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

[Greenbacks]

Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan:
Pass yds: 4,487
Pass TDs: 23
INTs: 15
Rush yds: 58
Rush TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 4
Fantasy points: 239.3

The Falcons threw the football on 60.8 percent of their offensive plays under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan last season, finishing eighth in pass attempts (621), fifth in completions (410), sixth in yards (4,379) but just 23rd in touchdown passes (21). ... In his seven previous seasons as a coordinator, Shanahan had just two top-15 fantasy field generals. Both of them (Matt Schaub - 2009, Robert Griffin III - 2012) finished fifth. ... Matt Ryan was 19th in fantasy points at his position last season, which was his worst finish since his rookie campaign (2008). It should also come as a surprise to no one that his 21 touchdown passes were also his worst total since 2008.

 

[Greenbacks]

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco:
Pass yds: 4,256
Pass TDs: 23
INTs: 17
Rush yds: 41
Rush TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 240.3

The Ravens recorded a 64.6 pass percentage in their first season under offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Ironically, his offenses threw the football 64.7 percent of the time during his short tenure with the Chicago Bears. Before he went down with an injured knee, Joe Flacco was on pace to score 259.1 fantasy points last season. That would have ranked him 17th at the position. ... In his previous six seasons as either a coordinator or head coach, Trestman had just one signal-caller (Rich Gannon, 2002) finish better than 16th in fantasy points among quarterbacks. To be fair, however, Gannon did finish first that season and was forced to miss nine games in 2003 due to injuries.

 

[Greenbacks]

Buffalo Bills

Tyrod Taylor:
Pass yds: 3,118
Pass TDs: 22
INTs: 8
Rush yds: 543
Rush TDs: 4
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 271.0

The Bills threw the football 49.9 percent of the time in 2015 under offensive coordinator Greg Roman. His offense in San Francisco had a pass percentage of 53.4 percent the previous season, which ranked 26th. In his previous three campaigns, Roman's offenses never finished better than 30th in pass percentage. Furthermore, his system had accounted for one top-10 fantasy quarterback (Colin Kaepernick, 2014) while with the Niners. It should be noted that almost 30 percent of his fantasy points that season came as a runner, which could bode well for Tyrod Taylor's fantasy prospects. Cam Newton (636) was the lone signal-caller to rush for more yards than Taylor (568) last season.

 

[Greenbacks]

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton:
Pass yds: 3,749
Pass TDs: 28
INTs: 12
Rush yds: 663
Rush TDs: 7
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 340.3

Panthers quarterbacks ranked 27th in pass attempts (501), 29th in completions (300) and 24th in passing yards (3,589) last season. Still, Newton finished first in fantasy points due in large part to his 35 touchdown passes, 636 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores. He's been a fantasy star during his time with Mike Shula as either the quarterbacks coach or coordinator (2011-present), finishing no worse than fourth in fantasy points in four of his first five NFL seasons. ... Since 2011, no other quarterback has had more rushing attempts (599), rushing yards (3,207) and rushing touchdowns (43) than Newton. He's likely to be the first signal-caller drafted in most 2016 leagues.

 

[Greenbacks]

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler:
Pass yds: 3,843
Pass TDs: 23
INTs: 16
Rush yds: 174
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 5
Fantasy points: 227.1

The Bears threw the football 54.3 percent of the time under former offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who is now the head coach in Miami. That total should be considered ballpark under new coordinator Dowell Loggains, whose offenses threw the ball 54 percent of the time during his two seasons as the OC in Tennessee. Unfortunately, his system didn't produce a top-20 fantasy quarterback between Jake Locker (2012) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (2013). Furthermore, his 2012 offense finished dead last in the NFL in plays from scrimmage (957). ... Loggains will be the sixth offensive coordinator that Jay Cutler has played under in the last eight years. He's no more than a No. 2 fantasy option.

