Bills vs. Panthers
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
- Matt Barkley: 8/10, 110 yds, 1 TD
- Josh Allen: 9/11, 102 yds
- Tyree Jackson: 4/10, 68 yds, 1 INT; 8 carries, 27 yds
Josh Allen started for Buffalo and looked mostly solid on their opening drive which ended in a field goal. At times he struggled with his accuracy – mostly while attempting to throw sidearm on the run or without his feet set. He had a tendency to react to pressure early and flee the pocket after seeing his first option was covered. There were also times when Allen made some really nice throws with touch and accuracy. Allen seems to be developing a nice rapport with WR Cole Beasley, who is entering his 1st season in Buffalo. Allen would go on to lead the Bills to a TD on their second possession, and that would be the end of his night. Matt Barkley took over and played fairly well. Tyree Jackson also saw playing time to end the game. While Jackson’s 6’7” frame looked imposing, he was mostly ineffective – including a deep interception into the end zone.
Running Back
- TJ Yeldon: 7 carries, 26 yds; 1 reception, 10 yds
- LeSean McCoy: 4 carries, 6 yards, 1 TD; 2 receptions, 11 yds
- Christian Wade: 2 carries, 4 yds; 1 reception, 48 yds
TJ Yeldon flashed at times towards the end of the first half. He showed great vision on a 16 yard rush in Carolina territory and then had a nice 10-yard catch in the red zone to set up a Matt Barkley TD pass to Duke Williams. LeSean McCoy saw all of his work in the 1st quarter – including a TD run. In the 4th quarter, former English rugby star Christian Wade had another highlight-reel play; this time a 48-yard catch and run from Tyree Jackson. He ran through 4 Carolina defenders on the play, including 3 at the same time. On the following play, Buffalo planned to reward the young bloke with a potential TD carry on 1st and goal from the 2, but it was blown dead due to a false start. Buffalo then had to settle for a short field goal.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Cole Beasley: 5 receptions, 44 yds
- Duke Williams: 3 receptions, 38 yds, 1 TD
- Tommy Sweeney: 2 receptions, 47 yds
Cole Beasley provided a safety net to QB Josh Allen in the first quarter. He caught all 5 of his targets, including 3 receptions on the Bills opening drive. It will be interesting to see how Beasley continues to develop chemistry with Josh Allen throughout the season. TE Tommy Sweeney also did all of his damage with Josh Allen at the helm. It would be worth keeping an eye on to see how Sweeney progresses for the rest of the preseason as well. John Brown did not play for Buffalo, and neither did Zay Jones – who was cleared through the concussion protocol earlier in the week.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
- Taylor Heinicke: 8/12, 78 yds, 1 TD
- Will Grier: 10/19, 75 yds, 1 INT
- Kyle Allen: 4/11, 32 yds
Carolina decided to start their own Allen, 2nd year QB Kyle Allen from the University of Houston. Allen was rusty to start – going 3 and out on the Panthers opening drive. He short-armed a pass to an open receiver for an incompletion and had another pass batted down at the line of scrimmage. On his second possession, he had a nice run for a 4th down conversion, reversing field and cutting up the sideline. On that same drive, however, he was sacked on 4th down for a turnover on downs. On his 3rd and final possession, he continued to face pressure and showed consistent accuracy issues.
Will Grier took over for Allen halfway through the 2nd quarter and immediately threw a pick-6. His second drive did lead to a field goal, but he was very inaccurate and looked like he was in over his head most of the time. Tyler Heinecke entered towards the end of the 3rd quarter and had Carolina’s longest completion of the night (20 yards) on his first pass attempt. He played quite well through the end of the game, including a 9 yd TD pass to Rashad Ross in the 4th quarter.
Running Back
- Jordan Scarlett: 8 carries, 35 yds; 1 reception, 14 yds
- Cameron Artis-Payne: 4 carries, 18 yds
- Elijah Holyfield: 3 carries, 17 yds; 3 receptions, 7 yds
Rookie Jordan Scarlett was the most productive back for Carolina on the night. He showed nice burst on a 16 yard outside run, and also added a 14-yard reception. With Christian McCaffrey slated to get the lion’s share of carries in this backfield and Cameron Artis-Payne firmly entrenched as his backup, Scarlett will need to continue to impress to lock down a roster spot.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Rashad Ross: 3 receptions, 28 yds, 1 TD
- Curtis Samuel: 1 reception, 13 yds
- DJ Moore: 1 reception, 8 yds
There wasn’t a whole lot of action in the Carolina receiving corps this week, mainly due to the ineffective quarterback play from Kyle Allen and Will Grier. Rashad Ross was able to haul in Carolina’s only TD of the night – a nine-yard strike from Tyler Heinecke. Entrenched Panthers starting WRs DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel each had one reception in limited work. We won’t get a very clear picture of what to expect from Carolina’s WRs this season until we see how Cam Newton’s shoulder looks after being surgically repaired in the offseason.
— Corey Saucier
Haven’t played fantasy football in awhile just wondering…besides actual talent which positions should be drafted in the early rounds? Not sure I trust ANY bears fans to give advice but I’ll go with my gut for now.
Haha, thanks for reading Aaron. In the first 4 rounds I will only draft RB and WR and I base my choices on whoever is the best player available at the moment (even if the means I get 3 rb and only 1 wr or vice versa). Travis Kelce will likely go in the 2nd round and I personally would take him at the start of the third. Typically, I’ll draft a TE in the 7th or 8th round. I’ll then go for my QB somewhere in rounds 8-10. Hope this helps!