St. Louis Rams

The Rams finished their preseason schedule falling short to Miami 14-13. One week after the headlining injury to quarterback Sam Bradford, the team has filled the starting position from within. Shaun Hill will lead the team with Austin Davis as his backup. Davis went 12-of-19 Thursday night for162 yards and one touchdown. Rookie running back Trey Watts led the team with thirteen carries for 51 yards and was one of the five backs to make the 53-man roster. Zac Stacy is the official starter with Benny Cunningham listed as his primary backup. Brian Quick has quietly put together a strong preseason and has drawn numerous praises from coaches and media. He will run opposite the reams number one receiver Kenny Britt, with the underwhelming Tavon Austin in the slot. This offense has pieces in place to be productive, but the lack of experience in the backfield combined with a recent quarterback shakeup means that you should temper your expectations, particularly in the first few weeks.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers offense hasn’t seen much success this preseason, with quarterback Colin Kaepernick failing to throw for a touchdown thus far. This led to coach Jim Harbaugh stating that the starters would in fact see game-time in week four. The surprise came as a last minute decision to rest those star players was made just prior to the game. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson went 14-of-17 throwing for 135 yards and one touchdown. The first of his touchdowns came on a 13-yard dump to rookie standout Bruce Ellington. Ellington is one of six receivers to make the 53-man roster, but is stuck in depth behind Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, and Steve Johnson. Rookie running back Carlos Hyde saw just two carries in the finale, and looks to be the sure-fire handcuff for Frank Gore owners. LaMichael James was the third running back to make the roster, but is a situational back at best. This offense is loaded with playmakers and could be lethal when running in sync. Expect another slow start just like last season, but reports have surfaced that the 49ers could have been purposely not exposing big plays to opponents that they’ll see in regular season. Draft Kaepernick confidently from past success, but get yourself a solid backup.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks were led to points yet again by starting quarterback Russell Wilson. He hit tight end Luke Willson on a 25-yard pass to top off and 80-yard drive. Wilson has looked confident and poised thus far, and looks to build off a successful 2013. Wide receiver and return specialist Bryan Walters led the team with three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown before being released in final cuts. The team opted to keep fellow receiver Phil Bates instead, who caught one ball for a 33-yard touchdown. Speculation arose, despite a solid camp performance, that backup quarterback Terrelle Pryor could be cut. That rumor in turn became a reality as Pryor was unable to beat out Tarvaris Jackson for backup duties behind Wilson. The Seahawks will employ a run-first offense yet again, but kept just three running backs to do so. Marshawn Lynch will see workhorse duties yet again with veteran backup Robert Turbin and Christine Michael coming in to spell him. The pass game has potential to put up decent numbers, but with just two 300-yard passing performances in his career, don’t expect Wilson to launch downfield on a regular basis. Seattle’s fantasy value through the air will continue to be accredited to YAC.

NFC SOUTH

Chicago Bears

The Bears lost their fourth and final preseason game against the Browns 33-13. David Fales will be the third quarterback on the roster and went 13-of-24 for 146 yards on the night with one touchdown. His lone touchdown went 32 yards to newly added receiver Santonio Holmes. Holmes is claimed by coaches to have a “real role” in this offense and will pick up the scraps left behind by Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Josh Bellamy brought in four balls for 78 yards before being waived. The team kept six total receivers including an injured Marquess Wilson. Starting running back Matt Forte will have little risk of losing reps to backups Shaun Draughn and Ka’Deem Carey and looks to be an elite fantasy option. Jay Cutler is primed for a big year with consistent players surrounding him. You could do worse for a bye week Quarterback.

