NFL Preseason Takeaways: Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, Trey Lance (Fantasy Football)

The final week of the NFL Preseason isn’t quite as irrelevant as it used to be when the exhibition season lasted four weeks and pretty much every team rested its starters in Week 4.

It’s not as if we got an avalanche of interesting fantasy developments in Week 3 of the 2024 preseason. A lot of teams kept their fantasy-relevant players on ice. But still, there were a few interesting nuggets. Let’s dig in.

In case you missed last week’s preseason recap, these were my top takeaways from Week 2 of the preseason. And once again, a hat tip to Nathan Jahnke of PFF for his invaluable snap-count data.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: NFL Preseason Takeaways

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Quarterback

Some fantasy managers might be getting cold feet on Anthony Richardson after he threw an unsightly pick-six in the Colts’ preseason finale vs. the Bengals and was mocked by at least one member of the Cincinnati defense during a joint practice last week. (“Is that all he does is run?” Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt reportedly asked a fan.) Realize that Richardson will probably be an average passer at best this season. It’s his running that could make him profitable in the fantasy realm. In last year’s small sample size, Richardson averaged 0.43 fantasy points per snap. Josh Allen, who led all QBs in fantasy scoring, averaged 0.36 fantasy points per snap. Don’t bail out on Richardson.

Can new Panthers head coach Dave Canales turn Bryce Young into a viable NFL quarterback after Young’s nightmarish rookie season? We can’t answer that question based on a single drive in an exhibition game, but Young looked sharp in his only action of the preseason. He played Carolina’s first drive against Buffalo and completed 6-of-8 passes for 70 yards, capped off by an 8-yard TD throw to Jordan Matthews, before leaving the game. You’re not drafting Young to be your starter in 1QB league, but he’s certainly rosterable in superflex and could become a viable 1QB streaming option.

Human wishing well Trey Lance threw for 323 yards and a touchdown, ran for 90 yards and a touchdown, but threw five interceptions against the Chargers. Still not ready for primetime, Lance is expected to be the Cowboys’ No. 3 quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.