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So, um ... you might have heard that there was a football game played in Oakland on Monday night. It wasn't pretty, although Jerry Jones said he's "seen worse". But you, dear reader, didn't come here for television reviews. So without further ado, I'll try to squeeze some fantasy blood from this football stone.
» Simply put, the Dallas Cowboys offense was bad on Monday night. Tony Romo completed his first pass, hitting Dez Bryant for a 24-yard gain. The remainder of his short evening was a 2-of-5, six yard quagmire. When he's been healthy, Romo has been fantasy football gold. Chalk this up as a bad preseason game and nothing more...
» Dallas' projected two-headed running attack of DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones touched the ball a combined four times and rushed for a grand total of four yards. Jones was the "star" of the duo with a three-yard run late in the first quarter. It's a pretty bleak output against a defense that finished 27th against the run last year, but similar to Romo, it's not time to make any snap judgments...
» Cowboys kickers have battled bouts of inconsistency in recent seasons. Dan Bailey made his only attempt on Monday night. So that's something...
» Not to be outdone, the Oakland Raiders offense was equally inept. Carson Palmer's second pass of the night was terribly overthrown and intercepted by Gerald Sensabaugh. In Palmer's defense, a couple of good throws were dropped by Jacoby Ford, otherwise his 3-of-6 for 33 yards might have looked a little better. Nonetheless, with raised expectations around this Raider offense, you could have expected more...
» It wasn't all bad. Darren McFadden had a nice night, gaining 38 yards on three total touches (20 rushing, 18 receiving). Then again, fantasy football owners have come to expect big things from McFadden. The trick for him will be staying healthy over the course of a 16-game season...
» Oakland receiver Rod Streater had a nice preseason debut, catching six of the eight balls thrown his way for 66 yards. The Raiders are looking to solidify the WR position after parting ways with Louis Murphy in the offseason. With seven rookies in camp, Streater -- an undrafted player from Temple -- took a big step forward in claiming a spot on the roster...
Quick Outs
» John Skelton is slated to start in the all-important third preseason game for the Arizona Cardinals, presumably giving him the inside track to be the team's starter in the regular season opener. Skelton hasn't exactly seized the opportunity this preseason. He's winning mostly because Kevin Kolb has been worse. Of course, that could change in the next three weeks. Neither is particularly draft-worthy at the moment, but the outcome of this battle could affect the value of guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd...
» Cardinals running back Ryan Williams is expected to play against the Raiders this week. Williams missed all of last season with a knee injury, so there will be plenty of people keen on seeing how he performs in his first NFL action in about a year. At the moment, the starting job still belongs to Beanie Wells, but there's still no timetable for when he returns to the field after his offseason knee surgery...
» Jake Locker is creeping closer to nabbing the Tennessee Titans starting quarterback job. Head coach Mike Munchak announced that the second-year signal caller will start Friday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's no secret that the Titans consider Locker to be their future, but the interception bug that seems to have bitten Matt Hasselbeck in training camp could speed that progression. It's too soon to consider Locker to be anything other than the deepest of sleepers. Yet he could be a late round option in dynasty leagues...
» Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was expected to do big things in 2012, but so far it hasn't started that way. Rookie QB Robert Griffin III has built an early rapport with receiver Pierre Garcon while Davis has underwhelmed. Most folks expect RG3 to defy convention and that could include eschewing the idea of a tight end as a security blanket. It's far too early to give up on Davis, but you should slide him down your draft board. Conversely, Garcon is worth an extra look if he's going to be Griffin's favorite target...
» Donald Jones is the leader in the race to be Buffalo Bills No. 2 receiver. Head coach Chan Gailey says the third-year wideout looks "quicker and faster" than he did last season, but also pointed out that the competition isn't over. Buffalo didn't hesitate to throw the ball all over the yard last year, but struggled to find a complement to Stevie Johnson. Whoever locks up the position could have fantasy football flex appeal...
» Last season, the Baltimore Ravens were rather efficient in their no-huddle offense. This season, the plan is to incorporate more no-huddle plays into the attack, which gets a thumbs up from Joe Flacco. Flacco's been a solid second-tier QB option for much of his career and while this won't vault him to the next level, I'm in favor of anything that can increase his production...
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