If there's one word the fantasy football community needs to remember after the first week of the preseason, it's "overreaction". Fantasy owners overreact in the offseason based on the latest updates from beat reporters, but now that we have actual games to respond to, the overreaction will continue. But you have to remember that most teams played their starters one series, if at all, so regardless of how good Kyler Murray looked, you should pump the brakes on drastically moving him up or down your fantasy rankings and cheat sheets. Preseason Week 2 will provide a much better barometer of each team’s intentions with their players.
That said, last weekend did provide a glimpse into into what we can expect from a few intriguing players, and below are three risers and three fallers in mock draft ADP over the last few days (plus someone to watch in the near future).
MORE FANTASY ALARM: 2019 Draft Guide
Fantasy Football Mock Draft ADP Risers
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Just when you think the hype train can’t gain any more momentum, please watch Murray’s preseason debut. The kid looked poised, showed a strong arm, and displayed an ability to get out of trouble with his legs. The Kliff Kingsbury offense sure looks nothing like what the Cards were running last year, and that's good news. It's tough to trust a rookie quarterback as your every-week starter in fantasy, but with the depth at the position this season you can take a chance on Murray and still get a Philip Rivers/Tom Brady/Dak Prescott later in the draft for stability. Murray is now going among the top-12 fantasy quarterbacks, and he could easily crack the top 10 after this performance. If you want to get on board, draft accordingly.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
Sure, he might have two NFL veterans in front of him in Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy, but let’s be honest, McCoy is shot. He barely averaged three yards a carry last season, and rumors of his trade or release have been around all summer. While Gore was still productive last season, he is 36, and his best days are behind him. Singletary looked exciting in the first preseason game. At times, he used his smaller 5-7 frame to elude tacklers, and his agility was impressive. However, he also was able to show some power for a man that size, and he often wasn’t taken down by the first tackler. His three catches in the first preseason game shows his versatility as a back, and he could easily be the starter within the first month. McCoy’s ADP continues to fall, while Singletary’s arrow is certainly pointing up.
Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins.
The undrafted rookie has been the talk of Dolphins camp all summer long. He backed up all of that talk when he tallied four catches for 97 yards in his preseason debut. If you saw the game, there was a lot to like. Williams caught a pass near the ground, he made a one-handed catch on a 36-yard throw, and he went up and over the defense for another long grab. These may not all have been against first-team defenders, but the skills are evident.
2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
Fantasy Mock Draft ADP fallers
Antonio Brown, WR, Oakland Raiders
This saga just keeps getting weirder. First reports were that Brown was missing from Raiders camp and they had no idea where he was. Then he was dealing with a foot injury stemming from frostbite from not wearing correct footwear during cryotherapy treatment. Now, Brown is complaining about the helmet that the NFL requires him to wear, stating that it hinders his field of vision. He has said that he will not wear this new helmet, and if he is forced to, he will sue the NFL if he suffers a head injury wearing it. Brown has reported to camp as of Tuesday, per ESPN. While the Raiders are publicly supporting him, this has to be the last thing they need. There are 1,698 active players in the NFL, and Brown is the only one who is making a big deal out of this. He has gone from quirky to becoming a real problem to deal with. This has to make Tyrell Williams at least a little more attractive. Can’t wait for the next episode of Hard Knocks.
Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Stop me if you’ve seen this before" Luck has an injury in the preseason, and it isn’t getting better. While Luck still says that he will be ready for Week 1, it has to concern fantasy owners that he isn’t going to practice this week, and his availability for the second preseason game is certainly in jeopardy. His drop in ADP hasn’t been dramatic as of yet, but if this lingers another week, being drafted as the fourth or fifth quarterback certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility. If his calf injury does heal in time for the opener, or even the fourth preseason game, getting Luck two or three rounds later will be one of the better bargains in fantasy football this season. It will be your desire to take on the risk that will determine if you draft Luck or not in the coming days.
Keke Coutee, WR, Houston Texans
After only being able to play six games in 2018 due to injuries, it was disconcerting to see Coutee leave the first preseason game with an ankle injury. Many fantasy owners have high hopes for him as a third receiver in what should be a powerful Houston offense, especially since their second receiver (Will Fuller) is also frequently hurt. The diagnosis hasn’t been official yet, but it certainly didn’t look good as Coutee's ankle rolled underneath him as he was being tackled. For what it’s worth, he had posted on Twitter that it was just a mild setback, but that tweet was deleted. Coutee was a very popular sleeper a week ago, but his ADP is certain to drop from this news.
FANTASY SLEEPERS:
8 QBs | 14 RBs | 11 WRs | 11 TEs | 6 D/STs | One from each team
Fantasy Football Watch List
Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland Browns
After dealing with putrid quarterback play in his first two seasons, it isn’t surprising if you don’t know much about Higgins yet. He had three solid games in December with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, posting around 200 yards and a touchdown. Higgins looked to be the fourth receiver for 2019, but with Antonio Callaway’s double whammy of a high ankle sprain and a four-game suspension, this gives Higgins a third-receiver role on the Browns. Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t exactly been the picture of health in his career, either, so who knows what kind of role Higgins might play himself into. “Hollywood” Higgins got off to a great start with five catches and 98 yards with a score in the preseason opener, and he could be worth a dart throw at the end of drafts with a chance of being more.