Preseason at a Glance

Heading into the final week of preseason we shouldn’t expect many starters to play. We also will see roster cuts made and have a better understanding of who will start come week one. In this edition of the

Brew Crew Corner we will look at the Top 10 players at key positions so far here in the preseason. Many feel that the preseason doesn’t matter. You may only watch the first quarter of action to see if the players you plan to draft are healthy. What you may be missing, though, is the hidden gem that can be a steal on draft day.

For those of you who have already drafted, some of these guys may still be available on the waiver wire prior to the start of the season and may help with your last-minute tweaks.

Now before I dive in and dissect these players, keep in mind I’m not labeling them the next Fantasy Superstars. I’m just pointing out a few guys that have raised some eyebrows and may sneak in to get some production during the year.

Quarterbacks

In 2007, the only QB’s who saw significant amount of time under center were Trent Edwards and Sage Rosenfels. QB’s are usually set in stone for the majority of the teams.

 

In 2008, there have been a few QB battles to look at in

Chicago,

Arizona,

Atlanta and

Baltimore.

Here are the

Top 10 QBs through three weeks of preseason.

	Passing
Rk	Player	Team	Pos	Comp	Att	Yds	Yds/G	TD	Int
1	Quinn Gray	IND	QB	37	69	525	131.2	2	6
2	Brett Ratliff	NYJ	QB	29	43	451	150.3	3	1
3	Charlie Frye	SEA	QB	41	67	450	150	2	3
4	Drew Brees	NO	QB	32	46	386	128.7	4	0
5	Dan Orlovsky	DET	QB	32	53	385	128.3	1	1
6	Matt Schaub	HOU	QB	33	48	382	127.3	3	0
7	Ken Dorsey	CLE	QB	30	59	376	125.3	1	2
8	Donovan McNabb	PHI	QB	34	54	375	125	2	0
9	Aaron Rodgers	GB	QB	36	53	368	122.7	2	1
10	Brady Quinn	CLE	QB	34	53	363	121	1	1

Looking at this list, you can see that some of the starters like Drew Brees, Matt Schaub and Donovan McNabb have looked well this preseason. Aaron Rodgers has had his ups and downs but might be an interesting fantasy QB2 that is going as the #18 QB off the boards. He has a good team around him and a good defense that can help in field position. He will come in handy to fill in for a bye week or in case of injury.

Derek Anderson has been sidelined with a concussion, and although Ken Dorsey has similar numbers to Brady Quinn, I think Quinn would be asked to step in if

Anderson were to miss any time or struggled. Right now Quinn is going undrafted in most leagues and can be had for the price of a back up KR.

Let’s keep with the Browns theme and talk about a former Browns starter Charlie Frye. Fry played extensively during the last game against the Chargers and is in the mix for the Seahawks. He needed a good game because up until then he has been horrible. Matt Hasselbeck has been nursing a back injury and Seneca Wallace has been battling a groin injury. Frye would only see the field if the other two could not play, so look for him on the WW only if you need to fill a spot in deep leagues.

Quinn Gray played poorly in his last preseason game and may find it hard to keep his spot. The Hefty Lefty seems to have a hold on the 3^rd QB spot and Gray would be let go if the Colts don’t keep four QBs. I wouldn’t pick him up anytime this year even if he did make the team.

 

Running Backs

RB’s are the position we look at the most to find the next break out player as there are always players that emerge. In 2007, it was harder to pinpoint the players that would contribute and the players that would be left on the practice squad. Last year rookies Adrian Peterson, Ahmed Bradshaw, Selvin Young and Pierre Thomas were in the Top 10 in rushing at the end of preseason.

 

 Here are the

Top 10 RB’s through three weeks of preseason.

