Every team has now played at least one preseason game – the Jaguars and Raiders have played a pair – and these are some of the main fantasy takeaways from last week’s exhibitions.
Saquon Barkley is coming off a pair of mostly-lost seasons due to his early-2020 torn ACL. He averaged a career-low 3.7 YPC on 162 attempts last season and scored just two touchdowns on the ground. Out are Joe Judge and Jason Garrett, and in are creative offensive minds Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka. In the Giants’ first preseason contest, Barkley promisingly played every snap on the opening possession and ran a route on every pass play with the first-team offense. Barkley has seen his ADP rise all the way up to the top of the second round as the overall RB8. Still just 25 years old and with no real competition for carries – Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, and Antonio Williams are vying for spots – Barkley looks to be the centerpiece of the offense. Daniel Jones has largely been struggling most of the summer, so Barkley might be relied on even more than initially thought. The Giants also upgraded their offensive line in several spots.
No rookie has drawn more summer hype than Chiefs seventh-round RB Isiah Pacheco. In his first taste of game action, Pacheco was the second running back in the game behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Pacheco mixed in with the starters and even drew a goal-line target from Patrick Mahomes. The pecking order appears to be CEH, Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, and Ronald Jones, with Jones no lock to make the roster. Pacheco’s been screaming up draft boards and should absolutely be taken in every format as a mid-to-late-round selection.
If Pacheco has been the most hyped rookie, Titans first-round WR Treylon Burks has probably drawn the most criticism. From asthma issues giving him conditioning problems during the spring to now practicing with second- and third-stringers and then playing with them deep into the preseason opener. Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine were given the night off, and Burks played behind guys like Racey McMath, Dez Fitzpatrick, and fellow rookie Kyle Philips. Burks did nothing with his 30 snaps, failing to catch his only target. He’s been “inconsistent,” in the words of coach Mike Vrabel. Burks then left Wednesday’s joint practice with the Bucs with a trainer. Burks is an extremely risky mid-round fantasy investment playing in a run-first offense. It looks like he’ll start the season out in a timeshare at best with Woods and NWI the starters.
Titans fans might be wondering why the team picked Burks and not George Pickens. Pickens was the 11th wideout off the board at No. 52 overall to the Steelers. Pickens tore his ACL in the spring of 2021 and entered the draft despite missing his junior season. That injury definitely played a role in his draft slide. But he’s been a man among boys at Steelers camp and put it on display in the preseason opener with a 3-43-1 line on a team-high five targets. He caught an over-the-shoulder end-zone shot from Mason Rudolph for a long touchdown and pushed Seattle’s defensive backs around with his physicality. Pickens looks ready to roll as a starter in Pittsburgh and is an upside WR4 pick in fantasy.
Fantasy players have been drafting Breece Hall at the top of the fourth round as the RB18. If the Jets’ preseason opener was a glimpse of their offensive plans, Hall looks like he’s going to be splitting work with sophomore Michael Carter pretty much right down the middle. Carter was picked by this regime last season and showed some real promise as a rookie. We shouldn’t expect them to just toss him to the curb to play Hall as a three-down back. It might be wise to dial it back a bit with Hall’s ADP. He’s playing in a bad offense behind a bottom-10 offensive line.
Dameon Pierce might have been the most impressive rookie performer of the first week of preseason action. Rex Burkhead got the night off, and Marlon Mack got the start. But Pierce was next in line for carries, and he averaged a robust 9.8 YPC on his five totes, running with power and decisiveness. Mack turned his three carries into six yards. Burkhead is a coach’s favorite but more of a glorified special teamer. Pierce should be the Texans’ RB1 sooner than later. Pierce is coming off the board 111th overall and as the RB39. Look for that ADP to rise.
