Fantasy Football: Rookies highlight top takeaways from Week 3 of preseason
By Jennifer Eakins, 4for4
Special to Yahoo Sports
We’re almost there, guys and gals. It’s the height of fantasy football draft time, but no one has the time nor the desire to watch all 16 preseason Week 3 contests. That's where I come in. Here's a position-by-position look at how the final preseason weekend went down, so you can plan and adjust accordingly for the onslaught of upcoming drafts.
Quarterbacks
It was another mixed bag for Anthony Richardson: The rookie completed 6-of-17 passes for 78 yards, with five runs for 38 yards while playing in the first half. Richardson had some highly accurate throws and was also off-target on a few, as well. His ADP (119.6) is currently QB18 as a 12th-round pick in 10-team drafts on Yahoo.
Bryce Young looked sharp as a passer, but his slides need help: The Carolina QB led scoring drives in his only two possessions, also showcasing pocket awareness with three scrambles for 21 total yards and two first downs. One of those scrambles ended in a squat-like posture as opposed to a slide, and it was pretty clear the rookie never played baseball.
Running Backs
Joshua Kelley wants that No. 2 RB job: The Chargers have been trying to fill that spot behind Austin Ekeler for several seasons and Kelley plead his case very well on Friday night with a 75-yard touchdown run. The 25-year-old’s current ADP is RB68 as he's going undrafted aside from deep leagues.
Corey Clement could be in the mix in Arizona: Vying for the RB2 job with Keaontay Ingram behind James Conner, Clement showed some rushing chops, carrying the ball 14 times for 79 yards with an additional two catches for five yards. He’s free in all leagues and could be a sneaky option.
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Tank Bigsby is going to be a thorn in Travis Etienne’s fantasy side: The rookie RB had six carries to Etienne’s eight with the first team and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt compared to 4.9 by Etienne. Bigsby’s usage and snap count increased from the last contest and could continue to cut into Etienne’s share as the season progresses. His ADP has been slowly rising this summer, 127.0 on Yahoo over the past week, but the rookie is still an RB4 with plenty of upside heading into the season.
Buzzy preseason star appears to have an RB2 role: The Cowboys sat Deuce Vaughn along with Rico Dowdle, an indication that they will fill in behind Tony Pollard for Dallas in 2023. Vaughn has had a productive preseason campaign with an 8-50-1 line, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, and is coming off draft boards in the 13th round on Yahoo.
Wide Receivers
Maybe we shouldn't be sending Adam Thielen out to pasture: After shaking off an early back/rib injury, the former Viking ended with four catches for 48 yards, which included a 16-yard touchdown strike from rookie Bryce Young. Their chemistry appears to heating up, and with an ambiguous WR room heading into the season for fantasy purposes, Thielen’s WR56 ADP (127.9) could be too low.
Marvin Mims looks poised for a juicy role: Denver’s WR room has been taking hits all summer long, the latest a hamstring injury for Jerry Jeudy that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks. The rookie showcased his skills on Saturday night with an incredible adjustment to snag a 50-yard bomb from Jared Stidham. Mims is 4for4’s WR53 with a current ADP of WR60 on Yahoo so there’s still value in the pick.
Rookie Josh Downs is poised for Indy’s slot: Downs was the Colts' first first-team slot guy, with competition Isiah McKenzie not hitting the field until the second quarter. With considerable playing time on the horizon for the 22-year-old, Downs has the potential to crush his WR96 ADP if fellow rookie Anthony Richardson can get this team moving the chains.
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth could be in for more work: The third-year TE was on the field for every play with the starters for the second straight week this preseason which is a solid indication of their plans for Freiermuth. With a step forward for QB Kenny Pickett and an increased role, we’re looking at top-10 potential in 2023. He’s TE7 in 4for4’s rankings with a TE8 ADP on Yahoo.
Cole Turner could be a sneaky late-round flier: With Logan Thomas sidelined due to a calf injury, Turner has been the No. 1 TE this preseason, catching 10 balls for 74 yards in three contests. He was Washington's leading receiver on Saturday and has been Eric Bieniemy’s starter so far in 2023. We’ve seen the TE love from Bienemy in Kansas City so perhaps he’ll elevate Turner this season.
Thomas will be back eventually, but his starting job is not guaranteed, so the sophomore TE could be a fruitful stab in best ball and one to watch for streaming purposes in redraft leagues.
Kickers
Daniel Carlson’s little brother can kick, too: Green Bay rookie Anders Carlson made both his field goals — a 43-yard and a 57-yarder — but did have an extra point blocked on Saturday against the Seahawks. He was drafted to replace Mason Crosby and has been up and down in practices, so nailing a few in game mode should help his confidence.
Perfection for Graham Gano: The Giants kicker nailed field goals of 57, 40, and 56 yards for New York on Saturday, making him 6-for-6 in the preseason. All six kicks have been from 40 or more yards out.
This article originally appeared on 4for4.com
A proud alumna of the UGA Grady College of Journalism, Jennifer Eakins has been working in the sports industry for well over a decade. She has had stints with CNN Sports, the Atlanta Hawks and the Colorado Rockies. Her first fantasy football draft took place in 1996 where she selected Ricky Watters with the first overall pick, and she has been a fantasy degenerate ever since.
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