One more weekend of games that don't count on the record. One final stretch of trying to generate takes through patching together camp reports and seeing practice highlights. One last slog of thumbing through your Coachspeak Translator Guide [patent pending] to figure out what exactly Mike McDaniel is talking about.
(C'mon, guys -- can't we add Coachspeak to ? It's as widely spoken as Esperanto!)
Until we come up with a better system for filtering what is news and what isn't, I'll be here helping you separate the signal from the noise. For one last ride in the 2024 preseason ... let's play fantasy football's favorite game show: Hype Train or Smoke Screen!
Hype train
I'm willing to admit to some confirmation bias here. I've been pounding the drum recently that Kyler should be going higher than he is. It seems to have worked. Murray's ADP has climbed to the point where he's the QB10 in most formats. It feels like that's his floor this season, with a top-five finish legitimately within reach.
Imagine my glee when Murray's head coach says -- repeatedly! -- that the veteran quarterback "looks damn good." It's been a couple of seasons since we've seen the former No. 1 overall pick fully healthy. When Kyler was in peak shape, he was one of fantasy's top-tier quarterbacks. With the weapons Murray now has at his disposal (hi, Marvin Harrison Jr.!), I'm positively giddy over his potential in this age-27 season.
Kliff Kingsbury's offenses have always held a level of intrigue. The Air Raid lends itself to fantasy production. Who wouldn't want part of an attack that fashions itself as basketball on grass? The problem has been a lack of unpredictability. Kingsbury has become notorious for keeping his top receiver static in alignment. In three seasons with the Cardinals under Kingsbury, DeAndre Hopkins took 76 percent of his snaps from the left side of the formation, per Next Gen Stats. Nuk was still quite productive when active, but it made you wonder if a lack of creativity was holding the team back. And now that Kingsbury's calling plays for Washington, that same concern's creeping up with the Commanders' WR1.
Through two preseason games, have come from the left side. But maybe that was the Commanders offense not trying to show too much. McLaurin has traditionally moved across the formation. Last year, his snaps were split evenly between the left and right sides. Now that Washington has a quarterback it believes in, it would be a shame to limit McLaurin by locking him to one side of the field.
The last time we really saw Patrick in action, he was asserting himself as the Broncos' No. 2 receiver. It was his second straight campaign with 50-plus catches and more than 700 yards. It seemed as though he was ready for liftoff. That was in 2021. In '22, Patrick tore his ACL in training camp. The following year, he popped his Achilles tendon. The breakout was on hold, and it was fair to wonder if we'd ever see it.
Now, two and a half years since his last regular-snap, Patrick returns to a similar situation to the one he left. The Broncos are looking for a WR2 to complement Courtland Sutton and they're breaking in a new quarterback. Early returns suggest Patrick and rookie signal-caller Bo Nix are vibing. The receiver has caught all five of his targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. There's still some way to go in Patrick's recovery, but it looks like the previously postponed breakout could be in progress.
Smoke screen
Smith has been a villain in the eyes of fantasy managers for several years now. Just ask anyone who struggled with Kyle Pitts or Drake London over the last two seasons. Smith's reputation went from being an astute offensive coordinator to a galaxy-brained madman. However, that doesn't mean Pittsburgh's new offensive coordinator is totally wrong about judging the preseason. Every year, we read too much into August reports and end up with egg on our face.
But in this case, there should be plenty of reason to be concerned. The quarterback play has been subpar. Neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields have done anything to suggest either deserves the starting job. The Steelers are still very much on the hunt for a complementary receiver to George Pickens. And they could enter Week 1 without one of their backfield pieces, as Jaylen Warren nurses a hamstring injury. Smith can preach caution all he'd like, but there are real issues that need to be worked out in Pittsburgh.
The Jets offense continues to be a curiosity. Our excitement last year lasted all of four plays before Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. This season, Gang Green is being discussed by fantasy analysts with cautious optimism. We love Garrett Wilson. We love Breece Hall. Everyone else is a question mark.
That included New York's RB2. The role belonged to Dalvin Cook in 2023. It wasn't great. Cook averaged about 4.5 carries per game. From Week 5 on, Hall gobbled up two-thirds of New York's rushing attempts. That was in a low-volume offense with poor quarterback play. With Rodgers back, expect the Jets to be more up-tempo -- and more pass-heavy. That doesn't exactly lend itself to a second running back breaking through. Allen looks like a good handcuff option for anyone drafting Hall, but I wouldn't look for much more than that from the rookie back.
The Patriots spent the third overall pick on Maye, but initially, the prevailing wisdom was that veteran Jacoby Brissett would be New England's starting quarterback to begin the season. Maye has played well enough throughout the preseason that the prevailing wisdom is now in doubt. Mayo has been very complimentary of his rookie quarterback, citing his growing confidence.
But a quarterback growing in confidence is not the same thing as a quarterback ready to start right away. Mayo noted that Brissett is "still QB1" and that he hoped to make a decision on the starter by early next week. It wouldn't at all be a surprise to see Maye starting at some point during the 2024 season, but it would be a bit of an upset if he snagged the job from Brissett in Week 1. It would be an even bigger upset if Maye became fantasy relevant during his rookie season in an offense still looking for an identity.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy analyst for NFL.com and a man who is looking for one last blast of summer. Send him your fanciful larks or fantasy football questions on Twitter @MarcasG or TikTok at marcasgrant.