 

[Greenbacks]

Cincinnati Bengals

Andy Dalton:
Pass yds: 4,008
Pass TDs: 27
INTs: 13
Rush yds: 167
Rush TDs: 3
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 273.0

The Bengals hired former quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese (yes, he's Ernie's son) to replace Hue Jackson, who left to coach the Cleveland Browns. Zampese is the lone position coach that Andy Dalton has played under at the NFL level, but he's never been an offensive coordinator in the pros. ... On a positive note, Zampese has overseen the development of both Palmer and Dalton during his 13 seasons in the Cincinnati organization. In 2015, Dalton was on pace to finish with 4,000 yards and 34 total scores under Jackson before he busted his thumb. ... The Bengals lost wideouts Marvin Jones (Lions) and Mohamed Sanu (Falcons) and could be without Tyler Eifert to start the 2016 campaign.

 

[Greenbacks]

Cleveland Browns

Robert Griffin III:
Pass yds: 3,360
Pass TDs: 15
INTs: 12
Rush yds: 432
Rush TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 219.6

Hue Jackson has announced that he'll serve as the team's offensive coordinator in 2016. In his last five stints in that role, he hasn't had a single quarterback finish higher than 18th in fantasy points (Dalton, 2015). In his defense, Dalton was on pace to rank in the top 10 before injuring his thumb. Furthermore, his top players at the position before his tenure in Cincinnati were Patrick Ramsey (2003), Joey Harrington (2007) and Jason Campbell (2010). ... Robert Griffin III is considered the favorite to open the season as the Browns No. 1 quarterback. After finishing fifth in fantasy points as a rookie (2013), RG3 has failed to finish better than 18th at the position.

 

[Greenbacks]

Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo:
Pass yds: 4,281
Pass TDs: 30
INTs: 13
Rush yds: 53
Rush TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 266.5

The Cowboys threw the football 57.8 percent of the time last season, but that was due in large part to the absence of Tony Romo and a campaign that included a lot of deficits. The previous season, the team threw it 49.9 percent of the time. That will be a closer prediction for the 2016 campaign, as the Cowboys will look to run it more often with Ezekiel Elliott. ... During his five seasons as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, Scott Linehan's field generals ranked no worse than 11th in points four times. That includes a pair of top-10 finishes from Matthew Stafford (2012, 2013). ... Tony Romo, who missed most of last season, could push for regular No. 1 fantasy quarterback value.

 

[Greenbacks]

Denver Broncos

Mark Sanchez:
Pass yds: 3,249
Pass TDs: 19
INTs: 15
Rush yds: 98
Rush TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 5
Fantasy points: 187.8

During Gary Kubiak's five seasons as a head coach with Rick Dennison as his offensive coordinator, his teams threw the football more than 60 percent of the time twice (including last season). Under Dennison's watch, field generals have finished in the top 10 based on fantasy points once (Matt Schaub, 2010). During his time as the coordinator in Denver without Kubiak (2006-2008), however, Cutler was a top-10 fantasy quarterback twice. ... The Broncos figure to run the ball more often moving forward, so don't expect a lot of success in the stat sheets from projected starter Mark Sanchez. He's finished as a top-10 quarterback once (2011), and that was a significant outlier.

 

[Greenbacks]

Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford:
Pass yds: 4,341
Pass TDs: 28
INTs: 16
Rush yds: 111
Rush TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 270.7

All hail Jim Bob Cooter! In the nine games where he served as the Lions offensive coordinator last season, Stafford threw the football 329 times (36.5 APG) for 2,396 yards with 21 total touchdowns and four interceptions. In his previous seven contests under Joe Lombardi, he put up 263 attempts (37.6), 1,866 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine picks. The gunslinger pass attack remained, but Stafford was far more productive once Cooter took over the reins. That bodes well for the Georgia product and his receivers, as the Lions chucked it 65.6 percent of the time overall. ... The loss of Calvin Johnson hurts, but Stafford remains on the higher end of the No. 2 fantasy quarterbacks.

