What We Saw: Preseason Week 2

We cover everything that you need to know from Week 2 of the NFL Preseason for your fantasy football leagues.

Brett Ford
What We Saw 5 Months Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Eagles @ Patriots
Falcons @ Ravens
Bengals @ Bears
Giants @ Texans
Lions @ Chiefs
Vikings @ Browns
Seahawks @ Titans
Cardinals @ Colts
Commanders @ Dolphins
Bills @ Steelers
Jets @ Panthers
Rams @ Chargers
Buccaneers @ Jaguars
Cowboys @ Raiders
Saints @ 49ers
Packers @ Broncos

Eagles @ Patriots

Final Score: Eagles 14, Patriots 13

Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)

 

For the second week in a row, Foxborough was a wet, soggy, chilly mess for a summer football game. The area saw a total downpour during pregame, but the weather moved out just before kickoff. Not that it mattered, because this game was still slow and full of poor offensive plays. I’ll be honest – my analysis here will be heavily Patriots focused, because 1. I follow them religiously, and 2. I watched the Patriots’ broadcast, which spent all of about 30 seconds discussing the Eagles in this game. It was very difficult to decipher who was who on the field for Philly because of this, but I think I covered what there was to be gleaned from this game for them.

Honestly, the highlight of the night was this awkward interaction between Rhamondre Stevenson and Patriots sideline reporter Steve Burton.

 

Three Up

  • Tanner McKee – Arguably the best player on the field for either offense in this game. He was very impressive.
  • Rhamondre Stevenson – Only played a couple of series and didn’t light up the stat sheet, but his motor was on display as he racked up most of his yards after contact. Beast.
  • Drake Maye – He still has a ton of work to do before he’s ready to take over the reigns, but he showed enough of the raw talent that it’s a net positive on the night.

Two Down

  • Kenny Pickett – The 2nd string QB for the Eagles was outshined by the 3rd string QB. Yikes.
  • Jacoby Brissett – Had a terrible INT in the red zone, looked more like a rookie than a nine year vet.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

Quarterback

 

Kenny Pickett: 11/13, 67 yards, 4 sacks | 2 carries, 6 yards

This is a case of the stats showing one thing while the game tape shows another. 11/13 sounds like Pickett was very efficient and effective, but in reality, he didn’t push the ball downfield much at all and was sacked four times. On those sacks, Pickett did his trademark spin right into the sacking defender. His worst play came on 3rd and long, keying in on Kenneth Gainwell on a wheel route and firing a ball into double coverage. He was very lucky it wasn’t intercepted as he should not have thrown that ball. I came away wholly unimpressed and uninspired by his performance in this game.

 

 

Tanner McKee: 15/19, 140 yards | 4 carries, -4 yards

On the other hand, Tanner McKee looked like the better QB. Just look at these two throws. These are NFL level throws. Regardless of whether he’s facing the 3’s or the 1’s, these two throws are perfect. McKee looked poised in the pocket, never flustered, something I absolutely couldn’t say about Pickett. Late in the 4th quarter, he led the Eagles down the field for the go-ahead touchdown, including a successful two-point conversion to take the lead. He was the best QB in this game.

 

 

 

 

Running Back

 

Kenneth Gainwell: 3 carries, 8 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 10 yards

Will Shipley: 5 carries, 15 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 31 yards

 

Our WWS team pointed out to me that Will Shipley was a player worth watching in this game. Having seen his name pop up occasionally on my feed during training camp I was intrigued. I felt he was alright in this game and I wasn’t blown away by his explosiveness or athleticism. He runs stiff and doesn’t make those quick, explosive cuts that most playmakers have at the NFL level. His field vision was good, as you’ll see in the clip below, but that’s really all.

 

 

In this clip, Shipley catches the ball out of the backfield and, despite not having a defender on him until after he caught the ball, he couldn’t convert third and two. He went down far too easily here without trying to extend for the first down.

 

 

So yeah, I’m not gonna be jumping on the Will Shipley train anytime soon.

 

Tyrion Davis-Price: 4 carries, 28 yards

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

John Ross: 2 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Ross was targeted early in the game, using his speed to beat Christian Gonzalez on the edge but Pickett unfortunately overthrew him. It likely would have resulted in a huge play, potentially an 80+ yard TD.

 

Joseph Ngata: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 88 yards

E.J. Jenkins: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 47 yards

Jenkins made a nice catch on the sideline, going up to get a ball that was well over his head. He tipped it back to himself and hauled it in. He’s a big dude, I was impressed by his size.

 

Austin Watkins Jr.: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards

Ainias Smith: 2 targets, 1 reception, 0 yards

I was hoping to see a lot more Ainias Smith. I liked what I saw of him in college, and coming out of the draft he was someone I wanted the Patriots to consider. He’s got a lot of shiftiness and quick cuts to his game, which is a trait I want out of my fantasy receivers (see Amon-Ra St. Brown, DeMario Douglas). I hope to see him get more opportunities next week.

 

New England Patriots

 

Quarterback

 

Jacoby Brissett: 3/7, 17 yards, INT

 

Jacoby Brissett had a tough outing on Thursday. His best play was an incompletion, one where he stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure (something he’ll do a lot of this year) and threw a near-perfect ball to Austin Hooper down the sideline. Unfortunately, it was not a perfect throw and Hooper wasn’t able to bring it in. Otherwise, the Jacoby Brissett experience was not good. He played New England’s first two series, and without Rhamondre Stevenson it probably would have been two three-and-outs. Brissett overthrew Ja’Lynn Polk down the sideline when Polk had his defender beat. Later on in the same series, after Stevenson took them down to the red zone pretty much all by himself, Brissett got caught staring down a defender and threw it right to him. The ball was intercepted in the end zone and returned far enough to set Philly up for a field goal on their next possession. It was an awful throw that a nine-year vet shouldn’t make. We’ll see what it looks like once the regular season starts, but I have a hard time believing that Brissett will be anywhere near fantasy rosters in 2024.

