7 Reasons to Pay Attention to Preseason This Year

7's the key number here. Think about it...

Last year, I gave you 7 reasons to read training camp notes and watch these glorified scrimmages they call preseason games.  I think that must have been an arbitrary number based on how much I could think of to write at the time.  I don't really know.  Maybe I was channeling my inner hitchhiker from Something About Mary.  Even though 7 doesn't seem like enough with all of the story lines to pay attention to, I'm sticking with it.  7, man...SEVEN!  Let's get right to it, shall we?

1. The New England Patriots.  I don't like the Patriots any more than you do, but when it comes to drafting a fantasy football team, you need to pay attention to them.  Tom Brady lost a lot of his toys in the offseason, but I don't see him crying about it (not yet anyway).  Danny Amendola is the obvious choice to step in and have a big year, but how much will he actually be on the field?  In his four year career, he's played one full season, and he's accumulated a grand total of 7 touchdowns.  Granted, he hasn't been playing with Tom Brady until now.  So if he is healthy, you have to like his chances to find the endzone quite often.  But Brady will find other people to throw to.  The question is: Who will that be?  Will Gronk be healthy for Week 1?  Will rookie Aaron Dobson pick up the system quickly enough to have an instant impact?  Will one of their recent acquisitions (Tuinei or Haggerty) make the squad and have Brady turn them into an instant sensation? Would the Pats consider bringing back a guy like Brandon Lloyd?  I have lots of questions, and I doubt Belichick will answer all of them before my league's draft.

Is that a pop warner size football...?

2. Battles for the #2 WR position.  Speaking of who will be the #2 WR in New England, let's talk about some other camp battles to keep an eye on.  There are too many to mention here, but my favorite has to be Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts in Arizona.  With a decent QB finally in town, I think the receivers in the desert can finally get back to putting up some respectable numbers.  We all expect Fitzgerald to get his, but is 2012 1st round pick Michael Floyd ready to take the next step?  A couple of others with a little NFL experience are Ryan Broyles in Detroit and Vincent Brown in San Deigo.  Both have had injuries early on in their NFL careers, but both could make some noise if they're finally healthy this year.  Especially now with Alexander's season-ending injury, Brown could even elevate to the #1 WR in San Diego.  I'm also keeping an eye on the Texans rookie DeAndre Hopkins.  Apparently he's been impressive early in training camp, and I'm not just talking about his size 3XL receiver gloves (but that too).  This is a guy who had over 1400 yards and hauled in 18 TDs in his last season at Clemson, and if he's already making people turn heads in early August, I'm paying attention too.

Soccer mom? Nope. Giovani Bernard!

3. Rookie RBs.  After last season, everyone is going to want to find the next Doug Martin.  Wait a second.  Did you just start playing fantasy football?  Does anyone remember Adrian Peterson's rookie season?  What about Clinton Portis?  I'll refresh your memory on Clinton's 2002 rookie numbers: 1508 rushing yards, 364 receiving yards, 17 total TDs!  I realize the Muscle Hamster had a great season, but let's not forget the great rookies of fantasy football past.  Try to find other amazing rookie RB numbers in the last 10 seasons, and you're going to come up empty.  So it's tough to find that next big rookie running back season, especially since it's likely to not even happen.  But in a keeper league, patience is a virtue.  I'm not sure LeVeon Bell will have rookie numbers like Martin, AP, or Portis.  But he'll probably perform well enough to merit more than a mid-round pick.  With the Packers selecting both Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin in this year's draft, I'll be closely monitoring their usage in the preseason.  Another rookie who could have an instant impact is Montee Ball.  Ronnie Hillman appears to be the starter, but Ball could at minimum get goal line work on a team that will be in a red zone a LOT.  And my personal favorite (especially after watching the first episode of Hard Knocks this week) is Giovani Bernard.  He's the best rookie in the best situation, and the coaches have already hinted at a 50/50 split this season with The Law Firm.  The wife and I will be monitoring his progress closely on HBO.

