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Preseason News and Notes: Week 1

Mon Aug 15 10:40am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Pierce makes his case to start

We are going to do a quick recap of the preseason action after each week, giving you the good, bad and ugly (injuries) from all the preseason action. There is a lot to digest each week, but we are here to break it down for you. We will do it each week until the start of the season. There are plenty of position battles happening, making the preseason games intriguing for fantasy owners.

Here is the recap for Week 1. . . . .

The big injury of the week happened to Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. The good news is he didn’t suffer a season-ending injury. There was fear he tore his ACL, but that wasn’t the case. Wilson suffered a partially torn meniscus and bone bruise to his knee. He is going to be out a few weeks but there is a chance he is ready for Week 1. The Jets might bring along their franchise quarterback slowly, though, so don’t be surprised if he misses a few weeks of the regular season. Joe Flacco will be the No. 1 quarterback for the Jets while Wilson is out of action.

Rookie running back Dameon Pierce shined for the Texans. He was clearly the best back for the team, running five times for 49 yards. Pierce has been getting plenty of praise in camp and looks to be the starter in this offense before long. He is a playmaker that can play three downs and do just fine in pass protection. Pierce could make a run at top fantasy rookie this year if he his current play continues.

Falcons rookie receiver Drake London suffered a knee injury in his preseason game. He avoided something too serious, though, and could be out just a short period of time. The Falcons aren’t revealing how much time he is expected to miss just yet, so keep an eye on his player notes for the latest. He could be back practicing in a few days. The sooner he can get back on the field, the better for London.

Falcons rookie running back Tyler Allgeier didn't get a ton of work but ran three times for 25 yards. He averaged an impressive 8.3 yards per carry. He is making a case to start for the Falcons his rookie year and this showing didn’t do anything to dispel that. Allgeier is trending upward right now and could be starting for the Falcons before long.

Rookie Malik Willis showed well in his NFL debut, giving the Titans hope they have found their franchise quarterback. He won’t start this year, but could the Titans starter sooner than later. He was 6-of-11 for 107 yards and ran five times for 38 yards and a touchdown. Willis showed his dual threat ability and made plays down the field throwing the ball. Willis is a very talented player that certainly looks the part of an NFL star.

The Browns gave Deshaun Watson the start in their first preseason game. He had plenty of rust after not playing at all last year. He was just 1-of-5 for seven yards. Watson did not look great. There remains plenty of speculation that his suspension will be lengthened to the entire season, so this might be the only time you see Watson playing in a game this year.

Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was sharp as the Eagles came out throwing early and often. Hurts was 6-of-6 for 80 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. If this first game was any indication, the Eagles are going to be throwing the ball a lot this year to take advantage of all their weapons in the passing game. Hurts is a very intriguing fantasy option this coming year, having top-five potential at the position.

The Trey Lance era opened in San Francisco and it was impressive. Lance was 4-of-5 for 92 yards and a touchdown. He also ran once for seven yards. Lance is another dual threat at quarterback that seems ready for a breakout season. It was just a preseason game, but things are looking good for Lance this coming year.

Packers rookie receiver Romeo Doubs has turned heads in training camp and carried that over to the preseason. He caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. He led all Packers receivers with seven targets. He is a player to put on your radar right now. Doubs is trending towards earning a starting job and big role in the Packers offense his rookie season.

Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is another rookie making waves in camp and he got some playing time with the first-team offense his first preseason game. This is a pretty good sign that the Chiefs feel comfortable with Pacheco and he could be the No. 2 back behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He is moving up the fantasy rankings while Ronald Jones should be moving down. Jones is fourth or fifth on the depth chart right now and ran four times for just a yard. He could be a player that is cut before the start of the season.

Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold played similar as they battle it out for the right to start in Carolina. Darnold threw a touchdown pass, so maybe he gets a bit of a leg up after one week of action. Mayfield was 4-of-7 for 45 yards. Darnold was 2-of-3 for 16 yards and a touchdown. Mayfield probably remains the heavy favorite to start, but he isn’t going to be handed the job.

Antonio Gibson lost a fumble and found his way to the bench, rushing four times for just two yards. It was not a good performance and cause for some concern. Rookie Brian Robinson looked pretty good with his chances, running six times for 26 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 15 yards. Gibson is going to need to get his fumbling issues under control if he hopes to keep starting in Washington. Robinson is an intriguing late-round grab right now for fantasy teams.

Geno Smith opened as the starter for Seattle, but was probably outplayed by Drew Lock. Both moved the offense, but Lock had two touchdown passes. Smith was 10-of-15 for 101 yards without a touchdown or a turnover. Smith did run in a score, rushing two times for nine yards and a score. Lock was 11-of-15 for 102 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. This quarterback battle remains very close.

The Steelers are the only team in the NFL with three quarterbacks battling it out to start. All three played pretty well this past week. Rookie Kenny Pickett was the best of the group, though. He was very impressive, going 13-of-15 for 95 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. Mitchell Trubisky started and made plays, finishing 4-of-7 for 63 yards and a touchdown. Mason Rudolph was first off the bench and was 9-of-15 for 93 yards and a touchdown. Trubisky seems the leader but Pickett’s strong showing was encouraging for his future. He could be moving up the depth chart if he keeps playing well.

Rookie George Pickens might be generating the most buzz of any player this training camp and didn’t disappoint in his first preseason game. He had three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Pickens is drawing rave reviews in camp looked the part of an NFL superstar in this preseason game. Pickens is going to keep moving up draft boards until the start of the season.

So Josh Jacobs started the Raiders first preseason game and that drew all sorts of speculation because the rest of the starters mainly sat that game. What did that mean for Jacobs? Is he not the starter or thought of as highly as the other starters in Las Vegas? Well, Jacobs didn’t play that second preseason game for the Raiders. Maybe everyone needs to pump the breaks on Jacobs playing a much smaller role for the Raiders this year. Las Vegas might rotate backs more than past years in this new offense, but it certainly looks like Jacobs is the starter and likely to be a big part of the offense. Don’t let that first preseason game freak you out about drafting Jacobs this year. He might end up being a great value to fantasy teams as his stock starts to fall.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

Preseason News and Notes: Week 1

The Paur Report