 

[Greenbacks]

Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers:
Pass yds: 4,315
Pass TDs: 35
INTs: 7
Rush yds: 278
Rush TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 332.4

In his first season as the offensive coordinator, Edgar Bennett's squad threw the football 58.7 percent of the time. The team finished 18th in pass attempts (573), 20th in completions (348) and tied for 11th in touchdown passes (31). ... Aaron Rodgers had his worst full fantasy season in a while, but he still finished seventh in points and was without Jordy Nelson (knee) for the entire campaign. He had finished no worse than second in his previous five full seasons, and a return to that status should be expected in 2016. Had he not missed seven contests due to a busted collarbone in 2013, Rodgers projected to finish third at the position based on the numbers from his nine starts.

 

[Greenbacks]

Houston Texans

Brock Osweiler:
Pass yds: 4,016
Pass TDs: 24
INTs: 13
Rush yds: 127
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 243.3

In his first season as the Texans offensive coordinator, George Godsey's squad threw the football 58.1 percent of the time and finished 18th in passing offense. The team also combined to throw 28 QB touchdown passes between Brian Hoyer (19), Ryan Mallett (3), T.J. Yates (3) and Brandon Weeden (3). ... Houston quarterbacks finished tied for ninth in pass attempts (619), but that stat should decline somewhat after the addition of Lamar Miller. Remember that the Texans didn't have their top running back, Arian Foster, for most of the season. ... A former quarterbacks coach, Godsey will have a chance to mold new starter Brock Osweiler into an effective and more reliable signal-caller.

 

[Greenbacks]

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck:
Pass yds: 4,292
Pass TDs: 32
INTs: 15
Rush yds: 317
Rush TDs: 3
Fumbles lost: 5
Fantasy points: 309.4

The Colts have handed over the reins of their offense to coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who has produced three top-six fantasy quarterbacks in his career. Of course, Newton (2011, 2012) recorded two of those seasons while Derek Anderson (2007) had the third. The good news is that when Chudzinski has had a solid quarterback under center, the position has produced well in the stat sheets. ... In his lone start under Chudzinski last season, Andrew Luck threw for 252 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions against a tough Broncos defense. ... Overall, quarterbacks averaged close to 35 pass attempts under Chudzinski's watch after the team fired Pep Hamilton.

 

[Greenbacks]

Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles:
Pass yds: 4,109
Pass TDs: 27
INTs: 15
Rush yds: 331
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 4
Fantasy points: 273.5

The Jaguars threw the ball on over 65 percent of their offensive snaps last season, so it wasn't a surprise to see Blake Bortles chuck it 607 times and finish in the top 10 in fantasy points among quarterbacks. It was the first time since Marc Bulger (2006) that coordinator Greg Olson has produced a starting-caliber fantasy quarterback during his six pro seasons in that role. Of course, his other signal-callers have been rookies in Derek Carr, Terrelle Pryor (who is now a wide receiver) and Harrington. ... The addition of Chris Ivory and several top defenders could signal a change in philosophies, however, so Bortles' fantasy totals could regress a bit in 2016.

 

[Greenbacks]

Kansas City Chiefs

Alex Smith:
Pass yds: 3,287
Pass TDs: 20
INTs: 8
Rush yds: 401
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 1
Fantasy points: 239.3

The Chiefs have decided to use both Brad Childress and Matt Magy as co-offensive coordinators after Doug Pederson left to coach the Eagles. Still, head man Andy Reid will do most of the play calling. ... Heading into 2014, Reid hadn't had a quarterback who started more than 10 games rank worse than 12th (Smith, 2013) in fantasy points at the position. Of course, Reid did have Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb for the majority of those campaigns. ... In his three seasons with Reid at the helm, Smith has ranked 12th, 15th and 18th in fantasy points among quarterbacks and has averaged a modest 3,355 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes and seven picks.

