Fantasy Football Player Notes

Jones has been seldom used with the first-team offense during the preseason, twice just playing one snap before being taken out of the game entirely. His fantasy value will remain through his uber-efficient rushing effectiveness and his proficiency as one of the league's best RB pass-catchers. He ripped through the Bears defense early last season with 132 yards on 15 carries. Jones followed up with a strong receiving game, catching five targets for 24 yards in the second matchup. With A.J. Dillon taking over red zone duties, Jones settles in the mid-range RB2 territory in a plus-matchup.

I would expect to see more of what we saw of Cam Akers during the latter part of the 2022 Rams' season, when he operated as a full-blown bell cow over the final six weeks of the season leading the NFL in rushing yards (85 yards per game). The matchup versus a questionable Seahawks' run defense - albeit one that should be improved after offseason moves - is one we saw Akers take advantage of last season. He averaged 82 rushing yards, 21 touches and 16.4 points per game in two matchups versus the Seahawks in 2022. And it was the first Seattle game that Akers got back into the good graces of Sean McVay, out-touching Kyren Williams 18 to 3. I'd easily expect double-digit carries for Akers and some solid rushing production with volume on his side. But a ceiling game might not be in the cards if Akers fails to find the end zone or loses work in the receiving game to Williams, who the team has rested as a "starter" along with Akers during the preseason. Akers is a backend RB2, but profiles more as a floor than ceiling play in Week 1. Likely wouldn't FLEX him if I wanted more upside.

The fleet-footed Chandler appears to have earned the Vikings' No. 2 RB job. He didn't have an illustrious college career, but Chandler did run for more than 1,000 yards as a fifth-year senior at North Carolina. Speed is Chandler's calling card, as he clocked a 4.38 at the NFL Scouting Combine. We'll need a prove-it game before regarding Chandler as fantasy viable, but at least he's positioned to give us one.