessee, Patterson was widely concluded as a raw product with years of development to become an ace of honorable WR mention. After a year of tutelage under wide receiver wizard Greg Jennings (who makes a return to fantasy this year), Patterson was running clean routes and creating enough separation for QB Matt Cassel to deliver the ball. Norv Turner will eventually feature him in special packages, but on Friday he was able to showcase Patterson on routes which is enough improvement. Stay tuned for awesomeness.
Carlos Hyde, SF RB
If you’ve followed me from Fantasy Football Masterminds, I first thank you. Next, yes, I was down on Hyde originally. Then injuries occurred to depth chart dwellers Kendall Hunter (ACL) and LaMichael James (Elbow). With Marcus Lattimore still working on a comeback with bionic knees and Frank Gore resting his old bones, Carlos Hyde got the nod for first team reps in the preseason opener, and made good on worldwide speculation. Hyde logged 7 carries for 39 yards, which included a pretty little scamper to the outside for 19 yards. He followed blocks and kept his head on a swivel which is a key attribute to being a successful running back. If Gore is on your team, don’t forget to handcuff him with Hyde.
Not Yet Johnny Manziel, CLE QB
I’m not sure if my apprehension is based on disdain or on merit, but I can’t endorse Johnny Cleveland until I see him playing with the big boys. The one attribute that grips my conflicted soul is his penchant for the run game. On designed and improvised plays in preseason gameplay, he took off six times and gained 27 yards in total; he also threw 7/11 for 63 yards against second and third team defenses. Should he keep his bold run game against key defenses and slide when necessary, Johnny will be christened into the fantasy realm. For now I’ll distance him from my team and purge my Facebook and Twitter feed.
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