It is now less than two weeks before the kickoff of the 2019 NFL and fantasy football season will begin! We finally got to see starters play a significant time in the third preseason game, and unfortunately that wasn’t a positive thing for everyone. And to make things even more interesting we had a bombshell retirement this week. Fantasy drafts are happening fast and furiously now, and before you go into yours be sure to see who is rising up boards, who is tumbling down, and one who you should start to pay more attention to now.
Risers
KeeSean Johnson, WR, Arizona Cardinals - Obviously, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk will be the top two receivers, however both of them are more possession type guys. Johnson could be the field stretcher, and with fellow rookie Hakeem Butler now set to miss the season due to injury, Johnson is looking like he has a firm spot on the depth chart. He caught all seven of his targets on Saturday night for 85 yards and looked very impressive. With Kliff Kingsbury’s “Air Raid” offense in place, the Arizona offense should look very different, and much better than it did last year. Johnson is a bit raw, but right now his arrow is definitely pointing in the right direction.
Sam Darnold , QB, New York Jets - He started the preseason as kind of an afterthought when it came to redraft leagues in fantasy football, but he has looked razor sharp in all three games and is starting to gain more attention. So far in August, Darnold is 17-for-25 for 211 yards and two scores. Although his receivers aren’t exactly household names, the trio of Robby Anderson , Jamison Crowder , and Quincy Enunwa are all solid options. And with Le’Veon Bell catching passes out of the backfield, there is a real shot for Darnold to throw for 4,000 yards and 25 scores. He is starting to climb up the ranks of fantasy quarterbacks and is a very solid QB2 at this point.
Derrius Guice , RB, Washington Redskins - Guice missed all of last season with an injury, and then suffered a hamstring injury which had fantasy owners running scared away from the second year back. And while the ‘Skins offense is not likely to be high powered this year, Guice looked great in the third preseason game. He rushed for 44 yards on 11 carries, and had some burst in his step. This should boost him back into an RB2 range with fantasy players having high hopes now that we have watched him on the field.
Fallers
T.Y. Hilton , WR, Indianapolis Colts - Yes, that sound you hear is millions of Colts fans and fantasy players when the news broke of Andrew Luck ’s sudden retirement. If you want to have an idea of what this means for T.Y. Hilton , go look at his game log from 2017 when Brissett was the quarterback all season. Sure, he was traded to Indy right before the season started, and the Colts have improved their offensive line, but Brissett just isn’t near the player Luck is. Hilton had four good games and a bunch of trash that year. Fantasy owners were considering dropping him. If you’ve already drafted you have to hold him, but if you have a draft coming soon, he is a WR3 at best, possibly a WR4 with the change at quarterback.
Cam Newton , Carolina Panthers - He was running for his life most of the time in the third preseason game, and ended up leaving injured and seen in a walking boot after the game. So far the diagnosis appears that he avoided major injury, but this is just another tick in the caution box against Newton. He was shut down at the end of last year, and had his second shoulder surgery in the last three years in the offseason. Now, with the foot injury, there just has to be more concern about his ability to finish this season healthy. You have to believe that Carolina will limit his running attempts especially early on with this foot ailment, which takes away some of his extra value that he derives from rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Be careful if Cam is your QB1, you might want to put another signal caller on your roster.
Rashaad Penny , RB, Seattle Seahawks - A darling early in draft season, Penny has been outplayed by Chris Carson since minicamp. He was most involved in the third preseason game and scored a touchdown, but he is a good deal behind Carson in the pecking order for touches. He did nothing to distinguish himself in the preseason with just 35 yards on 20 carries, but at least had six catches in the three games. Penny’s value will be more in PPR leagues this season, and in the hopes he steals some goal line carries. However, once being drafted as an RB2, Penny is a flex option at best right now, and even that is kind of a stretch. He is still worth drafting in the middle to later rounds, but his stock has fallen drastically in the last month.
Stock to Watch
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants - Giants fans were more than unhappy when their team selected Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 Draft. However, this preseason certainly has a lot of people changing their tunes. While Eli Manning will be the starter Week 1, Jones certainly has looked sharp, and often better, in August. So far through three games he is 25/30 for 369 yards and two touchdowns. There’s a chance that Manning plays all season since owner John Mara certainly has a love for him, but when the Giants are eliminated from playoff contention it only makes sense to play the rookie. Jones isn’t someone to draft, but definitely keep your ear to the ground with rumors with the Giants if they get out of the gate slowly.