With two weeks of preseason over, fantasy football drafts for many are nearing their date. Before making final rankings and drafting your team, it is a smart move to revisit and review what has recently transpired in the NFL. Much has happened over the last few weeks, as teams shuffle their rosters and deal with injuries. Some of this news is directly related to fantasy football. Here are five stories from the preseason so far with fantasy football implications.
Trevor Siemian to Start for the Denver Broncos
Trevor Siemian has officially been named the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, coming into the 2017 NFL season. Siemian started 14 games last season, throwing 18 touchdowns and averaging 242.6 passing yards per game. Well, he may not be an attractive option in fantasy, Denver’s wide receivers, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are better fantasy options with Siemian than they would have been with Paxton Lynch. If Siemian can improve by only 10%, he should pass for over 4000 yards and push for 25 passing touchdowns.
Jared Goff is Showing Vast Improvements
As the top pick in the 2016 NFL draft, expectations were relatively high for Jared Goff. In his rookie year, Goff was, for lack of better word, bad. Much of that can be blamed on poor coaching and a mediocre surrounding cast. Still, it does not abstain Goff from all the blame. So far in the preseason of his second season, Goff has looked and played much better. With the recent addition of Sammy Watkins, Goff has his first legitimate receiving threat. While Goff is not likely to be on many rosters this season, if he does elevate his play, both Sammy Watkins and running back Todd Gurley should exceed early predictions.
Buffalo Bills Offense is Struggling
Between trading Sammy Watkins, the sudden retirement of Anquan Boldin and the uncertainty surrounding the health of wide receiver Jordan Matthews, the Buffalo Bills offense is not looking too good coming into 2017. Their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, has struggled in the preseason. Through the first two games, Taylor has two interceptions and an average yard per attempt of just 3.81. With the lack of receiving options and poor quarterback play, defenses will be able to focus on LeSean McCoy. This hurts his prospects for 2017 and overall hurt the Bills, entire team. If they cannot get better over the final two games of the preseason, the Bills could have the worst offense in the NFL this season.
Alvin Kamara Making Waves in New Orleans
When you take your first carry for a 50-yard touchdown, people start taking notice. The Saints backfield may be crowded, but if Alvin Kamara can provide big-play potential, it will be hard for the Saints to bury him in the depth charts.
Keep in mind that – for whatever reason – Saints head coach Sean Payton doesn’t tream Mark Ingram like a bell-cow. Ingram had 12 carries or less in seven games last season and never had more than 20. As for Adrian Peterson, he is on the wrong side of 30. The fact that the Saints traded up for Kamara is – in many ways – a vote of confidence. He can run between the tackles, he can catch passes and he has home-run speed. He may be the most complete back the Saints have.
Kamara may be worth a stash in some deeper leagues, and if Adrian Peterson struggles or Mark Ingram suffers any injuries, the rookie back may have a chance to shine this season.
Alfred Morris Taking the Lead in Dallas
With the looming Ezekiel Elliot suspension, the Dallas Cowboys need to figure out who will take over starting duties. Through the first few games of the preseason, it is starting to look like that job will go to Alfred Morris. Morris has more carries for more yards and a higher yards per carry than his biggest challenger Darren McFadden. If Morris does win the temporary job, he will be a great early season commodity. In Morris’ first three years in the league, he eclipsed 1000 yards each year, including a very impressive 1613 yards and 13 touchdowns in his rookie season. Also, unlike Darren McFadden, Morris has no history of injuries. This battle is definitely one to follow in the coming weeks.
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