Thursday/Friday NFL preseason report

BENGALS 24, FALCONS 19

FALCONS PASSING GAME ON RISE: It was mentioned last week how much more the Falcons want to throw the ball this season. Well if Thursday was any indication of how good that passing game might be, then start gobbling up Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White, perhaps even Tony Gonzalez. Ryan finished 18 of 21 for one TD, while White led all Falcons receivers with 54 yards on four receptions. Frankly, Jones looked more dominant after the catch than White, though. He caught three passes for 41 yards, but was hard for the Bengals secondary to bring down. I rank Jones fourth on my receivers list and White seventh. I'm convinced Ryan and Gonzalez are underrated in the fantasy draft process right now. I'm boosting Ryan to eighth on my board, while Gonzalez will remain eighth on my tight ends rankings. Both could be absolute steals in your draft.

DALTON TO JONES REMAINS LETHAL: Andy Dalton to A.J. Green was a great connection a year ago, and looks to be just as good this year. The two hooked up for a 50-yard TD pass in the second quarter. They talked about how the play came to be with Tony Siragusa live on FOX afterwards, and it's plain to see there's a great chemistry between the duo. The kind of chemistry that has made for some of the greatest QB to WR connections in the history of the game.

BROWNS 35, PACKERS 10

MUCH-IMPROVED WEEDEN: Brandon Weeden looked much better against the Packers than he did in his first preseason game against the Lions. Now, either that says something about Weeden finally adapting to the Browns offense and the speed of the NFL game, or it's once more an indicator of how bad Green Bay's defense is going to look at times. Or a combination of the two. Weeden finished 12 of 20 for 118 yards. Still, he's not a real fantasy threat, especially with the receivers he has at his disposal.

TITANS 30, BUCCANEERS 7

THE RETURN OF CJ2K?: OK, probably not, but still this was an encouraging performance for owners who believe in Chris Johnson or have already drafted him like this writer. Johnson had 46 yards on 10 carries with a pair of 14-yard TD runs. He at least resembles his form from two seasons ago. I wouldn't expect 2010 production, but don't believe he's going to have a season like 2011 again, either.

TITANS QB BATTLE: Jake Locker was given an extended amount of time to move ahead of Matt Hasselbeck Thursday, but failed to do so. Locker completed just 4 of 11 passes for 21 yards as accuracy remains a major issue for the second-year QB, who was a first-round pick last season. Hasselbeck was 4 of 5 for 29 yards in limited reps. Locker is the more athletic of the two, but he's not getting the job done.

REYNAUD REMAINS EXPLOSIVE: Darius Reynaud is at the very least making himself a tough cut. The return specialist looked great running the football late in the game, racking up 75 yards on seven carries. He's also showing nice production in the kicking game. He's not going to beat out Javon Ringer or Jamie Harper for a RB spot, so the Titans will have to keep four RBs or cut him. If he's cut, Reynaud's body of work has been good enough to get him a job with another team in need of a kick returner. Unlike last year when he was cut by the Giants and remained unsigned the rest of the season. He's got the tools to be a great kick returner, so if you play in a league that awards return yards, then keep Reynaud in mind.

BUCCS RB BATTLE: LeGarrette Blount is trying to hang on to his carries after the Buccs drafted Doug Martin in the first round in April. So far in the preseason, they've split touches, but Martin has been the more impressive of the two. On Friday, Martin had 23 yards on seven carries, while Blount had a mere 11 on eight totes. Martin's numbers aren't impressive, but Blount's are downright pitiful. Martin also offers more in the passing game. I truly believe Blount will be phased out as the season progresses.

VIKINGS 36, BILLS 14

PONDER SHARP: Second-year Vikings QB Christian Ponder had one of the best performances of his career -- preseason or regular season. Ponder finished 10 of 13 for 136 yards and a TD. It's an encouraging sight for the Vikings. He opened the game by taking the Vikings on back-to-back scoring drives, giving them a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Ponder looks like a nice No. 2 QB option in fantasy terms this season.

JACKSON LOOKS HEALTHY: Fred Jackson had the type of game in a short work sample that made him one of the best fantasy options in the league before his injury. Jackson ran for 27 yards on five carries and had 14 more yards on three receptions. He's still more productive than C.J. Spiller and the Bills will have a tough time giving too many touches to Spiller because of what Jackson is capable of. Maybe this split time thing will hold early in the season, but expect Jackson to take over. And either way, the running backs are going to be the focus of the offense.

