📝 News & Notes: Preseason Week 2

With two weeks of preseason under our belts, we can start to get a bit more confidence in what these offenses may look like in the regular season. And given many teams sit all their starters for the third preseason game, outside of injuries, we’re likely working with just about all the information we’re going to get.

Below is my best attempt at figuring out what actually matters:

• Nick Chubb got the start and looks to be the favorite for Texans early down work. Late-round sleeper Woody Marks entered the game in the 2nd quarter and finished with 7 carries for 40 yards, showing he could be used as more than just a 3rd down back.

• Christian Kirk is locked in as the #2 WR, even playing alongside Collins in 2-WR sets. I expect rookies Higgins and Noel to put pressure throughout the year but for now, Kirk is looking like a solid draft value.

• Rico Dowdle continues his role as the third-down back (I continue to believe Chuba Hubbard is being slightly overdrafted given the expected loss of receptions this year)

• DJ Giddens looks to be the backup to Jonathan Taylor, as he appeared to have a leg up on Tyler Goodson, who also left the game with an elbow injury.

• Marshawn Lloyd suffers another hamstring injury. He unfortunately just cannot stay healthy and I’m concerned the team can’t trust him enough to not create an alternative back-up plan to Jacobs.

• No major update to the Anthony Richardson vs Daniel Jones QB battle. I am expecting the Week 1 starter to be named soon, possibly Monday.

• TreVeyon Henderson is flying up draft boards this weekend, often now going in the 4th round, after another dynamic performance. He did enter the game after Antonio Gibson but no reason to believe that will continue for much longer.

• The Jets backfield continues to be murky, as snaps were split between Breece Hall and Braelon Allen 11-8, with Allen taking all the third down snaps. I still believe in Hall’s talent but the preseason usage is very concerning.

• Kaleb Johnson remains buried on the depth chart based off preseason usage, and the comments from camp don’t provide much more hope. He still may eventually be the best pure runner on the team but it appears he will take some time to develop this season.

• Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne play complementary roles, rather than Etienne getting the full workload with the starters as in the week before. I still believe that someone will emerge as a valuable fantasy contributor (with a lean on Etienne early and Tuten late) but it may not be as clear as we thought last week.

If you want to dive deeper into this past weekend, highly recommend this article by Nathan Jahnke and this article by Dwain McFarland.

More Notes…

• Brian Robinson is being shopped by Commanders [Jordan Schultz]
  My take: For those who read the ETR Sleepers and Busts article, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Also, the overreactions in drafts last night are something else.

  

• De’Von Achane dealing with a soft tissue injury [Cameron Wolfe]

  My take: We’re still waiting to see if this will extend into the season but I don’t love soft tissue injuries and the likelihood of reaggravation. I’m not docking him more than a couple spots for now as there’s such a strong tier drop in the mid-2nd.
  

• Quentin Johnston and Jalen McMillan both suffered neck injuries which is always scary, though we do not have any additional information at this time. Will update when we know more.

🎁 Referral Draft Winners

Greatly appreciate everyone who has been supporting FFin60 by sharing the newsletter with your friends. I am excited to announce the winners for the three drafts I’ll be co-drafting with FFin60 readers:

BBM: hjburns54 and tr.glisson
Big Dog: ryanmsitter

I’ll be scheduling the Zoom hang out for everyone with 10 subscribers this week so last chance for anyone still looking to join.

And over the next couple weeks, I’ll be revamping the referral system and adding in new perks. More soon!

📊 Poll of the Day

Last Friday’s poll: Which draft slot do you think will be responsible for the most league winning teams this year?

I have the least confidence this year in what draft slot is most likely to win. I’d probably lean one of the middle slots as they can start with 2 elite plays + an elite QB while also having the best shot at catching falling value in the mid and later rounds.