4. Top RBs with health concerns.  Let's keep the running back talk going because that's a lot of what I'm paying attention to in the preseason.  MJD is coming off a Lisfranc injury, so you'll want to see how he's moving in camp if you plan on using a 2nd round pick on the guy.  Perennial gimps Darren McFadden and DeMarco Murray are also potential 2nd or 3rd round picks, depending on how many gambling types are in your draft.  I'll be keeping an eye on both in the preseason just to make sure they're not already dinged up.  If "healthy", I'm still not sure I waste a 2nd round pick on either, but maybe 3rd.  I wouldn't call Ahmad Bradshaw a "Top RB", but he fits into this category as much as McFadden and Murray do.  In addition to Bradshaw being with a new team, I'm sure he'll continue to battle his chronic foot issues (for which he most recently had surgery back in January).  He's already landed on the PUP list with the Colts, but he isn't expected to start the regular season there.  His 1-year contract is highly incentive-based (mainly per game roster bonuses), so Indy doesn't have a ton invested in the veteran.  I'll be curiously watching those feet of his because I think Vick Ballard could take hold of the opportunity if it's given to him.

You're a starter now, David.  Maybe take it easy on the celebrations.

5. David Wilson & Andre Brown.  More running backs!  Hey, it's a valuable position in fantasy football.  You need to pay attention to these preseason battles, although this one seems more like a friendly fight.  People are already comparing these guys to Bradshaw and Jacobs, aka Thunder and Lightning.  And while I'm pretty sure Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber had that nickname first for the G-Men, it seems to be a theme for the RBs there.   Andre Brown scored a TD in just about every game he played last year before breaking his leg, and he averaged over 5 yards/carry while doing so.  It sounds like David Wilson is going to be given a chance at the "starting job" now that Bradshaw is gone, but I'm not sure what that means.  When the Giants released their first official depth chart, it listed both running backs as starters.  Either Tom Coughlin is growing senile or he's just making it crystal clear that this is a true 50/50 timeshare.  Bottom line: both of these backs have value in that offense, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out in the preseason and into the real games.

6. Teams with New Coaches.  Sure, I'll be checking out the new-look offenses of the Chiefs and Eagles under new coaches Andy Reid and Chip Kelly, respectively.  But those are the easy ones.  What about the new head coach in Chicago, Marc Trestman?  I'm always going to be low on Cutler, but Brandon Marshall will definitely continue to produce.  Meanwhile, Matt Forte may not only continue to put up solid numbers, but he may increase production with this new spread offense (especially in the passing game).  Another coach with a new team who is a little more under the radar is Bruce Arians out in Arizona.  This is a guy who aired it out last year with Andrew Luck, and now has Carson Palmer throwing to Larry Fitzgerald and company.  As I mentioned above, I'll be watching the progression of Michael Floyd in the preseason, and I might reach to make sure I get him if Palmer is connecting with him early on.  Keep in mind that Arians coached Mendenhall when they were both with the Steelers, and he's been giving him high praise as an every down running back.  All the while, backup Ryan Williams is still on crutches.  One final "new" coach that no one seems to be talking about is Sean Payton, who...uh...took a year off.  Well, Payton was there in 2011 when the Saints drafted Mark Ingram in the first round.  I don't think his utilization (or lack therof) last year was his choice, and it'll be interesting to see how the RBs get used in New Orleans this season.  Heck, it'll be interesting to see what the Saints offense is capable of now that Sean Payton is the play caller again!

7. RGIII. Obviously, this one is personal.  I've now been up to training camp three times, and it's been really cool seeing the Redskins get ready for the 2013 season.  My most recent trip was last Saturday, which was Fan Appreciation Day.  It was nuts.  There were around 25,000 people there, many of whom were trying to get whatever autographs they could after practice.  Once the horn blew, the players started throwing footballs into the crowd, and then they dispersed around the fence line to sign autographs for fans.  Pictured below is an aerial shot of the horde around RGIII.  Needless to say, I was content with a photo.  I wasn't trying to break my neck for a dude's signature.  I just don't see the point for a grown ass man to do that, but many others do see whatever point that is I guess.  

Anyway, I'll just leave you with that parting shot.  I'll be trying to keep tabs on all of the preseason activity, but my top priority with always be the Redskins.  Preseason starts tonight against the Titans, and I'll be watching!  #HTTR

Cheers,
Bart