The NFL season is officially upon us. We are going to give you a rundown of the biggest storylines coming out of NFL training camps and the preseason and what the fantasy implications are. Be sure to check back each week for our weekly NFL Preseason Fantasy Football Impacts updates.
1. Rashad Penny is the latest 2018 rookie running back to catch the injury bug.
Fantasy Impact: Penny had to have surgery on his finger this week and it will likely cost him the rest of the preseason. Chris Carson was already being hyped up by the Seahawks’ coaching staff when Penny was healthy. Now it is all but certain that Carson will open the season as the team’s starting running back. Penny should be ready for the regular season. Some even say he could play now if these weren’t meaningless games. Penny will likely plummet in average draft position making him a good value to take over as the lead back later in the season.
2. Christine Michael is somehow still fantasy relevant in 2018 on his sixth NFL team in six years.
Fantasy Impact:Â Feels like every year since he entered the league Michael gets hyped up at some point during the season. He has flashed his talent in the past, but has failed to do it on a consistent basis and therefore not stick with a team. Now he is on the Colts who have an injured Marlon Mack, suspended Robert Turbin, scat back Nyhiem Hines, and late round rookie Jordan Wilkins. Michael reportedly was taking snaps with the first team during practice this week and could be the favorite to be the starting running back Week 1.
3. Ronald Jones has more carries than he does yards through two preseason games.
Fantasy Impact:Â That headline pretty much says it all. Jones has struggled mightily throughout camp and preseason. There is no way Peyton Barber doesn’t open as the team’s starting running back in Week 1. Jones could earn more snaps as the season progresses, but he needs to show a lot of improvement in all areas of the game including pass protection. Many people think head coach Dirk Koetter is on the hot seat so he isn’t going to risk his job on a rookie that isn’t ready to play regardless of where he was drafted.
4. Saquon Barkley gets banged up in practice and the Giants are playing it safe with him.
Fantasy Impact:Â Barkley had a minor hamstring injury during practice this week. The Giants say he is fine and will be good to go for the season opener against the Jaguars. It’s a shame we likely won’t get to see him for the rest of the preseason, but it sounds like it isn’t a serious injury. Hamstrings are always tricky because it is difficult to know when they are fully healed. I expect Barkley to be fine to start the season, but it is a reminder of how fragile the running back position can be compared to other positions.
5. DeVante Parker is week-to-week with a hand injury during his quietest offseason to date.
Fantasy Impact:Â It seemed like every preseason Parker would get raving reviews out of camp and every year the fantasy community projected him for a breakout season. This year seems different. It seemed that the fantasy community has mostly given up on him and rightfully so based on his performance. The Dolphins brought in Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson during free agency. Amendola is getting slot duties left vacant by Jarvis Landry and now Wilson has his shot to take over an outside WR spot with Parker sidelined. Parker may not get his job back if Wilson impresses head coach Adam Gase.
6. Chris Hogan is the New England wide receiver to own in fantasy among suspensions and injuries.
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Fantasy Impact:Â First Julian Edelman gets suspended, then Jordan Matthews gets injured, and now Phillip Dorsett reportedly went down in practice. While all this is going on Hogan continues to dominate in both camp and the preseason. He leads all pass catchers in Tom Brady completions during team drills and had five receptions and a touchdown in Brady’s first preseason appearance. Hogan could be a league winner in the middle round of fantasy drafts this year at that value. The slot position remains an unknown with Cordarrelle Patterson and Eric Decker the next guys up at the position.
7. Trey Burton is showing early signs he has a connection with Mitchell Trubisky and is set up to be used in the Travis Kelce role of HC Matt Nagy’s offense.
Fantasy Impact:Â Burton was pegged as a sleeper tight end as soon as he signed a four year $32 million dollar contract with the Bears this offseason. Nagy has talked him up as his “Travis Kelce” from his time in Kansas City. Through two preseason games, he has been on the field for 92 percent of Bears first-team pass plays and has a six of Trubisky’s 18 targets. He has even run almost half of his routes out of the slot just like Kelce does for the Chiefs. Burton remains one of my favorite tight end targets late in the draft, especially with Adam Shaheen’s recent ankle injury.
8. Taywan Taylor continues to flash big-play ability and is making the most of Rishard Matthews’ injury.
Fantasy Impact:Â Taylor is getting his opportunity to play on the outside with Matthews still sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Taylor spent most of his rookie year running routes out of the slot, but he has the deep speed to play on the outside. With Corey Davis attracting most of the attention of opposing defenses, he could thrive. Even if Matthews returns OC Matt LeFleur was apart of a Rams offense in 2017 that supported three wide receivers. Taylor remains a great late-round flier in all fantasy drafts.
9. The Packers starting running back job seems like it is Jamaal Williams to lose.
Fantasy Impact:Â Williams got a little banged up in the Packers’ Week 2 preseason game, but he is reportedly fine. Before that, he played on all six of Aaron Rodger’s snaps on their opening drive. He even ran some routes split out wide over Ty Montgomery. Montgomery did not come in until Brent Hundley entered the game. It seems like the Packers are preparing for Williams to be their lead back at least to start the season. I was more of Aaron Jones efficiency last season, but his suspension really hurts his chances at having a large role on this offense unless Williams really struggles.
10. We may have figured out Case Keenum’s favorite target on Denver Broncos.
Fantasy Impact:Â When Keenum joined the Broncos there was no doubt he could have passing success with the talent the Broncos have at wide receiver. Demaryius Thomas is as stable as they come at WR. Rookies Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton have impressed. However, the name that keeps coming up as Keenum’s favorite target is 31-year-old Emmanuel Sanders. There have been reports that Sanders will get more playing time in the slot with Sutton impressing in camp. This is a benefit for Sanders because we have seen Keenum feed his slot receiver Adam Thielen in Minnesota. Sanders can be drafted multiple rounds later than his veteran counterpart Thomas in fantasy drafts.
11. It is becoming more and more evident that the Vikings’ backfield could be closer to a 50-50 split than we originally thought.Â
Fantasy Impact:Â People forget that when Dalvin Cook burst onto the fantasy landscape early last season that Latavius Murray was injured. We never really got to see how the Vikings would use the two of them together in their offense because Cook tore his ACL in Week 4. Murray played well last season, especially as a goal-line back. The reports out of camp have all indicated that the Vikings think they have a one-two punch at running back and plan to use them that way. Murray especially could be used as the goal-line/short yardage back. I would not be surprised if Murray had more rushing touchdowns than Cook in 2018.
12. Jeremy McNichols gets snaps with the ones in Jerick McKinnon’s and Matt Breida’s absence.
Fantasy Impact:Â McNichols seems to be the next man up in San Franciso at running back another second-year player Joe Williams. A year after head coach Kyle Shanahan reportedly pounded the table for the 49ers to draft Joe Williams, he seems to be far away from ever contributing for this team. Now Williams is injured once again just like last preseason. The third running back on the 49ers could present some upside with McKinnon never carrying a large workload before in his career and Breida already banged up.
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