Fantasy Football Takeaways from NFL Preseason Week 3

The third preseason game is typically when you get the longest look at the top fantasy players, although we’ve seen some teams play it a little safer, like the Green Bay Packers did by sitting Aaron Rodgers. Can you blame them? 

Some position battles won’t necessarily end when the preseason comes to a close, especially if injuries are involved. That’s why I’m not overreacting to what’s been happening in Dallas between Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle, why Duke Johnson could still be the best Cleveland Brown to draft despite suffering a concussion and why the St. Louis Rams need to stay patient with Todd Gurley.

Some players are reaffirming my not-so-typical fantasy rankings through three games. I’ll cover the good (Sam Bradford, Ryan Tannehill) and the bad (Melvin Gordon, Russell Wilson) in this look at the third week of NFL preseason action.

The Packers Avoid Another Huge Blow

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

A week after the Packers lost top wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a torn ACL, they were nearly dealt another massive blow when Randall Cobb left Saturday’s preseason game early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.

Cobb would later return to the sidelines without a sling after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that a broken collarbone was not a concern. After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy said he didn’t think Cobb’s injury was serious.

On Sunday, Rapoport (via NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal) added that the injury was a sprained AC joint. While considered minor, Cobb’s status for Week 1 of the regular season is unknown. Considering how bad Nelson’s injury was, this has to be considered good news, even if Cobb has to miss some time. Unless there’s a significant change in the severity, he remains my eighth-ranked WR.

Speaking of Nelson, one of the players expected to get the biggest boost from his absence, Davante Adams, got the start, but didn’t have a target. The battle for the third WR spot continued with Ty Montgomery catching two of three targets for 71 yards and WR Jeff Janis hauling in all three of his targets for 72 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter while working with the backups.

Benny Cunningham, Come on Down?

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

At the beginning of the preseason, I broke down the backfield battle in St. Louis between rookie Todd Gurley and incumbent Tre Mason. While Gurley was clearly the top back in this year’s draft, I reminded everyone of how head coach Jeff Fisher has brought along his key rookie running backs slowly over the last two seasons.

Since then, Gurley has been able to practice, but Fisher ruled him out for the preseason—which wasn’t a surprise with Gurley working his way back from a torn ACL and a more-than-capable alternative in Mason to handle the starting duties until Gurley is ready. In fact, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via NFL.com's Dan Hanzus) said Gurley was expected to sit the first couple games. 

That plan may be in jeopardy, at least as it pertains to Mason.

In the team’s third preseason game, Mason suffered what Fisher called a mild hamstring sprain after the game. Mason told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jim Thomas that the injury was a “little tweak” and that it’s “nothing too bad.”

On Sunday, Fisher told reporters that Mason wouldn’t play in the fourth preseason game and is already considered questionable for Week 1. That would leave the Rams with Benny Cunningham as their top RB if Mason is out and the team sticks to its plan and keeps Gurley out early in the season.

The injury certainly hurts Mason’s fantasy value, but not to the point where you should be running out to get Cunningham. If anything, it might help Gurley, just in case the Rams got a little too conservative with him to play with Mason. If Mason struggles with this injury longer than expected, it could be a lot easier for Gurley to snatch the starting job without competition for serious touches.

Get on the Sam Bradford Bandwagon While You Still Can

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While most news before the season begins is usually bad as it pertains to fantasy, the performances on the field can confirm our positive thoughts for a player or offense. In the case of Sam Bradford and the Philadelphia Eagles, the power of positivity is strong following the third preseason game.

A week after getting the ultimate test of his torn ACL in what was otherwise a quiet outing, Bradford’s skills were on full display in a sparkling effort against the Packers. In his three series of action, Bradford’s drives all ended in touchdown passes, as he went 10 for 10, totaling 121 yards and three scores. He opened the scoring with an eight-yard TD to Darren Sproles, followed that with a three-yard TD to Trey Burton and ended his night with a seven-yard completion to Brent Celek for a score.

In typical, awesome Chip Kelly fashion, the Eagles head coach said after the game, per the Associated Press (h/t NFL.com),  "I didn’t have any doubts on Sam, so I'm not concerned what people outside think.”

Kelly knows exactly what he’s doing with Bradford and this offense, and that was on full display with that fantastic performance.

