McCarthy plays on four drives, throws for 81 yards

It was another tough day at the office for Rattler, who remains in a battle for the Saints’ QB2 job with Zach Wilson. After losing a fumble last week, Rattler drove the Saints all the way down the field to the Rams’ six-yard line this week, only to throw an interception to Alex Cook in the end zone that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. Rattler tried to force a pass to tight end Treyton Welch through what nearly looked like quadruple coverage, only for Cook to jump the route and run untouched to the end zone. Zach Wilson, who made the start, didn’t fare much better, completing 6-of-12 passes for 55 yards and an interception. Both QBs should see plenty of work in the Saints’ preseason finale next week against the Cowboys.

The starting offense played two series consisting of eight plays before giving way to the second unit, wherein Irving saw a carry on the first three plays from scrimmage before Gainwell entered the game. Gainwell received his lone carry on the following play, with neither back seeing another opportunity before departing. Previous talk surrounding this backfield hinted at more of a “1A-1B” situation than what was seen in their first preseason action, widening the range of outcomes of Irving in a fantasy setting for the coming season. That leaves potential room for upside considering Irving’s No. 55 overall aggregate ADP across all platforms, particularly considering how much the coaching staff has talked up his receiving chops this offseason. Consider Irving an interesting upside bet in the fifth round.

Mayfield played just two series and was without his top four receivers, with only Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell joining him as presumed regular starters. Even so, the offense was hardly able to showcase its upside against backup members of the Kansas City defense. Whether Mayfield and the rest of the starters play in the team’s final preseason game next week remains to be seen, but there appears to be significant room for improvement before they kick off the regular season against the Bengals in three weeks.

James missed almost a month of camp and preseason activity after suffering a fractured rib in late July, with his appearance at practice Saturday marking his first time in pads since 29 July. He returns to a backfield currently missing All-World running back Christian McCaffrey and will join Kaelon Black in a battle for primary backup duties until games begin to count in three weeks.

Stribling apparently emerged from the team’s preseason Week 2 game with a shoulder issue, with the team listing him as day-to-day Saturday. The timing could not be worse for the rookie receiver after it was speculated that he would have a significant role in the offense as early as Week 1, particularly from 11-personnel. Stribling continues to turn heads in both practice and on the preseason game-day field, with fantasy managers now left to hope that the shoulder issue is something that can be resolved in short order. The team did not provide further clarification of the ailment.

It has been assumed that Tua Tagovailoa would be under center when games begin to count in two weeks, largely due to the health of Penix. Recent weeks have given some pause to that expectation considering the struggles of Tagovailoa and increasing health of Penix, with the current quarterback situation now much more up in the air as the team inches closer to the regular season. Penix now gains clearance to participate in 11-on-11 practices, a massive milestone in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in November. The Falcons appear to be headed towards a situation in which they are one of the final teams to announce their Week 1 starting quarterback, although it could still fall on Tagovailoa’s shoulders out of necessity.

The Watson-led Browns were met with boos after starting the second half with consecutive three-and-out drives before an interception ended their third possession after the break. They would get the ball back one more time before the end of Watson’s time on the field, ending in a failed fourth down conversion attempt, enough to add two modest completions before giving way to Dillon Gabriel near the beginning of the fourth quarter. Watson appeared to be the frontrunner for the starting job under center when the Browns kick off the regular season in three short weeks but this showing, paired with a relatively strong showing from Shedeur Sanders during the first half, could have thrown a wrench in those plans. Head coach Todd Monken is reportedly set to make a decision on the starting quarterback in the coming days.

Bond departed in the first half and was listed as questionable to return at the break, with the team confirming he was being evaluated for a concussion. The second-year receiver was reportedly pushing veteran Jerry Jeudy for a claim on a starting role after an impressive camp. He was quickly cleared early in the second half, meaning he can resume his push towards a starting spot for the regular season in a few short weeks.

Sanders was given the entirety of the first half, starting by completing his first eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown before a tipped pass resulted in his lone interception. He would complete only one other pass, a loss of six yards, before handing the game over to Deshaun Watson in the third quarter. It was a largely uninspiring performance from the second-year signal caller amidst a quarterback battle that is said to be nearing a decision, with head coach Todd Monken indicating a decision would likely come early next week. To his credit, Sanders saw a chunk gain on the ground erased from the board after an offensive holding call. Watson appeared to take pole position for the starting job the previous week of camp - the fact that Sanders was given a full half while Watson only played for a quarter seems to reinforce that claim. Fantasy managers will want to confirm the statuses of both quarterbacks in the coming days.

McCarthy’s most impressive play came on a 50-yard strike downfield to Tai Felton. McCarthy threw a good ball to Felton, who went up to make the contested catch and put the Vikings in scoring position, but the drive would stall a few plays later, down inside the Ravens’ five-yard line. McCarthy would sail a throw high to Felton in the end zone on second and goal, and he missed Myles Price in the flat for a would-be touchdown on fourth and goal. McCarthy also faced considerable pressure from the Ravens defense and took one sack on the day. He was pulled after one quarter of play and will presumably draw the start in next week’s preseason finale against the Broncos next Friday.