	Rushing
Rk	Player	Team	Pos	Att	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD	FUM
1	Marcus Mason	WAS	RB	49	253	5.2	63.2	0	0
2	Justin Forsett	SEA	RB	32	203	6.3	67.7	1	1
3	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	RB	26	188	7.2	62.7	3	1
4	Rock Cartwright	WAS	RB	20	158	7.9	52.7	0	0
4	Chris Johnson	TEN	RB	25	158	6.3	52.7	1	0
6	Michael Bennett	TB	RB	32	155	4.8	51.7	1	0
7	Michael Turner	ATL	RB	14	151	10.8	50.3	0	0
8	Quinton Ganther	TEN	RB	15	148	9.9	49.3	2	0
9	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	RB	33	143	4.3	47.7	1	2
10	Steve Slaton	HOU	RB	34	138	4.1	46	1	0

As with last year, there will be players that may lead the league in rushing but will not play a significant role once the season starts. Players like Marcus Mason and Justin Forsett have played well in limited time this preseason but have too many players ahead of them to be on your fantasy radar right now. They are both outside the Top 75 RBs selected.

Currently in the Top 10 are starters like DeAngelo Williams and Michael Turner. Williams is proving that he should remain the starter, and John Fox has showed loyalty towards his veterans in the past. Turner, who is the new RB in

Atlanta, is looking good with 10.8 yards per attempt. Williams is the 33^rd RB off the board while everyone is grabbing Jonathan Stewart as the 27^th RB taken. Turner is going as the 18^th RB taken.

Rookies on the watch list include Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson and recently Steve Slaton. These RB’s have been hot topics this preseason, and they are in the Top 10 among RBs through three games. Mendenhall is the 35^th RB off the board while Johnson is going two spots later at 37^th. Slaton is still under most radars as the 50^th RB taken.

Note that

Washington and

Tennessee have two RB’s in the top ten each and haven’t played their starters much in the preseason.

Only Johnson is being drafted while the other three are outside of the Top 75 RBs. It is interesting that players such as Travis Henry and Shaun Alexander are still being selected.

 

Wide Receivers

Receivers are plenty in drafts, and in 12-team leagues, you could see 60-80 WRs taken depending on scoring. After the Top 20 or so are taken, the next group are separated by just a few points. Last year in Shark Leagues the 21^st WR was Shaun McDonald with 12.6 points per game. The 41^st WR was Ronald Curry with 9.3 points per game.

 

Here are the

Top 10 WR’s through three weeks of preseason.

	Receiving
Rk	Player	Team	Pos	Rec	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD
1	David Clowney	NYJ	WR	8	222	27.8	111	2
2	Robert Meachem	NO	WR	9	211	23.4	70.3	1
3	Billy McMullen	WAS	WR	16	197	12.3	49.2	0
4	DeSean Jackson	PHI	WR	16	189	11.8	63	0
5	Josh Morgan	SF	WR	9	182	20.2	60.7	1
6	Calvin Johnson	DET	WR	9	170	18.9	56.7	1
7	Kevin Walter	HOU	WR	13	166	12.8	55.3	2
8	Dominique Zeigler	SF	WR	14	148	10.6	49.3	1
9	Jason Hill	SF	WR	7	147	21	49	1
10	David Anderson	HOU	WR	11	146	13.3	48.7	1

Of the Top 10 WRs on this list, Calvin Johnson is the only receiver selected in the Top 50 selections in drafts. Johnson looks to be healthy and should provide nicely as a WR2 or WR3 if you’re lucky to grab him as your third receiver.

David Clowney looked good early this preseason before hurting his shoulder. This could hurt his chances at seeing playing time but could be someone to target come playoff time to fill injuries in deeper leagues.

Robert Meachem’s stock has stopped rising after a fast start to the preseason. He is being taken as the 54^th WR. DeSean Jackson might benefit from injuries to WR’s ahead of him on the depth chart. He is being selected as WR #51. Kevin Walter, who will start opposite Andre Johnson, is an overlooked man in drafts and could be a poor man’s Wes Welker. He is going as the 59^th WR.

 

Many people are high on Josh Morgan and the 49ers have three receivers on this Top 10 list. Maybe the Mike Martz magic is coming back. They’ve made a switch to JT O’Sullivan, and he may serve well for this offense. Morgan is going as the 73^rd WR. Jason Hill and Dominique Ziegler are not in the Top 80 WRs.

Take these players and tuck them away somewhere on your cheat sheets as late-round options or waiver wire fill-ins. If you take them as a flyer and they produce, you will do so at great value. If for some reason they flop, you haven’t given up much to get them and you can drop them and move on. Everyone is always looking for the next Derek Anderson or Ryan Grant. Preseason is a good place to start.

As always, good luck to those with drafts remaining and thanks again for reading.