This edition of Akshay's Observations focuses on teams with some high upside players – the Rams, Chiefs, Cardinals and Chargers. The Rams are implementing a system with Josh McDaniels, which may lead to a boost in fantasy stats as we saw with Denver last year and New England in prior years. The Chiefs have lost Charlie Weis, so we may see ramifications in that regard. The Cardinals have added Kevin Kolb, which brings a completely new dynamic to the team. Lastly, the Chargers have a healthy Ryan Mathews, a healthy Antonio Gates, and Vincent Jackson in tow from the get go. Let's dive right into some of the Preseason Week 3 observations!
-The Rams had a very interesting offensive game. Their first two drives were picture perfect – they ran the ball well, Bradford was surgical, and the offense scored on both drives. However, as soon as some subs were made at the WR and RB positions, Bradford proceeded to go 1 for 8 and was pressured on nearly every throw. Part of it may have been adjustments the Chiefs made, but there may be a larger issue here. PPR dynamo Danny Amendola wasn't in for Bradford's 1 for 8 set, and Steven Jackson wasn't in on every snap in that set as well. Last year, Amendola was the Rams' only positively rated WR. Something to keep in mind – if Amendola goes down, how will Bradford react without his safety net? If Steven Jackson goes down, will the run game be respected enough to keep passing lanes open? The Rams play Philly in Week 1, which is a great test for Bradford right from the start.
-James Hall continued where he left off last year with a solid game. He had an 11.5 PFF rating, and his bookend, Chris Long, had a 16.8 rating. Both players combined for 18 sacks, 20 hits and 88 QB pressures on the year. Installing solid looking rookie Robert Quinn into that defense could prove to be a nightmare for opposing QBs. Don't sleep on this team defense when the matchup is right.
-Barry Richardson looked awful. He had 3 penalties against him during the game, which is no surprise considering he had not only a negative blocking rating in 2010, but a negative penalty rating as well. The Chiefs had better hope Jared Gaither stays healthy for the year.
-Thomas Jones had only two carries, but he looked as flat as can be. He was a Bottom 5 rated RB last year, and although two carries is nothing in terms of sample size, I think the man is pretty much done. Even if I had Jamaal Charles, there are other backs around Jones' ADP I'd much rather have.
-Derrick Johnson had a monster game with seven tackles and an INT. He was the fourth best rated ILB last year, and though I admittedly don't do much IDP, he looks to be a guy to target in leagues that do necessitate individual defensive players.
-The Rams WRs in general didn't seem to get great separation this game. As a result, don't be surprised if rookie TE Lance Kendricks actually becomes a nice little target for Bradford. He has two TDs in his short playtime during the preseason, and could wind up seeing 6-8 on the season if the Rams go pass happy as many expect them to do. He was drafted in the second round for a reason.
-Dexter McCluster saw five receptions, yet lined up mostly at HB. I'd actually rather own him at his ADP instead of Jones given his dynamic abilities in the event something happens to Jamaal Charles.
From here, we move onto the Chargers/Cardinals game, which saw something fantasy owners love – gobs of points and yards. Diving right in:
-Kevin Kolb has the right idea with Larry Fitzgerald – chuck balls in his general area and hope he catches them. Fitzgerald has been targeted a ton during the preseason, and I wouldn't be surprised if he led the NFL in targets or became the #1 PPR receiver at the end of the year. If I'm picking towards the back end of Round 1, a LeSean McCoy/Fitz or Calvin Johnson/Fitzgerald combo would make me drool in PPR.
-If anything is going to hurt Kolb, it's his offensive line. It's still a line that seems to be in flux and getting used to each other. That's something to keep an eye on early in the season.
-Dare I say Beanie Wells looks good? He's running a bit more decisively, and remember, it was just recently in 2009 when he looked like a legitimate NFL runner. The opportunity is there for him to succeed.
-Philip Rivers had a bad 1st quarter, but he's one of the QBs I'm least worried about. He'll get his, and should be drafted with confidence as a Top 5 QB. Not much else to say.
-When we speak Rivers, we inevitably must speak Vincent Jackson. All preseason, Rivers has been targeting Jackson much more than anyone else. Jackson's career high in receptions is 60, and he looks likely to blow past that mark. I'll take his upside and pure size over a guy with similar ADP such as Reggie Wayne or Greg Jennings. I'm not afraid to say I own Jackson in my two most important leagues, so we'll see if his solid abilities and preseason pan out into the regular season.
-Remember the name Antwan Barnes. A fourth round pick in 2007, he's taking the look of a serious pass rusher. He had an astounding 13.3 rush rating on only 265 snaps last year, and that should grow as he earns more snaps. Take note IDPers.
-I didn't come away super impressed with Ryan Mathews. Granted it was only one game, but if you take away his big run (which had a huge hole the OL created for him), he had nine carries for 21 yards. I feel Mike Tolbert is necessary to the Chargers run game period, as he can grind the tough yards that Mathews just can't seem to get yet.
-We're going IDP heavy here! Another guy to watch is Daryl Washington – the guy had a nose for the ball against the Chargers with seven tackles, and had positive PFF ratings in overall, rush, coverage, and run last season, which is pretty impressive. I can't help but think that with some of the old Steeler coaching staff in Arizona, maybe they'll find a way to use him like a Lawrence Timmons sort of player.
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