JAGUARS 27, SAINTS 24

WAS THAT BLAINE GABBERT?!: There's not a lot of praise coming for Blaine Gabbert from fans in Jacksonvile, nor from anyone else really. But, Gabbert was awesome Friday, completing 13 of 16 passes for 112 yards and two TDs. One of those TD throws was the rookie WR Justin Blackmon, who finished with 48 yards and four receptions. By no means does this indicate Gabbert should be drafted, but it's certainly a move in the right direction for the former first-round pick.

SAINTS PASSING GAME NOT MISSING A BEAT: Drew Brees was great, but we expect that. Brees completed 10 of 13 passes for 133 yards and a TD. Backup Chase Daniel was also impresive, completing 16 of 21 passes for 185 yards and two TDs. Also, the trend of the Saints spreading out the ball to a multitude of receivers continued. Seven different Saints had at least two receptions, while six had at least 31 yards. I know this is preseason, so it's not that shocking, but the names catching these passes are mostly regulars who will be playing during season. Guys like Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas and Devery Henderson.

KEEP EYE ON JENNINGS: Maurice Jones-Drew continues to hold out of Jaguars camp, and Rashad Jennings continues to make the most of his opportunities. Perhaps Jennings is why the Jaguars aren't fretting about MJD not reporting yet. Jennings had 62 yards on 11 carries as he ran roughshod through the Saints defense. He's not the threat in the passing game MJD is, but he's a viable running option. He should be drafted if this MJD situation doesn't improve. At the very least, he's a must-have handcuff for anyone drafting MJD.

PANTHERS 23, DOLPHINS 17

TANNEHILL OK, MOORE AWFUL: The end is coming quickly for veteran QB Matt Moore, who simply hasn't taken to the Dolphins new offense. Moore was a mere 5 of 15 for 57 yards. He had a chance to take the starting role with David Garrard out with injury, but has instead played himself out of a roster spot. Tannehill, meanwhile, was 11 of 23 for 100 yards. He showed glimpses of what he's capable of. The rookie QB got the start Friday, but didn't deliver quite the performance of his first preseason game. Expect him to start the third preseason game as well. This offense will be his to run at some point this season. The question is when.

NEWTON IMPRESSIVE: Cam Newton finished with 119 yards and a TD on 8 of 11 passing. It's also worth noting the production of tight end Greg Olsen, who caught two receptions for 33 yards. Newton really relied on his TEs last season with Olsen splitting time with Jeremy Shockey, who was released this offseason. Olsen should get all those targets to himself. He's a very underrated TE at this point, going undrafted in some leagues.

LIONS 27, RAVENS 12

BIG NIGHT FOR STAFFORD/MEGATRON: Getting extended work, Matt Stafford completed 12 of 17 passes for 184 yards. Five of those completions went to Calvin Johnson for 111 yards and a TD. This is the best QB-WR combo even in the preseason. Johnson is sixth overall on my board, while Stafford is my No. 4 QB and worthy of a second-round pick. Big years for both guys should be expected. The Madden Curse met its match when it went up against Megatron.

FLACCO SOLID: It's wasn't a great performance from Joe Flacco, who? completed 7 of 12 passes for 79 yards. The Ravens continue to rave about his performance in training camp, calling it the best of his career. He was lucky not to have thrown at least one INT against the Lions. He's a No. 2 QB option and nothing more. Don't go into the season thinking Flacco will carry you through 14 or 15 games.

CARDINALS 31, RAIDERS 27

OH, KEVIN KOLB: It's crazy for me to consider I actually bought into Kevin Kolb as a starting fantasy QB last season. No one is buying him as a backup this year. Kolb was just 3 of 6 for 22 yards in limited action Friday, but remained unimpressive, while also being sacked in the end zone for a safety (not completely his fault). He's on track to lose his job to John Skelton, and has to have the Cardinals brass thinking they should have offered Peyton Manning a large stake of the franchise to get him in Arizona. It's been an awful training camp and preseason for Kolb, who might be on the unemployment line if it continues.

WHO IS MCFADDEN'S HANDCUFF?: The Raiders were hoping Mike Goodson or Taiwan Jones would emerge as the oft-injured Darren McFadden's backup, but injuries are taking their toll. Goodson is having issues with weakness in his shoulder, which was evident after he gained just five yards on six carries, while losing two fumbles Friday. Jones didn't even suit up after suffering a hamstring injury. This has opened the door for Lonyae Miller, who rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries. Miller is adequate, but Jones and Goodson have gamechanging abilities. McFadden is dangerous to rely on without having a handcuff in place for him, but neither of the options are very reliable at this point.

Source: http://fantasyfootballjungle.com/article/1716/Thursday-Friday_NFL_preseason_report/

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