Week 2 of the NFL Preseason is in the books, and we got to see a bit more of the starters than we did in Week 1. It’s important not to overreact to much of anything that happens in the preseason, unless that something is a significant injury, but there are some interesting takeaways, nonetheless. Let’s take a look at what we learned:
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Quarterbacks
The big blow of Week 2 came in the Bills-Browns game when Bills projected starting quarterback A.J. McCarron went down with a broken collarbone, but now it’s being reported that he didn’t break his collarbone, so I’m not sure what’s going on with that. Regardless, rookie Josh Allen is still expected to start for the Bills in their dress rehearsal in Week 3. We learned last week what Jalen Ramsey thinks of Josh Allen, but now we have learned that the Ravens defense should be rostered in all leagues solely due to the mere anticipation that they may get to face Josh Allen in Week 1 of the regular season.
On the other side of the ball, Baker Mayfield was much less impressive, and the Browns did virtually nothing overall in the passing game. I don’t think I learned this in Week 2, but I still need the Browns to prove to me that they won’t be terrible before I make it a priority to roster anybody on their team.
Giants backup QB Davis Webb went 14/20 for 140 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. That stat line isn’t significant, but it’s important to note that the Giants offense looked much better on their way to 30 points. We all witnessed the impact head coaching changes can have when the Rams fired Jeff Fisher and his middle school offense last season and replaced it with Sean McVay’s offense. Bob McAdoo was arguably the worst head coach in the NFL last season, and new head coach Pat Shurmur knows how to run an offense. Just saying.
Patrick Mahomes will be one of the NFL’s greatest enigmas this season. The first-year Chiefs starter threw a horrific interception and should have also been picked off in the end zone as well, but also showed off his arm strength with a beautiful 69-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill who got behind the defense with ease. Mahomes is going to have some huge games, but will have some major clunkers as well. Proceed with caution.
And on the other side, Matt Ryan looked impressive, but more importantly Matt “Stump the” Schaub threw a touchdown. What I learned is that Matt Schaub did not retire four years ago.
Running Backs
There’s not a lot to take away from running backs this week. In the race to replace Redskins rookie RB Derrius Guice, who went down with a torn ACL in Week 1, Samaje Perine carried the ball once for 30 yards and then sprained his ankle while Rob Kelley ran into a brick wall seven times for 17 yards. Then Monday, the Redskins announced that they had signed free agent Adrian Peterson, so let’s wait and see how he looks in Week 3.
James White had a big game for the Patriots with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. With Danny Amendola out of the picture, James White may play an even more prominent role in the passing game as Brady will likely rely on those he’s most familiar with.
There was some talk earlier in the week that Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray may both be heavily involved this season. Murray responded to that bit of good news by promptly fumbling twice and carrying it six times for 12 yards. It’s probably not a big deal, but it’s just a reminder that Dalvin Cook’s ADP should not fall an inch due to this “news.” He’s the far superior back.
Christian McCaffrey looked great for the Panthers against the Dolphins, carrying it five times for 92 yards and a touchdown. He was outshined by a slew of rookie running backs last season, but he may be the one to own in his second season.
Wide Receivers
Cardinals rookie Christian Kirk made his presence felt with four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. The competition for targets is wide open alongside Larry Fitzgerald. The second-round pick out of Texas A&M should be on radars.
Bears rookie Anthony Miller only caught three passes for 33 yards, but made some noise with a highlight-reel catch. For the first time in my life as a Bears fan, I’m kind of excited to roster some Bears this season. The change from John Fox to Matt Nagy is significant offensively.
On the other side, Demaryius Thomas didn’t play while Emmanuel Sanders caught just three passes for 27 yards. The Broncos offense is going to be one of the league’s worst. Let somebody else draft Thomas and Sanders based on name recognition.
Marquise Goodwin should be on all radars. Goodwin caught all three of his targets for 61 yards and the connection between him and Garoppolo last season wasn’t a fluke. Goodwin and washed-up Pierre Garcon are being drafted right next to each other according to FantasyPros ADP. I know which one I want.
And finally, Tyreek Hill is a major playmaker, and nobody can keep up with him as evidenced by his 69-yard touchdown catch. I’m expecting the change from Alex Smith to Mahomes to affect Travis Kelce a lot more than Tyreek Hill.
Tight Ends
There was very little we learned about the tight end position, but Bears free agent signing Trey Burton made a significant impact in their win over the Broncos with four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Adam Shaheen is still very much in the picture, and Burton has never been a starting tight end before, but we do know that Matt Nagy loves to get the tight end involved from his time as the offensive coordinator with the Chiefs. It’s possible Trubisky and Burton have a real connection. It’s something to keep an eye on for next week.
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Joey Korman is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joey, check out his archive and follow him @leaveit2divac.