 

[Greenbacks]

Los Angeles Rams

Jared Goff:
Pass yds: 3,179
Pass TDs: 17
INTs: 15
Rush yds: 73
Rush TDs: 0
Fumbles lost: 5
Fantasy points: 162.5

The Rams made a switch at offensive coordinator late last season, firing Frank Cignetti Jr. and promoting tight ends coach Rob Boras in Novemeber. In Boras' four games in the new role, quarterback Case Keenum threw the football more than 23 times once and averaged a mere 173 passing yards. Still, the Rams did have a 3-1 record in that time. ... Boras is likely to lead a conservative pass attack with rookie signal-caller Jared Goff under center, so don't expect a lot of statistical fireworks from the California product. ... Mike Groh, who is the passing-game coordinator, hasn't been a coordinator at the pro level but did serve in that role at the University of Virginia (2006-08).

 

[Greenbacks]

Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill:
Pass yds: 4,065
Pass TDs: 25
INTs: 13
Rush yds: 227
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 259.3

The Dolphins hired Clyde Christensen to take over as the team's offensive coordinator, but Gase is likely going to handle most of the play-calling duties. In his first two seasons as a coordinator, Gase's offenses in Denver fielded the best (2013) and the fourth-best fantasy quarterback (2014) in Peyton Manning. During those two campaigns, Manning combined to throw for 94 touchdowns. ... Gase came back to earth last season with Cutler, who finished with his best passer rating as a pro but finished just 20th in points among field generals. ... Ryan Tannehill should make strides under his new coach, but he shouldn't be seen as more than a late-roound selection in most drafts.

 

[Greenbacks]

Minnesota Vikings

Teddy Bridgewater:
Pass yds: 3,602
Pass TDs: 19
INTs: 11
Rush yds: 191
Rush TDs: 2
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 223.2

The Vikings threw the football just 51.3 percent of the time and finished with the fewest pass attempts (454) and the second-fewest completions (294) of any team in the league last season. ... Offensive coordinator Norv Turner hasn't had a quarterback finish better than 21st in fantasy points in his last four seasons, but he did help Philip Rivers rank in the top 10 four times during a five-year stretch (2008-2012) when he was the head coach in San Diego. ... With Adrian Peterson still the centerpiece of this offense, there's little chance that Teddy Bridgewater will develop into more than a No. 2 fantasy quarterback or matchup-based starter. He could even be undrafted in leagues.

 

[Greenbacks]

New England Patriots

Tom Brady:
Pass yds: 3,395
Pass TDs: 23
INTs: 7
Rush yds: 32
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 2
Fantasy points: 219.0

The Patriots threw the football 63.5 percent of the time last season, which was the highest rate the team has had since offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels re-joined the team in 2012. This powerful unit ranked fifth in pass attempts (404), seventh in completions (404) and tied for first in touchdown passes (36) as well. ... In his last seven seasons, Tom Brady has finished in the top 10 in fantasy points six times. He failed to reach the mark in 2013, but Rob Gronkowski missed nine games that season. ... In 2015, Brady averaged 21.5 fantasy points per game. Keep that in mind when you draft him, as Brady will miss the first four games of the season due to a controversial suspension.

 

[Greenbacks]

New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees:
Pass yds: 4,733
Pass TDs: 31
INTs: 13
Rush yds: 39
Rush TDs: 1
Fumbles lost: 3
Fantasy points: 291.2

The Saints threw the football 63.7 percent of the time last season, which ranked in the top 10 among NFL offenses. The team finished tied for second in pass attempts (667), first in passing yards (4,970) and completions (460) and 10th in touchdown passes (32). ... Pete Carmichael has been the team's offensive coordinator since 2009, during which time Drew Brees has finished no worse than sixth in fantasy points among quarterbacks. That includes four seasons where he's ranked first or second. ... The veteran out of Purdue has also attempted no fewer than 627 passes over the last six seasons, during which time he's averaged better than 5,000 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes.