Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by James Ronstadt
- Edited by Allie Fontana

Here’s a recap of notable performances and other news from potential fantasy football impact rookies in Week 3 of the NFL Preseason.

—Cincinnati Bengalsquarterback Andy Dalton has been the team’s presumed starter ever since Carson Palmer’s somewhat forced early retirement, but he hadn’t really looked the part until Thursday’s 24-13 victory over Carolina. Dalton was sharp in Cincinnati’s home-opener, converting on 11-of-17 passes for 130 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to fellow rookie A.J. Green. While Dalton may not be the most talented signal caller in the 2011 Draft class, he’s the only one to have a starting job locked up. For that reason, he’s currently the most valuable rookie from a fantasy standpoint in redraft league formats.

—Cam Newton had a great statistical performance on Thursday night in Cincinnati, running four times for 49 yards (12.3 YPC), including a dazzling 16-yard end zone scramble. Unfortunately, Newton faired far worse while in the pocket, hitting on just 6-of-19 pass attempts (31.6 completion percentage), while absorbing two sacks. Armed with excellent arm strength and solid mechanics, Newton may very well develop into an above-average passer someday, however the accuracy he’s displayed so far, even on moderate patterns has been abysmal. All signs point to first-year head coach Ron Rivera naming Newton the team’s opening day starter. He also seemed primed to have a rough rookie campaign.

—Blaine Gabbert did little to inspire confidence that he’ll triumph over incumbent David Garrard in the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback battle. Head coach Jack Del Rio tabbed Garrard as the starter for last Saturday’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills. While Garrard hardly lit the world on fire (11-of-21 passes, 106 yards, one rushing touchdown), he did nothing that would cause him to lose the starting job. For his part, Gabbert completed six of 13 pass attempts for 52 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The rookie’s future is bright, however he’ll have to bide his time while Garrard attempts to recapture his early-season success of a year ago.

—New England Patriots third-round quarterback Ryan Mallett turned in a second-consecutive mediocre performance on Saturday, completing 9-of-14 passes for a paltry 65 yards during a blowout loss in Detroit. Mallett is currently battling Brian Hoyer for the right to serve as Tom Brady’s  backup. Head coach Bill Belichick has praised Mallet throughout the preseason, after what was generally regarded as a subpar training camp. On the other hand, it was reported last week that Mallett spent all night partying while attending July’s NFLPA rookie symposium. Questions remain as to whether the 23-year-old is ready to turn the page on his college “daze.”

—Things were looking up for Daniel Thomas after his encouraging Week 2 showing (12 carries, 42 yards, one score).  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front seven help the Dolphins rookie to just 16 yards on seven carries. Thomas has managed only 63 yards on 23 carries in three preseason games. Less encouraging was the Miami’s signing of the similarly-built Larry Johnson, who could potentially cut into Thomas’ workload. With Reggie Bush already in town and expected to monopolize third-down duties, Thomas will need to make his hay during early-down work. Nevertheless, Thomas remains a high upside, mid-round target for fantasy owners, particularly in standard formats. Don’t expect too much too soon from the former Kansas State Wildcat. 

—Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Delone Carter has been drawing rave reviews, though no other member of the team’s backfield has done much in the way of preseason production. Carter ran seven times for 27 yards during Indy’s home loss to the Green Bay Packers (serious question, do the Colts intentionally flub preseason games?), giving the former Syracuse Orange product 17 rushes for 81 yards (4.76 YPC) in his first three NFL contests. It seems very likely that Carter, not Donald Brown, will back up injury-prone starter Joseph Addai. Carter’s stock is on the rise as preseason action winds down.

—Dallas Cowboys rookie halfback DeMarco Murray made his preseason debut on Saturday night after dealing with hamstring injuries throughout training camp. He led the team in both carries (seven) and yards (32) during a 23-17 victory over Minnesota Vikings. Murray, who is battling Tashard Choice for the backup job to Felix Jones, also made one reception for seven yards. Whomever running back wins the number-two gig will have considerable value, but we may have to wait until the season starts to find out the victor.

—The Oakland Raiders’ decision to nab lightning-quick running back Taiwan Jones looks like a (rare) stroke of genius from an organization that has consistently been hit or miss when it comes to drafting offensive players over the past decade. After being sideline with a hamstring ailment for most of training camp and early preseason play, the Eastern Washington product turned in a 15-touch, 99 all-purpose yards and a touchdown performance on Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints. While Oakland’s backfield is pretty crowded, Jones displayed the type of home run hitting speed desired in a change of pace back—a yin to Michael Bush’s and Darren McFadden’s yang. Barring injury, Jones is unlikely to see enough carries to be fantasy relevant in the majority of leagues this season. Bush will be a free agent in 2012 and that could open the door to opportunity for Jones.

—San Francisco 49ers running back Kendall Hunter continued his eye-opening preseason, pacing the team’s rushing attack for a second straight week with 40 yards on 8 carries in a loss to the Houston Texans. Hunter, who packs plenty of punch in his 5’7”, 199-pound frame, has accumulated 174 yards and a touchdown on just 24 preseason carries (7.2 YPC). It’s becoming increasingly clear that Hunter has surpassed Anthony Dixon as Frank Gore handcuff. 

—To say that Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and local favorite Torrey Smith has gotten off to a slower than expected start would be an understatement. Heading into Week 3 of the preseason, the big-time playmaker and second-round pick from Maryland had just a pair of receptions for eight yards. Smith caught one ball for six yards and dropped two other very catchable balls in Baltimore’s 34-31 win over the Washington Redskins last Thursday. While it’s no surprise that Smith’s short-term fantasy value took a hit following the Ravens’ acquisition of Lee Evans, the fallout has been much greater anticipated. Not all of it is related to Evans. The lockout impacted the development of many rookies and Smith is rumored to be pressing to hard in camp and on the field. He’s effectively off the fantasy radar for all but the deepest redraft leagues for now, however the Ravens aren’t counting him out just yet. Neither should fantasy owners. 

—Entering training camp, many Washington Redskins’ insiders and experts thought that wide receiver Leonard Hankerson had a serious shot at starting opposite Santana Moss. Unfortunately, the rookie has had major difficulties hanging onto passes and he’s fallen to the No. 4 slot in head coach Mike Shanahan’s wide receiving corps. Hankerson had a quiet preseason showing in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, chipping in only one catch for 11 yards. While Hankerson won’t have much early fantasy value, he stands a decent shot of becoming relevant in standard leagues during the second half of the 2011 season. Keep him on your fantasy radar for a waiver wire pickup down the road.

—Tight end Lance Kendricks led all St. Louis Rams pass catchers for the second time in three weeks, catching two balls for 26 yards and a score in a 14-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Friday. The team is splitting Kendricks out wide (a promising trend) and while rookie tight ends are notoriously unreliable, it looks like he could have a sizeable role in the offense. Kendricks has eight receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns heading into Week 4 of the preseason. He’s worth consideration by fantasy owners in deeper leagues or as a TE2 in standard formats.