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Risers and Fallers going into preseason wk3 2019

By Michael Valverde

Preseason week one is over, and even though these games can be handy in trying to pluck some diamonds from the rough, but for the most part the NFL use it to roster trim. Enjoy the games for what it’s worth, but don’t get swept up in the hype or the magical athletic moves of a guy who will be changing your oil next week. Here is week 3 of risers and fallers. Charts and ADP are brought to you by Football Fantasy Calculator. The scoring system is full-point PPR with 12 team ownership.

Risers

Josh Jacobs (Round 3, Pick 10) looked every bit of the part of a bell-cow back against the weak Cardinals defense. Jacobs gained 21-yards on four carries and added a catch. Prompting Jon Gruden expressed his thoughts about the first-round selection in Jacobs: “He’s really picked up the offense fast. He’s improved in the passing game. We’re really excited about him.” Jacobs looked good between the tackles and showed excellent vision with some cutback ability.

Lamar Jackson (Round 11, Pick 1) showed some quality as a drop-back quarterback against the Packers. This is essential for his development, or teams will just blitz him to extinction. Jackson finished with 58 yards through the air on 6 of 10 passing and two runs for 14 yards. He scored on one run when he maneuvered his way through the defense, but was called back because of a penalty.

Miles Sanders (Round 6 Pick 2) has shown some excellent skills bobbing and weaving through the defense of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The rookie gained 31-yards on five carries and even caught a pass. He is looking every bit the reason why he was selected in the second round.

Tony Pollard (Round 13, Pick 1) could give Jerry Jones some breathing room if Ezekiel Elliot is still holding out when the season starts. Pollard ran through the Los Angeles Rams defense showing power, balance, vision, and versatility. On six carries, the rookie rushed for 51-yards and a touchdown.

Robby Anderson (Round 6, Pick 9) was a fun toy to have in the fantasy playoffs last season. Anderson finished as a WR2 in weeks 14-16 showing growth with quarterback Sam Darnold. It didn’t appear as much changed. Anderson caught all three of his targets for 32 yards. He is currently going as a WR29 off the board and its certainly going to get to the WR24 spot quick enough.

Jakobi Meyers (N/A) continued playing like a super-stud. This week he was suitable for six receptions on six targets for 82-yards against the Titans. Meyers continued to build off Week 1 performance where he caught 6 passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.

Fallers

Kyler Murray (Round 8, Pick 12) looked like an unseasoned rookie against the Oakland Raiders. They blitzed him, forcing him to make silly errors such as taking a safety for a sack. The first pick of the draft went just 3 of 8 for 12 yards including a 4-yard run in the four series he competed in. Murray was erratic sailing a handful of passes. He will need to respond. Let’s see what he does next week.

Andrew Luck (Round 8, Pick 2) continues to have a mystery of a leg injury. Nobody outside of Luck and management knows what is happening here. Perhaps they don’t even know the extent. Until there is clarity on this injury, he will continue to drop. Luck did look good warming up in the preseason game last week, so that is hopeful.

T.Y. Hilton (Round 3, Pick 6) as long as Luck is battling so will Hilton. The wide receiver has been a Jekyll and Hyde act when Luck is on the field (Jekyll) and (Hyde) when off. Even though the star wide receiver has had good games when Luck is healing, it isn’t enough to draft him at his current price.

Melvin Gordon (Round 3, Pick 9) still has been a no-show, and there really isn’t any sign of him returning anytime soon. The only difference or glimmer of hope is his contract. Gordon is not a free agent after this season, therefore would be sacrificing a lot of money. He may not be able to hold out. The ownership also has Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. They are not forced to comply with Gordon’s demands, even though they want their star running back to return.

Ezekiel Elliott (Round 1, Pick 5) is in the same boat as Gordon. The difference between the two is that the offense goes through Elliot. This will put pressure on both sides to get a deal done. Elliot has shown no interest in returning from Cabo. Tony Pollard was impressive prompting owner Jerry Jones to make a quip to reporters after last week’s game when he said: “Zeke who?”

Darrell Henderson (Round 7, Pick 11) has not looked good in his first two preseason games. In fact, he has been a better pass catcher than a runner. Against the Cowboys, the rookie ran for just 16-yards on six carries. Henderson was just a tad better than last week versus the Raiders.

In that contest, the rookie running back gained 13-yards on six attempts. In the last two games, the Memphis college product has a 12-29-0 stat line a 2.41 yard per carry average. Henderson will try to earn some stripes against the Broncos next week. It is a good thing he has shown some excellent hands out of the backfield. Henderson caught six passes for 38-yards.