I moved Bradford up to the No. 10 spot on my QB rankings before the third preseason game, and I'm already looking for ways to move him up even further. I’ll stand by my proclamation that he will be the QB of fantasy championship teams this season—and he won’t cost you much.

Melvin Gordon Is Not Helping His Cause

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

An ankle injury kept Melvin Gordon out of San Diego's second preseason game, but he was back to action for the third, although it was another shaky performance.

Gordon wound up with just 34 yards on 14 carries in a full half of work for the Chargers. He also added a pair of receptions for seven yards, although it should be noted that Danny Woodhead had three receptions for 19 yards and added 18 rushing yards on six carries. Gordon has just 45 yards on 20 carries through two appearances.

The Chargers don’t have an above-average offensive line, but Gordon has been unable to create for himself for the most part, which is a concern. Pass protection has also been a concern, but according to RB coach Ollie Wilson, that’s not a problem he’s seeing, per ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams.

Gordon remains a top-15 back by ADP, but I’m not as high on him, which is why I’ve kept him toward the bottom of the RB2 category for most of the preseason.

Duke Johnson's Concussion Could Delay a Huge Opportunity

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The running back battle in Cleveland has been one to watch all month, and it may not be settled by Week 1.

We finally got to see rookie Duke Johnson in action after he missed the first two games of the preseason with a hamstring issue, but the injury bug bit him again—and possibly in a more serious way. While working in a committee with Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West, Johnson suffered a concussion on a hit following a late throw by Josh McCown.

According to head coach Mike Pettine, Johnson will be following the league’s concussion protocol with more information coming during the week. It’s a major blow for Johnson and the Browns, especially with the rookie getting a lot of love around the league, including from ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan, who believes Johnson will lead the backfield in touches.

Crowell and West both failed to earn the starting job last year and so far neither has pulled ahead in this preseason. Johnson looked like he’d still have every chance to lock it down following the hamstring injury. Based on when he returns from the concussion, I still fully expect him to get every opportunity to carve out a big role in the offense, and the Browns certainly need him.

Ryan Tannehill Is Ready to Prove the Dolphins Right

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The Ryan Tannehill hype has been strong dating back to last season, and I made sure to feature him before the preseason got underway as a breakout star for 2015. Through the first three preseason games, he looks primed for a huge year. 

The latest impressive performance came against the Atlanta Falcons over the weekend. In just under a half of action, Tannehill completed 15 of 19 pass attempts for 145 yards, including a two-yard touchdown to Rishard Matthews. 

Through three games, Tannehill has yet to turn the ball over on 41 attempts. He’s completed 33 of those attempts, which is good for an 80.5 completion percentage, and has three passing touchdowns. 

After the game, Tannehill told reporters, per the Associated Press (h/t NFL.com), “Guys are getting open and making plays for me down the field.” He admitted that he’s not perfect, but that the team is heading in the right direction.

The one negative coming out of the game was center Mike Pouncey leaving the contest with a knee injury. Pouncey thought he could go back in, but realized he couldn’t following a trip to the locker room. According to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post, Pouncey was due for an MRI on Sunday morning. Results will likely be revealed on Monday.

The Cowboys Don't Care About Your Fantasy Team

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

A week ago, I said the Dallas Cowboys needed to stop pretending Darren McFadden was legitimately in the hunt for the starting running back job. They didn’t listen and saw McFadden come out of the third preseason game looking better than Joseph Randle.

Randle played ahead of McFadden, getting carries on every drive in the first quarter before the team turned to McFadden to start the second quarter. On six carries, Randle managed just 15 yards and had a reception for eight yards. Meanwhile, McFadden also got to work with the first-team offense, piling up 37 yards on four carries and catch for six yards.

Through a pair of preseason games for each player (they both sat the first), Randle has one solid game and McFadden answered by outplaying him in the third game. That appears to leave things pretty even, but it could be getting worse for fantasy owners who already own Randle.

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, the backfield could become the dreaded running back by committee. There’s so much faith in the offensive line that they don’t really care who is running the football. It’s an afterthought when it comes to the talent of the offensive line.

Of course, owner/general manager Jerry Jones managed to heap some ridiculous praise on McFadden, saying, “What you saw was vintage McFadden.” My guess is he was talking about McFadden’s playing days at their shared alma mater of Arkansas.

I have trouble buying into some kind of resurgence for McFadden and would be more worried about the team trading for or signing a running back to compete in this backfield. This battle is far from over.