Jaguars Open Up QB Competition
After a(nother) poor performance on Thursday night against the Buccaneers, Blake Bortles may have lost his grip on the Jaguars QB1 position. Chad Henne came in and played with the first team unit after Bortles had several underthrows to wide open targets. While Henne didn’t look markedly better, commentators noted how much more confident the team looked. Bortles also refused to speak to media after the game.
Advice: Doug Marrone has been designing this team to hide the flawed QB position by committing to a ground-and-pound attack and trying to build a stingy defense. Bortles doesn’t truly fit the game manager role, even on a good day, so installing a stopgap QB like Henne may ultimately be the best move if the Jags desire to be taken seriously. For everything that Henne isn’t, he does possess a sense of composure that Bortles simply does not, which could help instill some life into the supporting cast. Bortles’ last remaining positive quality as a fantasy QB was that he was a starting QB on a team with a bad defense. Both of those points seem to be changing this year, so if you’re an owner and can get anything at all for him at this point, do it and do it fast.
Chris Carson Running with the First Team Offense
After showing well in his latest preseason game versus the Vikings, and with CJ Prosise and Thomas Rawls banged up, 7th round pick Chris Carson split time with Eddie Lacy and took some looks running with the Seahawks starters on Friday. While Lacy didn’t have a terrible performance, Carson was clearly the better back, looking notably more determined and explosive.
Advice: This makes two consecutive strong performances from Carson, and the latest came with the first team unit. The Seahawks have a knack for talking up their players throughout the offseason, but Carson appears to be worthy of the praise. A bigger back coming out of Oklahoma State, his stats haven’t been incredibly impressive in the preseason (66 yards on 15 touches and 2 TDs), but he has flashed multiple times and is quickly rising up the depth chart. All three running backs ahead of Carson have serious injury or performance risks, so he appears to be a strong bet to see some playing time heading into the regular season. Scoop him up if he’s somehow still on the wire, and feel free to shoot a future 4th, or even 3rd, if an owner is looking to sell based on the hype.
Ryan Kelly to Start the Season on IR
The Colts starting center, Ryan Kelly will have surgery to repair a bone defect in his foot. While Kelly isn’t exactly a fantasy name, this impacts an Indianapolis team that has not only had its share of offensive line woes but will likely be starting their backup QB for the early part of the season.
Advice: In addition to this news, coordinator Rob Chudzinski admitted this week that the playbook will need to be tailored for backup QB Scott Tolzien while Andrew Luck is sidelined. This may suggest more short passing and quick-hitting routes, a concept that should be further emphasized with Kelly now missing significant time. This news doesn’t bode well for playmaker TY Hilton to succeed as his typical deep threat self. Savvy owners should be prepared to shoot out some lower-than-normal offers for Hilton if he has a sluggish start to the season. Also, keep an eye on rookie Marlon Mack, who’s open field skills may be well-suited for check downs and dump offs. Mack has flashed in the preseason with 59 yards on 7 touches thus far and can make a Year 1 impact if he can carry that into the regular season.
Kenny Golladay Getting Reps with the First Team
The talk of the dynasty community is the Detroit rookie receiver who has drawn rave reviews all camp long and is now starting to reap the rewards with his coaching staff. Kenny Golladay was playing in three wide sets in practice this week, pushing Golden Tate into the slot.
Advice: Golladay has been dominating training camp, and after his performance in last week’s game (a near Twitter-breaking 3-54-2 line), he found himself in the starting lineup. Golladay’s stock has been soaring all offseason, and with good cause. It wouldn’t be surprising for a player who was taken in the 4th round of rookie drafts in June to be taken in the 1st round of rookie drafts in August. Owners are in a tricky spot when deciding whether to capitalize on the hype by turning their 4th round pick into a future 1st, or just keep riding the wave. Golladay looks poised to make at least some impact this season, so it’s unlikely his value dips below a future 1st for at least a few months. He’s worth holding through the first few weeks of the season to observe just how much his role can grow.
Rookie RBs Impress in Preseason Games
In addition to the aforementioned Mack, RBs Kareem Hunt, Tarik Cohen, Dalvin Cook, D’onta Foreman, Samaje Perine, Alvin Kamara, and Christian McCaffrey all showed well in their second chance at genuine game action, averaging 70 yards on 8 touches amongst them. Often times, a hyped up rookie class will fail to live up to expectations, but this year’s RB class appears ready to pay off.
Advice: Owners have been anticipating big things from this crop of RBs for quite some time, and though it’s still early, things are looking good. Along with Cook and McCaffrey, Joe Mixon with the Bengals, and Leonard Fournette with the Jaguars are already seeing significant snaps with the first team units. Perine and Hunt appear to be quickly closing the gap on their incumbents and are likely to force a committee at the very least, if not outright take over the starting job at some point in the season. Though most likely not in a position to see significant playing time just yet, Kamara, Cohen, and Foreman have created big plays when given the opportunity and look ready to contribute when called upon–Kamara and Cohen as 3rd down or change of pace backs, and Foreman as a workhorse if Lamar Miller goes down with injury. All of these aforementioned rookie running backs are seeing their stock rise, but could be considered slight buy-highs worth the investment.
