RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Fantasy Football is what keeps fans glued to games involving teams they otherwise wouldn't care about. That includes preseason games.
A casual football fan wouldn't give a hoot about the Cardinals-Raiders preseason showdown. But Fantasy Football managers will because both teams intend to play their starters for at least one drive each. It will be our first taste of what each of these offenses (and defenses) look like.
All eyes will for sure be on Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love . With an average draft position between 25th and 30th overall, Love has Fantasy managers interested because of his outstanding speed and complete profile. Literally every Fantasy manager will watch to see how he performs, who he splits with, how much he'll split, and how well his offensive line plays. It might take more than one drive to prove much of anything, but Love is easily one of the most intriguing players to watch this preseason.
Ashton Jeanty was looked at the same way last year. How did he do? Jeanty averaged 3.1 yards per carry with one two-yard catch along with a goal-line touchdown across 13 touches in three games. You might say that was a harbinger of his season since Jeanty scored plenty but wasn't very efficient.
Jeanty will again be a popular player to watch against Arizona's defense on Thursday. How will his offensive line look? Will he share snaps? For someone being considered in Round 1 in all leagues, it'll be worth watching how he does.
But maybe the bigger focus should be on the Raiders ' passing game. Coach Klint Kubiak said rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza will get "plenty of experience in the game," but indicated he won't start -- Kirk Cousins will. Who starts with Cousins at wide receiver, and how they line up, could form opinions on which receiver to target late in drafts. Jalen Nailor is probably the favorite to play the most with the first-team offense.
Sleeper to watch: Malik Benson , WR, Raiders. Benson's turned heads in camp and may eventually elevate himself into a decent role as soon as this season. He's got the kind of size both Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza have gravitated to over their pro and college careers.
The Cardinals-Raiders showdown isn't the only game to watch.
Who's playing? The Packers plan to play their starters a little bit, save for Josh Jacobs , who has been dealing with a groin injury.
Who's not playing? The Steelers did not indicate if their starters would play at all, but Aaron Rodgers said this week that there isn't an advantage to playing in the preseason. That sounds like a no.
Starters to watch: Matthew Golden , MarShawn Lloyd . Golden is a biggie. He is firmly part of the Packers starting lineup and reportedly will handle outside receiver duties. That sounds like a commitment is being made to him contributing throughout the year, a commitment that kicks into high gear if Christian Watson misses any time. Lloyd, a draft pick of the Packers from 2024 who has played 10 snaps of professional football through two seasons, has flashed in camp according to reports, not only running hard but making plays as a receiver out of the backfield. He even celebrated a touchdown grab in a practice last week with a backflip, the kind of thing players do when they're healthy and not banged up. If Jacobs were to miss time for any reason, Lloyd appears to be the next man up.
Sleepers to watch: Matthew Golden, WR, Packers; Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard , WR, Steelers. We're unsure how much Wilson will play, but a good training camp has boosted him into the first-team offense as a primary slot and third receiver behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman . Bernard will probably back him up to begin the year, but both deserve some eyeballs since they could feasibly play a short-area role to benefit Rodgers getting the ball out quickly.
Who's playing? New Titans coach Robert Saleh said, "everyone is playing" and "it's not just a series" for the starters, so it's safe to assume that means we'll see Cam Ward , Carnell Tate , Wan'Dale Robinson and the rest of this offense.
Who's not playing? Not many 49ers ; only a few starters are expected to appear.
Starters to watch: Cam Ward, Wan'Dale Robinson, Carnell Tate. I'm assuming Robinson will play inside, Tate outside, and a rotating cast works elsewhere along the formation. Seeing how Tate runs his routes and comparing it to how he was used at Ohio State will be interesting, but learning whether or not Ward has developed timing with him is the most important thing to look out for. The state of the Titans offensive line, which reportedly didn't do well against the Niners in their joint practice, is another very crucial part of the game to study.
Sleepers to watch: De'Zhaun Stribling , WR, 49ers; Nick Singleton, RB, Titans. Stribling was a hot name at the start of camp and offers the 49ers a big-bodied presence. They might need to plan on using him more in the wake of injuries to Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk . Singleton doesn't have the steepest competition to leap over for playing time in Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears , but he'll have to really look good to earn reps in season. So far, there have been some good things reported about him, including an ability to burst into space.
Who's playing? It appears both teams will play their starters for a limited amount of playing time. Tua Tagovailoa will start at quarterback for the Falcons , potentially against a number of Broncos backup defenders.
Who's not playing? Bo Nix won't play this week for the Broncos but plans to in the next two preseason games. That probably means many Denver starters will not play. There's some discussion that Bijan Robinson , Drake London and Kyle Pitts won't actually take the field for Atlanta. Jaylen Waddle to play, as he's been dealing with a strain over the past week but has been spotted jogging.
Starters to watch: Tua Tagovailoa, Pat Bryant . Let's see if we can tell if anything is new with Tagovailoa in th...
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