Detroit Lions

The Lions blanked the Bills 23-0 in their preseason finale. The team announced they were keeping three quarterbacks on roster after Kellen Moore went 17-of-28 for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Mikel Leshoure carried eight times on the night for just 18 yards and ended up being excluded from the final 53 as the team favored Theo Riddick for their third and final running back spot. Reggie Bush will get the bulk load of carries in this backfield, but the team’s investment in Joique Bell severely hinders the upside of Bush in non-PPR leagues. Kris Durham was the biggest name to be released this weekend. At 6’6”, Durham was building great rapport with Matt Stafford in red-zone packages. The team decided to keep Corey Fuller on roster instead, who went for 48 yards and a touchdown on three catches Thursday. In a pass-first offense, there will be plenty of balls to go around between Megatron, Golden Tate, Brandon Pettigrew, and Reggie Bush.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers topped off their preseason with a solid victory over the Chiefs in a 34-14 game. With the starters sitting out, quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien each threw a pair of touchdowns apiece before being added to the 53-man roster. One of those touchdowns from Tolzien went to rookie receiver Jeff Janis for 33 yards. Janis was the fifth and final receiver to make the roster, but is buried in the depth chart. Richard Rodgers is listed as the starter of the four tight ends, but hasn’t shown enough to merit him any fantasy value quite yet. Andrew Quarless isn’t going away quietly and Brandon Bostick is viewed as the highest upside player once fully healthy. Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy have continued to impress and look like sure-fire top five fantasy options. For the first time in recent history the Packers will have a much more balanced offense, but expect Aaron Rodgers to continue to air it out.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings closed out an undefeated preseason with a 19-3 victory over the Titans. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater continues to put pressure on Matt Cassel to perform despite being labeled as backup. He closed the day going 4-of-9 passing for 17 yards and one touchdown. Christian Ponder ran with the third-stringers and hit 12-of-15 passes for 121 yards on his way to a spot on the final 53-man roster. Joe Banyard led the team with eighteen carries for 111 yards before finding himself on waivers. Kyle Rudolph continues to find himself in a prime position to breakout as he is only one of two tight ends to make the team. The team announced another Jerome Simpson suspension this week, leaving Jarius Wright in a position to start in trip-sets at least for the short-term. Adrian Peterson will see another heavy workload, but expect to see the Vikings put the ball in the air more frequently than prior years with Cordarrelle Patterson and Rudolph leading the receiving corps.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys opted to rest their starters and determine their depth in their final preseason outing against the Broncos. Backup quarterback Brandon Weeden, who had been praised in camp, continues to fizzle in production connecting on just 6-of-12 passes for 75 yards and one interception. Rookie Dustin Vaughan played well despite the teams’ limited success as he went 11-of-17 for 86 yards. Following the outing, Dallas decided to roster three quarterbacks. Whether they’re concerned about the risk of another Tony Romo injury or just didn’t want to risk Vaughan being picked up somewhere else is unknown. LaRon Byrd led the team in receiving with four catches for 56 yards, but found himself outside the final 53. The fifth and final receiver on roster will be rookie Devin Street. After an efficient preseason, Ryan Williams was cut and resigned to the practice squad as the team will carry just three running backs. Williams was competing with Joseph Randle, but was unable to unseat him. Barring an injury setback to Romo, this offense has immense fantasy potential with playmakers Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and DeMarco Murray.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles capped off the preseason in fashion by walloping the Jets 37-7. Quarterbacks Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez both got the night off as Matt Barkley started the game. Barkley completed 21-of-33 passes for 253 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The team opted to roster three quarterbacks for the 2014 season, but also claimed they would listen to trade offers for Barkley. With an injured third-string back Chris Polk sitting out all of preseason, rookie Henry Josey looked to be on path to a roster spot while adding another twenty-two carries for 121 yards against the Jets. Coming as a surprise to many, the team chose to keep just three running backs forcing them to cut Josey loose. Jeff Maehl led all receivers with four grabs for 84 yards, while Arrelious Benn was released despite another two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. This offense has proven to be proficient yet again over the course of the preseason, and boasts a heavy dose of fantasy playmakers. One of this year’s most prime breakout candidates is tight end Zach Ertz, who has been recently praised for his pristine route running ability.

New York Giants

Despite going 5-0 in the preseason, the Giants offensive woes grow more evident by the week. After a frustrated head coach Tom Coughlin vocalized the teams need to figure out the offensive mishaps, Eli Manning led the starters in the final preseason game against New England. Manning topped off a rocky offseason going 1-of-4 for zero yards. Running back Rashad Jennings looks to be lone bright spot in a whirlpool of offensive miscommunication, as he carried three times for 20 yards. Rookie backup running back Andre Williams carried five times for 44 yards, 38 of which came on one carry. Receiver Rueben Randle admitted to media this week that he and Manning and struggling to find their timing. That doesn’t bode well with fans and fantasy owners as Randle and Manning aren’t in their first season together. The team has yet to see first-round receiver Odell Beckham Jr. who continues to fight a hamstring injury. The camp surprise was undrafted receiver Corey Washington, who claimed a roster spot after a strong preseason. The draft stock of receiver Victor Cruz continues to plummet as the team simply cannot seem to get anything going. Fortunately, Cruz’ playmaking ability alone will justify him as a high end WR2 with upside.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins rested both RGIII and Kirk Cousins in their final preseason outing against the Buccaneers. Quarterback Colt McCoy solidified his spot in the final roster by hitting 22-of-29 throws for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie seventh-round running back Lache Seastrunk was competing with undrafted Silas Redd for a roster spot, but ultimately was outshined. Redd led the team with fourteen carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. Receivers Aldrick Robinson and Ryan Grant both performed well grabbing five balls for 70 plus yards apiece, paving their ways to locked roster spots. Both players will be fantasy irrelevant as the top three receivers are set with DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Andre Roberts. Starting running back Alfred Morris looks to be the only sure-fire fantasy performer as RGIII continues to figure out this new offense. Garcon and Jackson boast relatively equal value as competent WR2 selections. However, if you are really looking to draft Griffin you’d better snag a solid backup option.

AFC Camp Report - Wk 4