01-10-2020, 05:48 AM
ST. JOSEPH Yodny Cajuste NFL Jersey , Mo. — Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass early in the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener against Cincinnati and, feeling the pressure of the pass rush collapsing the pocket around him, wisely stepped forward and then bolted to the right.The young star quarterback made a nifty move at the five-yard line to make one would-be tackler miss, then cut back again to see two more defenders converging near the goal line.The brash, brave thing to do would have been for Mahomes to dive for the end zone.Instead, he slid safely just short of it.It wound up being a relatively forgettable play in the grand scheme of things — the Chiefs punched in for the touchdown two plays later. But it nevertheless showed the growth and maturity of the reigning league MVP in just his second full season as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.“I was just kind of scrambling out, trying to find someone open and I kind of cut back and saw the end zone and I knew there was a good chance I could’ve gotten in there,” Mahomes said later, “but he was coming downhill pretty fast, so I decided to save it for the regular season.”It was a split-second decision that showed Mahomes’ understanding of time and place. The first series of the first preseason game is hardly a situation to take chances, especially when Kansas City has expectations of winning not only a fourth straight AFC West title, but making a Super Bowl run.No doubt Chiefs coach Andy Reid was holding his breath when Mahomes scampered toward the Cincinnati sideline, and no doubt he was pleased to see his quarterback get to the ground.Even if Mahomes did wait until the last second.“He didn’t say anything to me,” Mahomes said. “I mean, he knows it’s a smart decision you make during the preseason. In the season I would probably go for it, but right now I’ll keep sliding.”When asked how the slide made Reid feel, he replied: “That’s why you take him out of the game.”49<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Greetings from St. Joe: Chiefs training camp 2019Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports | Denny MedleyIt wound up being the only series Mahomes played Saturday night, but it certainly was effective. He started off laying a perfect pass down the sideline into the arms of tight end Travis Kelce for a 36-yard gain Yodny Cajuste NFL Draft , then connected with Sammy Watkins underneath before finding emerging backup tight end Blake Bell down the seam for a 23-yard connection.Mahomes, so often compared to Reid protege Brett Favre, even channeled one of the former Packers quarterback’s innate skills by using his cadence to draw the Bengals defense offside.The only contact he endured all night was a little shove at the end of a play.“You want to get that first hit. It kind of settles you in,” Mahomes said. “Hopefully, it is not a big one. I got a nice little push and fell down, but it kind of got me back in the swing of things, so I was kind of glad I got that one and stayed relatively clean after that.”Adding to his enjoyment? Mahomes got to spend most of the night watching a bevy of talented young skill players for Kansas City, many of whom will have a chance to help him out in the regular season.Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs’ second-round pick in April, caught a pair of passes and took one of them for a touchdown. Rookie running back Darwin Thompson also made a couple of nice plays, rushing five times for 22 yards and reaching the end zone on a 29-yard catch-and-run.Throw in Kelce, Watkins and Tyreek Hill and Mahomes has an abundance of riches.“It’s all about them understanding the offense. The talent is there,” Mahomes said. “You see them go out there and they make special plays and we want them to understand exactly what to do each and every single day, and they are sort of picking it up faster and faster as it goes on.“When you get guys like that, that learn and that are in their playbooks and have that much talent, those are the special players in this league.”That goes for learning when to slide, too.NOTES: CB Morris Claiborne, who signed late last week Yodny Cajuste Buffalo Bills Jersey , practiced for the first time Monday. Reid said he does not expect Claiborne to play in the Chiefs’ preseason game Saturday in Pittsburgh. … CB D’Montre Wade (bruised knee) did not practice. … RB Damien Williams worked with the first-team offense after sitting out the preseason game. Williams has missed much of camp with a hamstring injury.100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta After three weeks of fantasy football, you should have a pretty good idea of where your team stands.Maybe you started 3-0 and drafted the best team of all time, but maybe you lost your quarterback last week and Saquon Barkley this week.Ultimately, you know what your team's strengths and weaknesses are. Regardless of what position you need, we've got you covered.QUARTERBACKSDaniel Jones vs. WASMatthew Stafford vs. KCCase Keenum at NYGJacoby Brissett vs. OAKDaniel Jones, otherwise known as "Danny Dimes", made the first start of his NFL career against the Tampa Bay Bucs in Week 3. All he did was score four total touchdowns, finishing as the QB2 overall behind only Russell Wilson. The rookie finished 23 for 36 with 336 passing yards, 9.3 yards per attempt with an additional 28 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (two rushing). The athleticism is really what makes Jones valuable for fantasy football. We've seen below-average passing quarterbacks become relevant in fantasy football because of their rushing ability. His matchup heading into Week 4 is a plus as well, going up against the Washington Redskins. Washington's secondary is aging and one that Jones, Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard should be able to take advantage of. If you miss out on Jones or want a more proven option, Matthew Stafford is facing the Kansas City Chiefs in a game with a 53.5 game total, the highest of any Week 4 game thus far. It's not always pretty with Stafford but he'll likely be playing from behind, which means we get passing volume against a suspect defense.If you play in a deeper league, Case Keenum and Jacoby Brissett have plus matchups as well heading into Week 4. Let's start with Keenum who will be opposing Jones and the New York Giants.The Giants have a poor defense. They just allowed 