It was kind of a quiet day for the NFL preseason as far as news was concerned on Tuesday. The Cowboys captured our attention on Hard Knocks, but outside of a few headlines not much earth shattering or draft altering really took place. I’m hoping for more news on Wednesday, so Fantasy Football Twitter has something to talk about and therefore be less of a cesspool of high school hormones. But let’s focus on what is important! It is my birthday, and we are just a day away from the real start of the NFL preseason. Here are some of the highlights.
Preseason Love Fest
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur said on Tuesday that Aaron Rodgers will not only not see the field in the preseason opener, but likely won’t play at all in the preseason. It’s a win-win for the Packers as they get to let their aging, disgruntled quarterback rest until games matter, and they also get to see if this kid they drafted can even look good in the preseason. Don’t let this news alter any sort of plans of drafting Rodgers as a QB1 and regardless of how good Love looks in the next three weeks, he won’t sniff the field this season unless it is a gadget play or if Rodgers is injured.
Down Goes Bateman
This is a great class of rookie wide receivers this season, and one that was picking up steam on fantasy football drafts was Rashod Bateman. He suffered a groin injury on Tuesday and is now being deemed week to week. A tough blow for a rookie trying to get acclimated to the NFL, especially on a team with a quarterback that doesn’t throw a ton. There is hope that Bateman will be ready for Week 1, but it is not guaranteed. This certainly has to be a big bucket of cold water on his hype in redraft leagues. This could help (insert vomit noise) Sammy Watkins to possibly be a little more fantasy relevant earlier in the season with Marquise Brown also nicked up.
Jimmy G Tops The Depth Chart
To no one’s surprise that is thinking clearly, Jimmy Garoppolo sits atop the 49ers opening depth chart at quarterback. I’ve said it a hundred times since the draft, Jimmy G is the starter Week 1. Trey Lance has a ton of talent for sure but is still very raw and has played one (small college) football game in the last two years. The 49ers are built for the Super Bowl if they can stay healthy this season and are not going to throw an inexperienced player at the most important position to begin the year. I have little doubt that Lance will be the starter before the end of the year, but until he gets hurt or if he plays poorly, Garoppolo is the quarterback. It is hard to suggest taking Lance in a redraft league unless you have a deep bench, and Jimmy is a low end superflex option because of the likelihood he doesn’t finish the year as the starter.
Lock-ing Up The Starting Job?
Broncos coach Vic Fangio has indicated that Drew Lock will be starting the preseason opener this weekend, with Teddy Bridgewater starting the second week. We haven’t gotten too much news from Broncos camp on if either guy is leading the way to the starter’s job in Week 1, but I do think that Lock getting the opening call does give you a little indication. Neither quarterback is that great, but they do have some good weapons in Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Noah Fant. If the running game can be decent, and the offensive line holds up, this situation could end up being a little better than we are all envisioning right now. The next few weeks of preseason will certainly tell the story of who will be under center when the season starts, but right now it would appear Lock is at least slightly ahead.
Cooper Comeback
Amari Cooper was activated from the PUP list on Tuesday as he continues to get ready to start the season. He hasn’t missed any starts in the past two years, but Cooper certainly has spent a lot of time on injury reports and has left more than a couple games early. His draft stock has fallen not only with the injury concerns but also the love affair that many have (myself included) with CeeDee Lamb. Of course, all of this rides on the fact that Dak Prescott is healthy but at least for now you can feel better about the Cowboys top receiver and feel comfortable with him as a high-end WR2.
Colts Competition
While all of fantasy football Twitter is urging the Colts to trade for several different quarterbacks, I am here to remind you that Carson Wentz didn’t die, and he should be back mid-season at worst. In the meantime, we have what could be a fairly exciting competition to be the starter. We have last year’s fourth round pick Jacob Eason and this year’s seventh rounder Sam Ehlinger. So far, we have gotten a little bit better reports about Ehlinger, but Eason is set to start this week’s preseason opener. Obviously, this race is wide open right now. It would appear that Eason would be a bit safer choice for the team, while Ehlinger has the better arm and could be more exciting for fantasy. Right now, outside of Jonathan Taylor, it appears to be a little risky to take Colts skill players until we see these quarterbacks on the field to see if they can actually function in an NFL game.