New York Jets vs. New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Quarterbacks
- Sam Darnold: 8/13, 97 yards, 1 TD
- Davis Webb: 7/10, 56 yards
Sam Darnold was frustrated early and often by the Saints’ defense. While Darnold had trouble moving the ball at times, he ended his night with a solid drive capped by a short TD pass to RB Ty Montgomery. He also hit WR Robby Anderson on a big 41-yard gain down the left sideline in the second quarter. The game also saw every Jets’ backup QB get some action. Davis Webb and Trevor Siemian seem to both have a decent shot to win the backup job for the Jets. Luke Falk also went 3/3 for 29 yards in limited action.
Running Backs
- Ty Montgomery: 8 carries, 21 yards | 4 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD
- Trenton Cannon: 6 carries, 51 yards | 3 receptions, 28 yards
It could be argued that the biggest story from the Jets RBs was the absence of Le’Veon Bell. All of us who were hoping to catch a glimpse of Bell with his new squad will likely have to wait until week 1. Ty Montgomery had a rocky start – losing a fumble when Saints CB Marshon Lattimore just took the ball right out of his arms. He would bounce back and score a receiving TD on Sam Darnold’s final series of the evening. Like several other NFL teams, the Jets have a handful of RBs competing for their final roster spot. Trenton Cannon looked impressive to start the second half for the Jets. He ripped off multiple big gains for first downs and also added three catches on the night. Jets’ returning RBs Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire are both still in the mix, but McGuire did more on the night to stake his claim to a roster spot. It will be interesting to see how the Jets’ depth chart shakes out, but it’s still safe to assume that the lion’s share of work will go to Le’Veon Bell, despite being on an Adam Gase-led offense.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Robby Anderson: 2 receptions, 60 yards
- Tim White: 3 receptions, 28 yards
- Jamison Crowder: 1 reception, 8 yards
Jets’ WR Robby Anderson stole the show with an impressive 41-yard reception from QB Sam Darnold. The pass was a bit underthrown, but Anderson made a nice adjustment turning back in midair to make the catch over Saints CB Patrick Robinson. Other Jets presumed starting WRs had a quiet night. Jamison Crowder had only one reception on two targets, and Quincy Enunwa was held without a reception on one target. Anderson should still be considered the most likely to lead the Jets’ WRs in fantasy production this season.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterbacks
- Drew Brees: 4/6, 68 yards, 1 TD
- Teddy Bridgewater: 15/26, 143 yards
After one drive from Drew Brees and New Orleans’ first-team offense, Head Coach Sean Payton had seen enough. Brees led the Saints down the field with ease, capping off the drive with a 19-yard TD pass to Michael Thomas. Brees also hit Thomas for a 20-yard strike earlier during the drive. The ball was slightly underthrown, but Thomas made a nice comeback adjustment into double-coverage to secure the catch. Brees also hit Alvin Kamara on a 25-yard catch-and-run, sprung by a pick route set by Michael Thomas. “I was hoping to get 15 or 20 [plays],” Brees said after the game, but instead his preseason ended after only 3:08 of game clock and eight plays. Teddy Bridgewater came in to relieve Brees, and he again failed to impress. So far through three preseason games, Bridgewater has thrown for just 317 yards on 57 attempts (5.56 yards per attempt). He consistently looks out of sync and unable to get through his progressions if his first option is covered. Bridgewater has also consistently shown a knack to telegraph his passes – often staring down his first read as a play materializes. Bridgewater misfired early and often – inside, outside, high and low. Notably, this was the first game of the preseason that Saints’ Swiss-army-knife QB Taysom Hill didn’t lead the team in rushing.
Running Backs
- Alvin Kamara: 2 carries, 4 yards | 2 receptions, 29 yards
- Dwayne Washington: 8 carries, 29 yards | 2 receptions, 16 yards
Alvin Kamara did most of his damage through the air on the night, grabbing a short pass from Drew Brees and turning it into a 25-yard gain. While he couldn’t get much going on the ground in limited work, he is certainly ready for the regular season. After Kamara’s short night ended, we saw Dwayne Washington receive the bulk of work for New Orleans. Washington had a nice 12-yard reception down the sideline in the first quarter but managed only a modest 3.6 YPC on 8 carries. For the first time this preseason, we didn’t see any action from Saints’ RB Latavius Murray. Washington again shared his second-half work with undrafted rookie Devine Ozigbo from Nebraska. While Washington, Ozigbo, and others are still battling it out for the Saints’ 3rd and final RB roster spot, Kamara and Murray figure to be the only two with any real fantasy value.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Michael Thomas: 2 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD
- Cyril Grayson, Jr: 2 receptions, 53 yards
- Dan Arnold: 5 receptions, 83 yards
Jets’ DB Tevaughn Campbell made a critical mistake in the first quarter Saturday night – he tried to guard Saints’ WR Michael Thomas. Lots of DBs around the NFL have made the same mistake over the past three seasons, and lots have had similar results. Thomas finished with a tidy 2 catches on 2 targets with a TD. We didn’t see much of the Saints’ first-team offense, but we saw enough to confirm that we can expect this Saints passing attack to be high-powered yet again. Other Saints’ starting WRs Ted Ginn, Jr and Tre’Quan Smith were both held without a catch on one target apiece. New Orleans TE Dan Arnold had a nice night against the Jets but doesn’t project to have any fantasy relevance. We didn’t see any action from TE Jared Cook.
— Corey Saucier