Fantasy Football 2023: Training Camp Roundup (8/21)

Training camps provide our first look into NFL players and teams as we prepare for the upcoming fantasy football season. Information will now begin to flood our social media timelines, leaving us to determine the subsequent fantasy impact. It’s a matter of knowing which information matters, and which should be ignored.

So each day in this space, we’ll take a trip through the top news and takeaways around the league’s training camps to offer up what fantasy managers need to know as we head through draft season and into the 2023 NFL regular season. 

Let’s take a look around preseason Week 2 and review the key takeaways.

Philadelphia 18, Cleveland 18

There is starting to be some fire to the smoke that Rashaad Penny could get cut in favor of Trey Sermon. 

It appears either Kenneth Gainwell or D’Andre Swift will be the starting RB, and the versatile Boston Scott is a lock to make the roster as well. That leaves the likelihood of one spot between Penny and Sermon, which would be shocking to fantasy drafters to have selected Penny as the top Eagles running back all summer. Sermon rushed 5 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. He did, however, lose a fumble. 

Austin Watkins (7/139/1) continues to impress throughout the preseason. Watkins is a former UAB Blazer and former USFL star who saw a huge increase in usage across the board from the Hall of Fame Game to preseason Week 1. His Week 2 output was one of the best WR performances of the week. 

Cleveland running back John Kelly’s lackluster performance (8 rushes, 20 yards, 1 lost fumble), likely gives the RB3 role to Demetric Felton (7 rushes, 36 yards, 3 receptions). 

New York Giants 21, Carolina 19

Giants fans were certainly pleased with their 10-play opening drive that led to a Daniel Jones touchdown to tight end Daniel Bellinger. Jones was superb, connecting on 8-of-9 passes for 69 yards while finding tight end Darren Waller three times on the possession. Third-round draft pick Jalin Hyatt also impressed with this 33-yard touchdown catch from Tyrod Taylor. 

For Carolina, No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young struggled again (3-of-6, 35 yards), while Chuba Hubbard is clearly the RB2 behind Miles Sanders. 

Atlanta 13, Cincinnati 13

Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder looked equally impressive on the Falcons opening drive, before a tipped pass (and possible pass interference) caused this interception. 

There were several highlights on Atlanta’s opening drive, including multiple Bijan Robinson runs, and second-year wideout Drake London looked strong on this catch. Tight end Kyle Pitts caught one pass (with one hand) for nine yards, as he continues to rehab an MCL injury. 

For the Bengals, most of the starters did not play. However, the RB2 battle continues to intrigue, as fifth-round rookie Chase Brown is making a strong push at Chris Evans. 

Jacksonville 25, Detroit 7

Rookie RB Tank Bigsby continues to provide pressure to Jacksonville incumbent RB Travis Etienne. The former Auburn Tiger posted 70 yards on 13 rushing attempts, including this incredible display of vision. 

Detroit started newly-acquired Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback, but the 30-year-old veteran failed to impress on just 5-of-11 passes for 34 yards and a lost fumble. 
Miami 28, Houston 3

The fantasy community is split on the potential of Houston RB Dameon Pierce, but his usage cannot be argued. He was on the field for all 14 plays during the Texans’ first two drives. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud looked more comfortable, connecting on 7-of-12 passes for 60 yards. 

The Dolphins day started off with this Tua Tagovailoa interception on the very first play of the game. 

Miami rookie RB De’Von Achane showcased his explosiveness but left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. In his place, 24-year-old Salvon Ahmed rushed for 99 yards, while catching all four of his targets for 32 yards and a touchdown. Starting RB Raheem Mostert capped the Dolphins second drive with a two-yard touchdown. It appears Skylar Thompson (15-of-22, 157 yards, 3 TDs) has taken a firm grasp on the Miami QB2 job from Mike White.

Pittsburgh 27, Buffalo 15

The Steelers dominated this game from the start, building momentum off this Jaylen Warren 62-yard run on their opening drive. 

Quarterback Kenny Pickett also looked strong, connecting on 3-of-4 passes and ending his day with this 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth. 

There were two things to note from the Buffalo side. First, rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid continues to make plays. He caught three passes for 45 yards and appears to be an integral part of the first-team offense. Secondly, both Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty have secured a spot ahead of the now Buffalo WR5, Khalil Shakir. 

Indianapolis 24, Chicago 17

Nothing on the Colts side, as Anthony Richardson was named the starter early last week and did not play. 

For Chicago, running back Khalil Herbert did not play, solidifying his role as the starter. While D’Onta Foreman is the current RB2, rookie Roschon Johnson continues to impress as a rusher and blocker. 

