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Chris Meaney
aining 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 2024 NFL regular season.
Today, let’s review the major news as we start from Thursday into Friday.
Drake Maye Plays with Second-Team Offense; Scores Rushing TD
Maye received more playing time in his second preseason game, and he was better than his numbers suggest. The rookie quarterback completed 6-of-11 passes for 47 yards. Maye added 15 yards on four carries, and he found the end zone on a four-yard run. Jacoby Brissett will open up the season as the starter in New England and it’s a job he may keep for the entire year. His numbers would have looked better if rookie Javon Baker could have hauled in this bomb from Maye.
Ja’Lynn Polk played with the first-team offense in his second preseason game after failing to do so last week. He only had two catches on three targets for six yards, but you can tell he has game.
He remains behind K.J. Osborn and DeMario Douglas, but I believe he’s still the Patriot WR to roster, and it’s only a matter of time before he moves up the depth chart.
Kenny Pickett Remains QB2 Despite Tanner McKee’s Strong Play
Sticking inside Thursday’s preseason game, Eagles third-string quarterback McKee was impressive again in his second preseason outing despite playing behind Pickett. It was Pickett who started with Jalen Hurts and the first-team offense on the sidelines. He finished 11-of-13 for 67 yards and took four sacks. McKee had a healthy 7.4 yards per attempt (15-of-19 for 140 yards). After the Eagles’ 14-13 win Thursday, head coach Nick Siranni said Pickett is the No. 2, McKee is their No. 3. The hope is we see Hurts all season long, but McKee is making a name for himself. Philly wideout John Ross suffered a concussion in the game. He’s a longshot to make the squad.
Justin Herbert Sheds Walking Boot
The Chargers QB was diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot two weeks ago. It’s an injury that Herbert may have to deal with all season, but this is a sign he’s headed in the right direction. We could see him on the practice field next week, and he’s expected to be ready for Week 1 of the season. In the meantime, he’s fallen to QB19 on average, and although he lost a lot of weapons in the offseason, he’s a solid QB2 in superflex leagues given his upside.
Christian McCaffrey (Calf) Works Out on the Sidelines
This is great news for CMC, who continues to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in fantasy football drafts. McCaffrey won’t get any run in the preseason, but all signs point to him being ready to go Week 1 when his 49ers host the Jets on Monday Night Football. As for Brandon Aiyuk, well, he was on the sidelines too, but watching practice as he awaits either a trade or new contract from San Francisco. His potential replacement Ricky Pearsall (shoulder) is not expected to play in Sunday’s preseason game.
Chris Evans Suffered Torn Patellar Tendon; Lost for Season
Tough blow for Evans, who was having a strong camp with the Bengals playing behind Chase Brown and Zack Moss. This is rough for Cincinnati, as they don’t have much depth at the position after letting Joe Mixon go in the offseason. Brown continues to rise up draft boards. He’ll own the third-down role in the Bengals’ offense, but Moss will likely get a bulk of the goal-line touches. I lean Brown over Moss in fantasy, but I’m not really interested in either back because they’ll likely split touches. If Moss continues to fall down draft boards, I’ll end up with more shares of him.
