Quick hits pre-season week 1 2017

By Chad Stapley

Deshaun Watson came out firing like he isn’t a rookie QB playing in his first NFL game ever. Watson went 15/25 for 179 yards and he added 24 yards rushing with a TD. Watson looks like a draft able QB in the later rounds for fantasy football, as he is most likely going to start the season as QB2 for Houston.

Another young Texan who impressed was rookie RB D’Onta Foreman, who ran the ball nine times for 76 yards and he caught two passes. Foreman is sure to be the RB2 entering the season but he could quickly see playing time if he offers this type of production each week. He is a mid-round draft selection for most fantasy football leagues.

Christian McCaffrey didn’t play much but he did run the ball seven times for 33 yards. He really impresses when he catches the ball in open space, unfortunately the Panthers didn’t target him at all in his first game.

The Vikings are going to find a way to get Dalvin Cook the ball as often as possible. In his first NFL game action he ran the ball five times and he caught four passes. Cook looks to be the clear cut starter for the Vikings and he could be a sneaky good starter for any fantasy football roster.

Jonathan Williams for the Bills is going to find way to steal carries from Le’Sean McCoy left and right. This is great for people who draft Williams and terrible for McCoy fantasy football owners. Williams ran the ball four times for 39 yards and he caught a pass for seven yards. He is entering his second year and is seemingly finding more comfort in the Bills offense.

Dede Westbrook could end up stealing playing time from the young Jaguars WR core. He only hauled in one catch, but it was a huge 42 yards TD reception. Westbrook was a monster in college and he could make some noise in fantasy football if the Jaguars give him the opportunities.

Who in the world is Jacob Hollister? He could be the Patriots next secret weapon at TE as the undrafted rookie out of Wyoming put on a show in his first NFL game. Hollister grabbed seven receptions for 116 yards. The Patriots could have secretly added a fantasy football monster.

The Broncos have a nice stable of RBs and they added to that stable by adding De’Angelo Henderson in the 6th round of the 2017 draft. Henderson ran the ball seven times for 54 yards and a TD and he looked every part NFL ready.

Mitchell Trubisky is out to prove all the naysayers wrong and show that he is capable of being an NFL QB. His first outing looked quite promising with him going 18/25 for 166 yards and a TD. He also added 38 yards rushing. This type of play is going to push him into QB1 category and he is a nice QB to draft in the mid to late rounds and sit on your bench until he becomes the starter. He has star potential.

The Saints quietly signed a very good backup QB in Ryan Nassib. Nassib started his career with the Giants but never got any playing time and they decided to let him walk and signed Geno Smith instead. Nassib is far better than Smith and if Drew Brees ever were to get injured he could come in and score some serious fantasy football points.

Rookie QB DeShone Kizer impressed just about everyone watching in his NFL debut by going 11/18 for 184 and a TD. The Browns don’t have much in the talent department so it could be a long year for Kizer but he looks like he is ready to start the season as QB1 for the Browns.

Bryce Treggs for the Eagles could be a nice quiet addition to your fantasy football team in the later rounds. He started one game last season for the Eagles and he looked very promising in the first preseason game by catching seven passes for 91 yards. The Eagles don’t have a ton of talent at WR so he could easily steal some playing time from some of the other WRs on the roster.

The 49ers have some decent young talent on their roster for the first time in a while. Rookie QB C.J. Beathard had an impressive first NFL game going 7/11 for 101 yards and two TDs. Kyle Shanahan has said Beathard was his favorite QB in the 2017 draft and it appears as if he does indeed have some talent. The 49ers only have Brian Hoyer & Matt Barkley sitting in front of him on the depth chart so it isn’t wild to think he could push them to be the starter.

Another young stud for the 49ers is rookie RB Joe Williams who also had an impressive first game running the ball seven times for 60 yards. Williams, Raheem Mosert, & Matt Breida give the 49ers a few nice young RBs to go with Carlos Hyde. The rookie trio combined to run the ball 33 times for 189 yards against the Kansas City defense.

Patrick Mahomes II is going to be a good QB for Kansas City. The rookie QB went 7/9 for 49 yards and a TD in his first NFL action. Mahomes arm strength is undeniable, it is his fundamentals and pocket presence that need some work.

Taywan Taylor is going to be a nice addition for the Titans. The rookie WR showed off his impressive ball skills by catching four passes for 56 yards. He led all Titan WRs in his first ever NFL game. Taylor looks like a WR2 from the get go.

Robby Anderson would most likely have trouble finding a roster spot on most NFL teams, however, he plays for the Jets and by osmosis and lack of talent he is going to QB1 for the Jets. Anderson impressed by catching three passes for 71 yards against the Titans. He is a nice WR3 for anyone fantasy football roster.

The Dallas TE project in Rico Gathers is looking like a clear cut success story. Gathers has caught two TDs through two preseason NFL games and is looking more and more like an NFL TE. He could be a nice addition in the later rounds.

Another intriguing rookie WR to watch is Kenny Golladay for the Lions. Golladay came in and performed like a seasoned vet in his first NFL action catching three passes for 53 yards and two TDs. He should be drafted in the mid rounds and he should score a good amount of fantasy football points in his rookie season.