Tampa Bay 13, New York Jets 6

The Buccaneers gave quarterback Kyle Trask (20-of-28, 218 yards, TD) significant time at quarterback. With veteran WR Russell Gage suffering a season-ending knee injury this week, there are targets available in this passing attack. Sixth-round rookie Trey Palmer made his case with this fantastic 33-yard touchdown catch. 

For the Jets, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will make his debut next week, so backup quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle split time. Interesting note: Corey Davis did not play, but Mecole Hardman and Allen Lazard did. The expectation was that Lazard would start with Garrett Wilson, but the veteran Davis (UnderdogFantasy ADP 214.2) could be a fantastic late-round pick. 

New England 21, Green Bay 17

This game was stopped in the fourth quarter after Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden was placed on a stretcher after being hit by a teammate on an attempted tackle. Bolden was released from the hospital on Sunday morning in good spirits. 

The top three WRs for New England are DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne. While the concerns regarding Ezekiel Elliott still exist, it’s worth noting Rhamondre Stevenson played every snap on the first two drives. 

Rookie tight end Luke Musgrave continues to see massive usage with the Packers starters and saw three targets. Quarterback Jordan Love connected with rookie Jayden Reed for this 19-yard touchdown, securing Reed’s role in 3WR sets. 

Tennessee 24, Minnesota 16

Both teams rested the majority of their starters, so the only major performance of note came from Tennessee running back Tyjae Spears (7/57/1). 

If Derrick Henry missed time because of injury, Spears has flashed that versatile three-down ability he showed at Tulane. 

Kansas City 38, Arizona 10

Patrick Mahomes started cooking again, going 10-of-15 for 105 yards and an 18-yard touchdown pass to Justin Watson. Fantasy drafters continue to undervalue Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who saw more snaps than Skyy Moore. While Rashee Rice (8/96) played well, he is likely out of 3WR sets when Kadarius Toney returns. Tulsa UDFA Deneric Prince scored but is still seeing significantly fewer high-profile snaps than Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

The most important observation came from Arizona, where rookie WR Michael Wilson continues to see big opportunities with the starters. Wilson did not see a target in this game, but he remains a hidden late-round fantasy gem in Best Ball drafts (ADP 202.6). 

San Francisco 21, Denver 20

Denver RB Javonte Williams started the game in the Denver backfield, reinforcing the idea that he is close to 100%. Williams wore a brace but flashed versatility in the receiving game as well. 

With the season-ending injury to Tim Patrick, the Broncos 2WR sets are dominated by Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. Rookie Marvin Mims will need to battle for the 3WR spot. Adam Trautman remains strongly ahead of Greg Dulcich for the TE1 position, despite Dulcich being drafted 50 spots higher on UnderdogFantasy. 

Brock Purdy made his 49ers debut after elbow surgery, finishing 4-of-5 with 65 passing yards. Sam Darnold is the clear QB2 for San Francisco, with Trey Lance continuing to struggle. 

Las Vegas 34, Los Angeles Rams 17

Jimmy Garoppolo went 4-for-4 on his one drive before giving way to Brian Hoyer. It’s unclear who’s the Raiders TE1, with Michael Mayer and Austin Hooper both splitting time. RB Zamir White was again impressive, with 10 rushes totaling 40 yards. Phillip Dorsett is the clear WR3 behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. 

As usual, Sean McVay rested all his starters in this preseason matchup. Rookie QB Stetson Bennett could not build off last week’s impressive outing, connecting on only 15-of-24 passes, for 142 yards and one interception. 

Seattle 22, Dallas 14

For the Cowboys, Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle continue to battle for the RB2 job behind Tony Pollard. Yet, it was rookie Deuce Vaughn who again stole the show with this ankle-breaking touchdown run. 

Two highlights from Seattle, both from rookies. Running back Zach Charbonnet reminded the Seahawks he can certainly produce if Kenneth Walker is injured, while WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba almost scored on this 48-yard grab from Drew Lock. 

New Orleans 22, Los Angeles Chargers 17

The Chargers may have a problem if Justin Herbert gets injured. Backup quarterback Easton Stick looked atrocious, connecting on only 21-of-41 passes with 2 interceptions and one lost fumble. Rookie wideout Quentin Johnston did catch all three of his targets for 41 yards, but neither Isaiah Spiller nor Joshua Kelley brought clarity to the RB2 job behind Austin Ekeler. 

For New Orleans it was the Kendre Miller show, as the rookie unexpectedly started with a knee brace and showed off his receiving skills. 

Miller caught 3 passes for 36 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.