NFL Pre-Season Central...Previews,Injuries,Results,Signings,Pictures,Etc,Etc.

[Greenbacks]

New England Patriots

Dion Lewis:
Rush yds: 577
Rush TDs: 5
Receptions: 57
Rec yds: 613
Rec TDs: 4
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 169.0

The Patriots ran the football 36.5 percent of the time last season, which was the lowest rate the team had since offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels re-joined the team (2012). In his 10 seasons as either a head coach or OC, McDaniels has produced just two top-12 fantasy runners. Three others have finished in the top 20 at the position. ... Dion Lewis scored 84.2 fantasy points in seven games before going down with an ACL tear in his knee. Had he finished the entire campaign, his projections would have ranked him as the fourth-best runner in the league. Lewis was also on pace for 82 receptions, which would have been two better than running back leaders Danny Woodhead and Riddick who each had 80.

 

[Greenbacks]

New Orleans Saints

Mark Ingram:
Rush yds: 1,097
Rush TDs: 8
Receptions: 62
Rec yds: 522
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 1
Fantasy points: 213.9

The Saints produced a run percentage of 36.2 last season. It's the sixth time in seven seasons under offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael that the team has run the football on fewer than 39 percent of its plays. His offense posted a run percentage of 45.3 in 2009. ... In 12 games before injuring his shoulder, Mark Ingram averaged 18 touches and just under 100 scrimmage yards. In his absence, Tim Hightower averaged 24 touches and 114 scrimmage yards. This doesn't signal a potential committee in 2016, but it does prove Carmichael's willingness to utilize a true featured back. ... Ingram's 50 catches in 12 games were just three fewer than he had in his previous 50 games combined.

 

[Greenbacks]

New York Giants

Rashad Jennings:
Rush yds: 879
Rush TDs: 4
Receptions: 27
Rec yds: 287
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 142.6

The Giants ran the football on 39.8 percent of their offensive plays in Ben McAdoo's first two seasons as coordinator, and the team didn't field a top-15 fantasy running back during that time. The highest finisher was Rashad Jennings, who ranked 20th in 2015. ... While this backfield is seen as a committee, Jennings did account for more than half of the team's running back carries. Overall, he accounted for 47 percent of the backfield touches. ... Shane Vereen finished with a career-best 59 catches on 81 targets, but he finished 37th in fantasy points among runners in standard scoring leagues. He was 26th in PPR formats. ... Rookie Paul Perkins is a back to watch during camp.

 

[Greenbacks]

New York Jets

Matt Forte:
Rush yds: 958
Rush TDs: 7
Receptions: 49
Rec yds: 397
Rec TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 185.5

The Jets had a run percentage of 41.7 under offensive coordinator Chan Gailey last season. It was the first time in his last five seasons in that role that he has not run the football more than 45 percent of the time. However, he has still had five top-20 fantasy backs in his last seven seasons as either a head coach or coordinator, including Ivory (eighth, 2015), C.J. Spiller (seventh, 2012) and Lamar Smith (10th, 2000). ... Ivory, now in Jacksonville, accounted for 64 percent of the team's backfield carries last season. Much of that load will go to Forte, who figures to be their top back on the gridiron. He's been no worse than 15th in points among running backs since 2010.

 

[Greenbacks]

Oakland Raiders

Latavius Murray:
Rush yds: 1,079
Rush TDs: 7
Receptions: 30
Rec yds: 201
Rec TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 166.0

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave called run plays on 36.7 percent of the team's offensive snaps last season, but he still produced a top-10 fantasy running back in Latavius Murray. That's because the Central Florida product accounted for 89 percent of Oakland's backfield carries. Musgrave's offenses have now produced four top-10 fantasy runners in his last six seasons as a coordinator. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he coached Peterson in Minnesota and Fred Taylor in Jacksonville during that time. ... Murray figures to lead the team in backfield touches once again, but rookie DeAndre Washington could come in and see his share of opportunities. He'll be worth a late-round selection.

 

[Greenbacks]

Philadelphia Eagles

Ryan Mathews:
Rush yds: 997
Rush TDs: 7
Receptions: 30
Rec yds: 253
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 169.0

New coach Doug Pederson had quite a bit of success with running backs during his time as the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, producing a first- and seventh-place finish from Charles (2013, 2014) based on fantasy points. Had he not been injured last season, Charles would have given Pederson three straight seasons with an elite fantasy runner. ... The Eagles dealt DeMarco Murray (Titans) in the offseason, so veteran Ryan Mathews is slated to open the new campaign as the starter. In the four 2015 contests where he saw 10 or more carries, he averaged 4.5 yards per attempt and rushed for a combined 271 yards. ... Darren Sproles will have a role in the passing attack and remains a PPR option.

 

[Greenbacks]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Le'Veon Bell:
Rush yds: 1,032
Rush TDs: 7
Receptions: 53
Rec yds: 458
Rec TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 1
Fantasy points: 201.0

DeAngelo Williams:
Rush yds: 451
Rush TDs: 4
Receptions: 22
Rec yds: 127
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 83.8

The Steelers ran the football 38.4 percent of the time last season, which ranked 20th in the league. However, Le'Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams both thrived in the stat sheets. In his six starts, Bell averaged 14.5 fantasy points per game. ... In the 10 other contests, Williams averaged more than 18 fantasy points. He ranked fourth among runners in fantasy points at season's end. ... Offensive coordinator Todd Haley has produced six top-15 fantasy runners in his last nine seasons in the league, including four top-10 runners. ... Bell, who is facing a four-game suspension, is no longer in the mix as a top-five overall selection. Instead, expect him to be picked somewhere in the second round.

