The second week of the NFL preseason is now in the books, and that means we have another week’s worth of analysis to do.
Today we’re looking at the best rookie performances in the preseason, while focusing on the AFC. These are the standouts from Week 2, with a note on their potential for fantasy points this season.
The Quarterbacks
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Quarterback – Cleveland Browns
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B
Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been one of the standouts of the NFL preseason so far.
The Browns rookie quarterback came into the preseason in a QB battle with Kellen Mond for the QB3 spot on the roster, and from what we’ve seen so far he’s winning it in a landslide.
Cleveland has now played three preseason games, due to the Hall of Fame game that opened the season, and in the third game this week DTR proved himself as a passer.
He’s a more than capable runner, but in this past weekend’s game against Philadelphia he was able to stand back and pick out passes resulting in his highest yardage total of the preseason to date.
Thompson-Robinson connected on 13 of 25 passes for 164 yards, and he now looks certain to earn the QB3 spot going into the season.
Aidan O’Connell
Quarterback – Las Vegas Raiders
Week 2 Preseason Grade: A
Aidan O’Connell played really well in the first preseason game, and the Las Vegas Raiders rookie outplayed himself the second time around.
The former Purdue quarterback threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams, and now has the highest passer rating of any quarterback in the preseason that’s thrown at least 25 passes.
That’s not just rookies either, that’s all quarterbacks. Aidan O’Connell is playing at an elite level, and of all the rookie quarterbacks that have played so far this preseason, he’s been by far the best.
O’Connell is anticipating the throws, he’s got the playbook nailed, he’s leading long drives and he’s making all the right plays. Keep in mind that Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t proven himself there yet, and if he slips up, there might be a chance that we see O’Connell at some point this season…
C.J. Stroud
Quarterback – Houston Texans
Week 2 Preseason Grade: C+
It was important for C.J. Stroud to bounce back in his second preseason appearance, and he looked a lot calmer and more settled against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday afternoon.
Stroud threw 12 passes, completing seven and posting 60 passing yards before he came out of the game for Davis Mills, and likely settled the fanbase just a little with a much improved outing, albeit on limited playing time.
Houston is playing without all that much pressure this season, and it’s going to be a steep learning curve for the former Buckeye. The pace of play caught him off guard in the opening game, and that was evident on the tape.
He’s going to be the week one starter, and if he does struggle, I wonder if the Texans would even consider pulling him at any point in the season. Davis Mills is still out there trying to prove himself, but the Texans have nothing to lose this year, with the tied worst odds for the Super Bowl. So why not give C.J. Stroud the full season and let him figure it out as he goes?
The Running Backs
Tank Bigsby
Running Back – Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 2 Preseason Grade: B+
Tank Bigsby remains to be one of the most underrated rookie running backs in this year’s class. He has a great opportunity to be the RB2 this season behind Travis Etienne, and we know that Doug Pederson’s philosophy is to utilize running back depth and rotate his players in the backfield.
Pederson gets that from Andy Reid, who deploys the same philosophy with the Kansas City Chiefs. With that in mind, Tank Bigsby is going to see some playing time this season and from what we’ve seen so far he’s going to be a dangerous second option for the Jags when Etienne comes out.
Bigsby’s cut backs and shifty approach make him electrifying to watch, bouncing his runs outside and taking off for additional gains.
The Jags rookie running back led all the rookie backs in the AFC in Week 2 of the preseason, carrying the football 13 times for 70 yards and a 5.4 yards per carry average.
While he might not be a starting running back in fantasy, he could be a solid depth piece on your dynasty roster.
Tyjae Spears
Running Back – Tennessee Titans
Week 2 Preseason Grade: A*
Tyjae Spears stole the show this week, with some of the most explosive running we’ve seen from any of the rookie RBs in the preseason.
On seven carries, Spears took off for 57 yards and a touchdown. He managed an 8.1 yards per carry average, and looked like one of the quickest and shiftiest backs we’ve seen in the preseason so far.
Now imagine you’ve spent the last several downs on defense trying to deal with Derrick Henry pounding the football down your throat, and when he finally takes a breather this young man with outrageous speed and lateral quickness comes in with fresh legs…
Yeah… no thank you. Tennessee are going to be a problem running the football this season if the offensive line can get their act together.
