Preseason football comes to a close this weekend, with the season opener now just two short weeks away.
Few starters sniffed the field in Week 1, Week 2 gave way to more established players and helped shine a better light on positional battles of note and Week 3 is about as real as it’s going to get before the regular season kicks off. (Unless, of course, you’re the Ravens, who take exhibition games very seriously.)
Expect to see some of the players you'll select in the early rounds of redraft leagues, not just your late-round dynasty stashes, on the field more often over the next few days. And remember, try not to overreact too much to the results of these games unless they confirm your biases. Then overreact—and draft—accordingly.
Here are four pertinent fantasy football situations that I’m watching in the preseason finale.
Tom Brady’s return
The Buccaneers quarterback returned to the team Monday after a surprising 11-day absence from training camp. Tom Brady, a future Hall of Famer entering his 23rd season, isn't in desperate need of reps by any means, and he reportedly shined in his first practice back. But the team he's returning to has taken a beating over the last few weeks, specifically along the offensive line.
Guard Aaron Stinnie is out for the season after he tore his ACL and MCL in last week's preseason game, center Ryan Jensen is out indefinitely with a knee injury and tackle Tristan Wirfs is day-to-day with an oblique strain. This follows the offseason retirement of guard Ali Marpet and the departure of guard Alex Cappa, who signed with the Bengals. Several skill position players have also been banged up, including Mike Evans, who returned to practice this week, and Russell Gage.
The Athletic’s Greg Auman noted that Brady has played in every third preseason game since 2008, a sign that Todd Bowles might put his quarterback on the field for a few series Saturday against the Colts. Tampa Bay’s early-season schedule gets off to a difficult start with road games against the Cowboys and Saints to begin the year.
Beyond Brady and his comfort level behind a lesser line, look out for rookie Rachaad White, who has looked impressive in the preseason and is due to see work behind Leonard Fournette.
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Falcons running back usage
Cordarrelle Patterson is the lead back in Atlanta, but due to his outsized receiving work, the second running back spot in this offense could still see a significant workload as Mike Davis did in 2021. Right now, Damien Williams is battling rookie Tyler Allgeier for that position. Allgeier, a fifth-round rookie from BYU, has out-carried and outperformed Williams in the preseason thus far.
The Falcons quarterbacks have actually led the team in rushing through the two games. Rookie Desmond Ridder ran for a team-high 59 yards in the first game, and second-year player Feleipe Franks finished with 45 last week. Perhaps we'll see more out of Allgeier and Williams this week, as well as Patterson, who played just one snap in each preseason game.
Also, first-round rookie receiver Drake London remains out of practice after sustaining a knee injury in the first preseason game. He is expected to play in Week 1.
49ers carry distribution
San Francisco has had a different player lead the team in rushing each of the past five seasons. Last year it was Elijah Mitchell, a surprise given he was drafted three rounds later than Trey Sermon. Thanks to an injury to Raheem Mostert, who is now in Miami, Mitchell took control of the backfield while Sermon finished with the fourth-most carries on the team. Now, Sermon is believed to be fighting for his spot on the roster.
The second-year pro has 11 carries for 19 yards across two games. Mitchell hasn't played in the preseason due to a hamstring injury which has allowed rookie Tyrion Davis-Price to shoulder a significant load in two games, while JaMycal Hasty has also shown flashes. Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to start Thursday’s preseason finale against the Texans and appears to be in line for the 49ers RB2 spot. The running back hierarchy is always something to monitor in a Kyle Shanahan offense.