 

Drake Maye: 6/11, 47 yards, sack | 4 carries, 15 yards, TD

It was an up and down night for Maye, but the key is that we finally saw something out of him after being limited to one series last week. Maye’s best plays included an absolute bomb to Javon Baker down the middle of the field that Baker unfortunately couldn’t come down with, as well as a rushing touchdown on an option play where Maye read the edge defender perfectly and walked right in for six. The throw to Baker was near perfect, maybe a tinge too long but it was straight up gorgeous nonetheless. On the other side of things, Maye had some bad throws as well. There was one to Kayshon Boutte that looked like it may have slipped out of his hands as he threw it, and it was a duck that was high, but Boutte somehow came down with a one-handed catch. It was an incredible grab that bailed Maye out. There was also another throw to Baker on a quick in-route, one heavily reliant on timing, that Maye completely botched by hesitating mid-throw. The ball came out weird and sailed high, and Baker was unable to come down with it. The play really showed that Maye simply isn’t ready for the speed of the game at this stage in his career, and it makes me wonder if we’ll see him at all in 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Milton: 2/7, 20 yards, 2 sacks | 3 carries, 9 yards

This week, Joe Milton was the 3rd QB in the game for the Patriots instead of Bailey Zappe. There was no Milton Magic this time around. Milton struggled under pressure, with a poor OL in front of him he was unable to avoid pressure on a couple of occasions and took the sack. He took some air out of the ball (no pun intended) on a couple of his throws, a positive development for those saying all he does is throw rockets. He’s still a long way from being an NFL starting QB but he’s honestly looked better than I expected him to up to this point.

 

Bailey Zappe: 3/4, 29 yards

 

Running Back

 

Rhamondre Stevenson: 6 carries, 18 yards

Rhamondre Stevenson looked really good tonight despite the three yards per carry. He’s always been a high-effort guy, and on multiple occasions, he kept his feet moving with a defender wrapped around him to earn extra yards. The Patriots’ OL is going to be one of the worst units in the entire league, which will likely keep Stevenson from reaching his ceiling, but there is no doubt that he’s one of the more talented RBs in the league and should get plenty of carries in Alex Van Pelt’s zone-run offense.

 

Antonio Gibson: 4 carries, 8 yards

Kevin Harris: 3 carries, 16 yards

Nothing stood out about Harris’ work in this game, but he’s on track for the 3rd RB role on this team. If Stevenson misses any time, Harris has shown enough in the past that he should warrant some fantasy consideration.

 

 

Terrell Jennings: 2 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards

While Jennings didn’t get any work on the ground in this one, he did a fantastic job in the passing game. He had two notable blitz pickups that go a long way toward making a team. Harris is probably going to earn the 3rd RB role, but Jennings is certainly inserting himself into the conversation. I like his game a lot. I’ll insert said blocks below, as well as a clip from last week’s game where Jennings turned in a big run.

 

 

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Ja’Lynn Polk: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

Polk only had one notable reception, and it’s the one from the clip below. He made not one, but two defenders miss, and I’m sure I’m not the only one hearing a “WHOOP!” in the back of my mind. Polk also beat a defender on the sideline to find himself open downfield, but Brissett overthrew him out of bounds and didn’t give him an opportunity to make a play on the ball. Through two games I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Polk, and while he likely won’t be a reliable option at WR in redraft leagues this season there is certainly some value to be had in dynasty leagues.

 

 

Javon Baker: 4 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards

Through two preseason games, Javon Baker has the feel of a guy who will either put up 100 yards with 2 TDs or have one catch for three yards in any given week, with no in between. He’s got the talent to excel but he’s just got that boom or bust feel to him. His dynasty stock would have gone through the roof had he come down with that deep ball from Maye, but alas there are instead questions about his hands circulating in Patriots Twitter realms. It’s just the preseason, and Baker will be involved in this offense this season, but his fantasy viability really just comes down to whether he can be consistent with his routes and hands or not.

 

 

Kayshon Boutte: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards

Boutte has been the standout player in the Patriots’ WR corps through two preseason games. He scored a touchdown in game one and came down with an epic one-handed grab on a terrible throw by Maye in game two. He’s fighting for a spot on the roster and, so far, I believe he’s earned it over guys like Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor.

 

David Wallis: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards

Wallis has come on as a return specialist who has flashed in each of New England’s two games, and the UDFA might make the team as a result.

 

DeMario Douglas: 2 targets, 1 reception, 1 yard

Pop Douglas will be heavily involved in this offense and is someone you should be considering in the later rounds of PPR drafts. He’s missed some time with a hand injury, but all indications have been that the offense has a completely different dynamic when Douglas is on the field. He will be the wheel that makes this offense spin. Draft him.

 

Series Navigation
Introduction
Eagles @ Patriots
Falcons @ Ravens
Bengals @ Bears
Giants @ Texans
Lions @ Chiefs
Vikings @ Browns
Seahawks @ Titans
Cardinals @ Colts
Commanders @ Dolphins
Bills @ Steelers
Jets @ Panthers
Rams @ Chargers
Buccaneers @ Jaguars
Cowboys @ Raiders
Saints @ 49ers
Packers @ Broncos

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