The Best of the Rest at Running Back
Miami Dolphins undrafted free agent running back Chris Brooks came in near the top of the leaderboard this week with 11 carries for 47 yards. Their third rounder De’Von Achane had six carries for 27 yards including a nice burst up the middle, but will now miss the third and final preseason game with a shoulder injury.
Jaleel McLaughlin was the only other notable performance amongst the rookie RBs in the AFC, carrying the football seven times for a tidy 45 yards and a touchdown for the Denver Broncos.
McLaughlin is a smaller back at five foot nine, and arrived with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Youngstown State. He’s scored a touchdown in both preseason games so far, and could be an outside shot at making at least the practice squad this season.
The Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Rashee Rice
Wide Receiver – Kansas City Chiefs
Week 2 Preseason Draft Grade: A
Welcome to the show Rashee Rice.
The Kansas City Chiefs rookie picked up eight receptions on nine targets, leading all rookie receivers in the AFC in yardage with a 96 yard performance against the Arizona Cardinals.
His usage is exactly what we’ve grown used to with Andy Reid’s offense in Kansas City. Wide receiver screens, receptions behind the line of scrimmage and plenty of motion. The coaching staff were finding ways to involve him wherever possible, and that is likely to be a similar scenario for both Rice and Kadarius Toney this season.
The trouble is that Andy Reid’s receivers right now are all a fantasy football nightmare. Nobody is really sure where to draft the likes of Toney, Rice or Skyy Moore because nobody knows what they’re involvement will look like week to week. In best ball, it’s not so much of an issue, but starting any of them in a standard format league is quite the risk versus reward scenario.
Rashee Rice is without a doubt a talented young receiver, and he could thrive in this offense. The target share will be the kicker here.
Dalton Kincaid
Tight End – Buffalo Bills
Week 2 Preseason Draft Grade: A
Dalton Kincaid took the field for the first time in a Buffalo Bills uniform at the weekend, and came out of the game having introduced himself to the Bills Mafia in style.
Kincaid was one of college football’s brightest pass catching tight ends last season at Utah, and now comes into the Buffalo Bills offense expecting to make an impact early.
He caught three passes for 45 yards, and looked every bit as good as advertised as he ran clear of linebackers and contributed to the passing game over the middle of the field.
Kincaid is a matchup nightmare and the kind of tight end that can transform an offense. We don’t imagine Dawson Knox will impact his production all that much, and so the Bills rookie tight end might just be a fantasy player’s dream this coming season.
Zay Flowers
Wide Receiver – Baltimore Ravens
Week 2 Preseason Draft Grade: B
There was only one play to really grade Zay Flowers on, but that one play showed us exactly why he’s going to be a problem at the next level within Todd Monken’s offense.
Baltimore will move away from a more traditional run first style this year, with Monken having more of an eye for distributing the football and throwing all over the field. As a result, the Ravens added Odell Beckham Jr, who was with Monken in Cleveland, and Baltimore now has a group of weapons including Flowers, OBJ, Rashod Bateman and of course, tight end Mark Andrews.
Zay Flowers took a reception down the right hand side and proceeded to weave through defenders and hustle his way into the endzone for a touchdown on what could have easily been a first down and not a lot more.
His yards after catch ability makes him a real playmaker, and having to worry about that as well as all the other receiving talent, a dominant tight end and the legs of Lamar Jackson is enough to give defensive coordinators a few sleepless nights.
The target share here is a mild concern from a fantasy perspective, with one of the top guys likely missing out on those elite level numbers purely because of the depth of the roster. They can’t all be fantasy football superstars, so who is it that misses out?
The best of the rest at Wide Receiver and Tight End
There were a few guys who had strong performances among the rookie wide receivers this week, including the Patriots late round pick Kayshon Boutte who took a quick slant over the middle and flew through the defense for a touchdown. He ended up with two catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in his first standout performance as a pro.
Cedric Tillman had another strong performance with two catches for 50 yards, and he’s another one that we really like as a sleeper in fantasy drafts this season.
Third round pick Tre Tucker had three catches for 66 yards for the Raiders, and undrafted free agent Elijah Cooks had his second straight game with strong production, this time adding two catches for 69 yards, including a 47 yard chunk play that opened up the Detroit Lions defense.
