Fantasy: Takeaways from Saturday's preseason games
Get ready for your season with theScore's 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.
Every game night during the preseason, theScore's Justin Boone gets you caught up on the most important fantasy performances from around the league.
Vikings look unstoppableIt would have been understandable if the Vikings had gotten off to a slow start with a new quarterback playing behind a banged-up offensive line.
But that certainly wasn't the case on Saturday night.
Minnesota's first-team offense did whatever it wanted during an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that featured Latavius Murray punishing defenders (43 yards on four carries) and Stefon Diggs hauling in three receptions for 35 yards, including this difficult 28-yard grab down the sideline:
Diggs is the truth pic.twitter.com/nQH5ethFxu
- Billy Marshall (@BillyM_91) August 12, 2018
Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins was flawless on his lone drive, completing all four of his passes for 42 yards and a touchdown on a quick slant to Diggs, who made a compelling case that he - not Adam Thielen - will be the team's No. 1 receiver in 2018.
Yes, this was an incredibly small sample size, in a meaningless game, against a vanilla defense ... BUT, this was still as good as any team's starters looked this week. And the Vikings didn't even have their full set of blockers or their star sophomore running back, Dalvin Cook.
Prior to Saturday's game, I would have advised you to draft Cook (late first) Diggs (third), Thielen (third), Kyle Rudolph (seventh), Cousins (eighth), and even Murray (12th) at their current ADPs. Now, I have confidence that Cousins' transition to John DeFilippo's offense will be seamless, meaning the aforementioned Vikings stars might even be values at those prices.
Freeman shines for DenverDevontae Booker got the start and took his two carries for 7 yards, before rookie runner Royce Freeman entered the game on the next series.
Freeman struggled in pass protection and dropped a short throw early on, but he eventually gave us a taste of his running ability on a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The 22-year-old reached the second level untouched, and then demonstrated good vision by bouncing outside en route to the end zone:
Royce Freeman touchdown. Good work at the second level. Also, terrible by the Vikings defense pic.twitter.com/FZfrQssyUL
- Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) August 12, 2018
Booker's involvement as a pass-catcher is something Freeman owners will have to accept, but the latter is still one of the most intriguing backs available in the fifth round of fantasy drafts. Nobody should be taking Ronald Jones over Freeman, as current ADPs are suggesting.
Overall, the Broncos have the eighth-most favorable schedule for fantasy running backs in 2018, with just one menacing defensive matchup in the first five weeks. Freeman will be a sought-after fantasy asset in September.
Instant ImpressionsDavid Johnson had an impressive but extremely short night Saturday, rushing for 14 yards on each of his two carries before taking a seat in favor of rookie Chase Edmunds. Edmunds isn't getting talked about much nationally, but many around the Cardinals have gushed about him, especially head coach Steve Wilks, who suggested the youngster could be an every-down player if Johnson is ever sidelined. Edmunds showed exceptional determination on this nearly impossible 2-yard touchdown run against the Chargers. Take note for handcuffing purposes.
- It was a rough debut for Josh Rosen, who went 6 of 13 for 41 yards. However, the stat line doesn't tell the whole story, as Arizona's offensive line was at least partially to blame for some of the rookie's rushed decision-making. Chalk it up to a learning experience for Rosen, while both he and Sam Bradford will be streaming options you'll consider on the waiver wire in good matchups.
Melvin Gordon is the unquestioned starter for the Chargers, but Austin Ekeler continued to be a big-play weapon for L.A. in its first preseason game. Ekeler had 64 yards on seven touches, gaining most of that on a 39-yard reception and a 20-yard run. It's the same explosiveness we witnessed from him last season, before ball-security issues capped his ceiling. Ekeler could benefit from Hunter Henry's season-ending injury, as the Chargers search for playmakers in the short-to-intermediate passing attack, along with the red zone. He's an intriguing backup who's capable of posting flex numbers in fantasy leagues.
This next item is way down the list of pressing fantasy takeaways, but if Case Keenum stumbles or gets hurt at any point in 2018, signs are pointing to Chad Kelly emerging as the backup quarterback in Denver. While Kelly faced an easier matchup on Saturday in Minnesota's third-string defense, he severely outplayed Paxton Lynch and received cheers from Broncos fans, who booed Lynch off the field. Draft capital makes this a tougher decision for Denver than it might seem - Lynch is a former first-round pick, while Kelly is a former Mr. Irrelevant as the last overall selection in 2017 - but I'm rostering Kelly in deep dynasty leagues.
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