Coming off Week 3 of the NFL preseason -- the week that's supposed to most resemble the first week of the regular season -- there's plenty of info to be gleaned for fantasy football owners. Last weekend taught us plenty about wide receivers in some of the middle tiers, including potential sleepers James Washington, Sterling Shepard, and Dante Pettis. Many of you have already drafted your teams, but these updates should let you know whether you need to start searching the waiver wire already. If your draft is still coming up, you still have time to move these players in your rankings or circle them on your cheat sheets.
For more updates and the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2019 Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Steelers' WR depth chart: James Washington
Washington has played three preseason games and caught a touchdown in each of them. The only problem? None of those TD passes have come from Ben Roethlisberger. Even in three-receiver sets on Sunday night with Big Ben, Washington was on the sideline in favor of Donte Moncrief and Eli Rogers with JuJu Smith-Schuster.
James Washington (with the second team) continues to light it up in the preseason. #Steelers #PITvsTEN pic.twitter.com/qhaEXmPV0m
— Sporting News Fantasy (@sn_fantasy) August 26, 2019
We've talked Washington up as a sleeper all summer, as have many other outlets. He's obviously good enough at football to dominate preseason games with backup Pittsburgh QBs. For whatever reason, though, the Steelers haven't given him much shot to work with Roethlisberger this summer. If Washington is no more than a backup, he's a hard player to draft, even though he's shown if he gets a shot he could shine. If you have a big enough bench to stash players and wait, Washington is a good candidate in the late rounds.
2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
Sterling Shepard injury update
ESPN reported that Shepard is "good to go" for Week 1. Shepard fractured a thumb earlier in the preseason, and his season-opener readiness was thought to be a question mark. Shepard will be New York's unquestioned top wide receiver while Golden Tate is out with a four-game suspension.
Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram might both demand more touches than Shepard, but being Eli Manning's No. 1 WR will still provide opportunity to produce. Shepard's being selected as the No. 38 WR in FantasyPros' latest ADP data, a fine value.
2019 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Top 200
Who is Damion Willis?
Bengals first-year head coach Zac Taylor announced that while A.J. Green is out, Willis will join Tyler Boyd as a starting wide receiver for Cincinnati. Willis is an undrafted rookie out of Troy.
Having come from small-school competition, the step up to the NFL is big for Willis. Starting Cincinnati's third preseason game, Willis caught three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals don't have the most appealing passing offense, but Willis' 4.5 speed and 6-4 frame seemingly give him some upside.
DRAFT STRATEGY AND RANKINGS TIERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST
Dante Pettis fantasy outlook
The 49ers' handling of Pettis all preseason has been odd. They've kept him in each preseason game longer than the rest of the starters, with head coach Kyle Shanahan most recently saying he wants Pettis to "earn a role on the team." Shanahan has made multiple remarks like that throughout August, yet Pettis keeps starting in games and playing with the first team in practice.
FANTASY SLEEPERS:
8 QBs | 14 RBs | 11 WRs | 11 TEs | 6 D/STs | One from each team
It's hard to know what to make of this. Pettis is the odds-on favorite to produce value in the San Francisco receiving corps in 2019, but the constant implication that he's not locked into a job has to lead to some concern. He's going within the top-40 receivers of drafts, so fantasy owners obviously believe Pettis has a chance to contribute. It's a situation to monitor even into the season to see how snaps break down for the 49ers.