 

[Greenbacks]

San Diego Chargers

Melvin Gordon:
Rush yds: 879
Rush TDs: 6
Receptions: 25
Rec yds: 187
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 144.6

Danny Woodhead:
Rush yds: 217
Rush TDs: 2
Receptions: 64
Rec yds: 653
Rec TDs: 6
Fumbles lost: 0
Fantasy points: 135.0

New offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has had some success with running backs at the pro level, producing six top-20 fantasy backs in his 12 seasons as either an OC or head coach. However, he's had just one back (Mathews, 2013) finish better than 17th in his last eight campaigns. Six others ranked 26th or worse. ... In his last stint as the OC in San Diego, Mathews had his best statistical campaign with 1,255 rushing yards and a combined seven touchdowns. ... Melvin Gordon, who is coming back from microfracture knee surgery, averaged 14 carries in his last seven games a rookie. In those contests, he averaged a forgettable 60 scrimmage yards and a meager 3.2 yards per attempt.

 

[Greenbacks]

San Francisco 49ers

Carlos Hyde:
Rush yds: 1,094
Rush TDs: 8
Receptions: 24
Rec yds: 157
Rec TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 1
Fantasy points: 171.1

New coach Chip Kelly likes to utilize the running backs in the offense, and it shows in the stat sheets. In Kelly's three seasons in Philadelphia, McCoy finished second (2013) and 12th (2014) at the position. The Eagles' top fantasy runner in 2015 was Murray, who finished 18th despite the fact that he missed a game and averaged a mere 12.8 carries overall. ... Mathews, who touted the pigskin 107 times in what was a partial backfield committee, ranked 33rd at the position. ... Carlos Hyde figures to be the offensive centerpiece for Kelly this season, and he's a breakout candidate in fantasy land. Unfortunately, the Ohio State product has missed 11 games in his first two seasons.

 

[Greenbacks]

[h=3]Seattle Seahawks[/h]Thomas Rawls:
Rush yds: 1,167
Rush TDs: 8
Receptions: 19
Rec yds: 264
Rec TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 187.1

The Seahawks have ranked second (2014) and fourth (2015) in run percentage over the last two seasons, but is a change coming without Marshawn Lynch? In Seattle's first nine games of last season, the team averaged 29.6 pass attempts and 29.2 rushing attempts. Over the final seven games, Russell Wilson threw 24 touchdown passes and averaged 31 pass attempts. Contrary to popular belief, however, the team's rushing attempts during that time increased to 33.8. ... In the six games where Thomas Rawls saw 15-plus carries, he averaged 118 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns. Rawls is returning from a broken ankle, so be sure to keep tabs on his status throughout the summer.

 

[Greenbacks]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Doug Martin:
Rush yds: 1,240
Rush TDs: 7
Receptions: 29
Rec yds: 224
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 188.4

Charles Sims:
Rush yds: 497
Rush TDs: 2
Receptions: 63
Rec yds: 587
Rec TDs: 3
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 134.4

The Buccaneers recorded a run percentage of 44.7 last season under offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who has since been promoted to head coach. ... In his nine NFL campaigns as an OC, Koetter has helped Maurice Jones-Drew (2008, 2009, 2011) and Doug Martin (2015) finish in the top 10 in fantasy points among running backs. Furthermore, Koetter has produced a combined eight top-20 fantasy backs. The two seasons where he didn't have a top-20 fantasy back where 2013 and 2014, when his lead back was an aging Steven Jackson. ... In the two NFL seasons where he has played all 16 games, Martin rushed for 1,400-plus yards twice. In his other two campaigns, he missed 15 games due to injuries.

 

[Greenbacks]

Tennessee Titans

DeMarco Murray:
Rush yds: 945
Rush TDs: 7
Receptions: 31
Rec yds: 246
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 4
Fantasy points: 159.1

Derrick Henry:
Rush yds: 602
Rush TDs: 5
Receptions: 8
Rec yds: 76
Rec TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 93.8

Terry Robiskie has coached some of the best running backs of the last 30 years, including Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson and Eric Dickerson. But would you believe that he's never had a 1,000-yard running back as an offensive coordinator? Jackson rushed for 950 yards in 1989 and would have reached the mark had he not missed five games. ... Robiskie has also never had a runner compile 200 or more carries in a single season. Lee Suggs was the closet with 199 attempts in 2004, but he was also forced to miss six games. ... DeMarco Murray figures to lead the Titans in backfield touches in 2016, but the presence of rookie Derrick Henry could also leave him without a true featured role.

 

[Greenbacks]

Washington Redskins

Matt Jones:
Rush yds: 936
Rush TDs: 6
Receptions: 25
Rec yds: 313
Rec TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 4
Fantasy points: 158.9

The Redskins had a lot of success throwing the football last season, but the ground attack left much to be desired. Alfred Morris led the team in carries, so his departure leaves a lot of opportunities for Matt Jones. ... More than 50 percent of his fantasy points came in two games during his rookie season, though, and he fumbled five times. Still, he's a good bet to see 225-250 rush attempts under coach Jay Gruden. ... Unfortunately, Gruden's offenses have produced just one top-15 fantasy running back (Morris, 2014) over the last five seasons. None of Cedric Benson (2011), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2012) or Giovani Bernard (2013) were able to reach that mark under Gruden's watch.

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

Seahawks Camp.

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

Paxton Lynch feels that he can put himself in position to play right away.

 

[Greenbacks]

Camp vibes.

 

[Greenbacks]

Let's get to work.