380 passing yards and three touchdowns to Jameis Winston, just two weeks after allowing 405 passing yards and four touchdowns to Dak Prescott. Keenum could have his way against this Giants secondary.Andrew Luck, who? Although the Colts may be handling Brissett with kid gloves Color Rush Yodny Cajuste Jersey , he's performed well. Through three games, Brissett has completed 71.7 percent of his passes with multiple touchdown passes in each game. He'll face the Raiders in Week 4 who are allowing 286.3 passing yards and 26 points per game.RUNNING BACKSWayne Gallman vs WASRashaad Penny at ARIZDarrel Williams at DETRonald Jones at INDYIt's not the best week in terms of running back waiver adds but if you lost Saquon Barkley or have suffered from underperformance, there are a few names to target.With Barkley sidelined 4 to 8 weeks with a high ankle sprain, Wayne Gallman will assume the starting duties. While Gallman isn't the athlete Barkley is, he has a real opportunity for the next month or two.Gallman was a fourth-round pick in 2017 out of Clemson where he had 66 catches in a three-year career. At the least, we know he can catch the ball, which should mesh well with a rookie quarterback.Additionally, the Giants offensive line has performed well, believe it or not. According to Football Outsiders, the Giants line ranks first in run-blocking this season. It's not often you're told to add a running back who was just inactive but this is a unique situation.Entering this season, Seahawks running back Chris Carson fumbled three times in 18 games. Well, so far he's fumbled in each game of the 2019 season, with a few of them being pivotal. Rashaad Penny missed Week 3 with a hamstring injury but he's looked good this season, averaging 5 yards per carry, albeit on just 16 carries. If Carson continues to fumble or perform poorly, Penny could take over as the team's lead back.Admittedly, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the Chiefs backfield. Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy top the depth chart but are dealing with injuries, Darwin Thompson was a preseason darling Youth Yodny Cajuste Jersey , and Darrel Williams was the forgotten piece to the puzzle. Forgotten, no more. McCoy left Week 3 after reinjuring his ankle, which allowed Williams to step in. He led all Chiefs backs with 37 offensive snaps, running nine times for 62 yards (6.9 YPC) while hauling in all five of his targets for an additional 47 yards. This might turn out to be nothing if Williams and McCoy are healthy, but I'm willing to take a shot on anything involving this Chiefs offense. For the second time in the first three weeks, Ronald Jones severely outplayed Peyton Barber.In Week 3, Barber finished with 48 yards (3.7 YPC) while Jones ran for 80 yards (5.7 YPC). Jones still only played 23 snaps to Barber's 26, but if Bruce Arians decides to hand the job over to Jones, we could have a low-end RB2 on our hands. I'd be willing to stash that upside.WIDE RECEIVERSMarquez Valdes-Scantling vs. PHIPhillip Dorsett at BUFGolden Tate vs. WASDionte Johnson vs. CINPreston Williams vs. LACZach Pascal vs OAKI'm not sure why anybody would have dropped Marquez Valdes-Scantling after just two weeks, but the truth is he's only owned in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues. Valdes-Scantling is coming off a big game against the Denver Broncos in Week 3 where he had six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets (28 percent target share). The Packers face the Eagles on Thursday in Week 4, a defense that already struggled against wide receivers and will be without their top cornerback Ronald Darby. If Valdes-Scantling is already owned in your league, feel free to turn to Phillip Dorsett. Dorsett is coming off a nice game of his own with six receptions, 53 yards, and a touchdown on seven targets in Week 3 against the New York Jets. After the Patriots released Antonio Brown, Dorsett was immediately thrust back into a significant role on one of the best offenses in the NFL. Add in the fact that Julian Edelman is dealing with a chest injury and Dorsett becomes a solid WR3 option.Golden Tate is suspended through Week 4, which means now is the time to add him before your league mates remember. Tate is a year older (31 years old) but he can still perform, especially in PPR formats. He's had at least 74 receptions in each of the past five seasons and should provide a safety blanket for rookie Daniel Jones.Quite the opposite of Tate is Diontae Johnson, rookie wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson won't demand a ton of targets and receptions but should be able to make some big plays. If there's one thing Mason Rudolph can do decently well Womens Yodny Cajuste Jersey , it's throw the deep ball. Johnson ended Week 3 with three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown on six targets (23 percent target share). There will be some inconsistency with Johnson, but the upside is there as long as he's a starter for the Steelers. I understand it's not popular to own Miami Dolphins for fantasy football right now but there should be interest in Preston Williams. In Josh Rosen's first start with the Dolphins, Williams led the team with 11 targets and 67 offensive snaps. The Dolphins defense is so bad that it should allow for a ton of passing volume and Williams and Rosen have a clear connection.TIGHT ENDSWill Dissly at ARIZDawson Knox vs. NEWill Dissly was a popular addition last week, but the truth remains: he's only owned in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues. Dissly put together another big-time performance in Week 3 with six receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. The real reason you want Dissly is his Week 4 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, who are allowing the most fantasy points to tight ends this season and it's not close. If Dissly is already owned in your league, I really like what I saw from rookie Dawson Knox of the Buffalo Bills. In Week 3 against the Bengals, Knox led the Bills in receiving with 67 yards and a touchdown on three catches. He also led all their tight ends in offensive snaps (43) and routes run (21). Knox faces the Patriots in Week 4, a team that has been strong against tight ends but if the Bills have any chance of competing in that matchup, they're going to need Knox to step up.For those who like to stream defenses on a weekly basis, make sure to check out the Colts (vs. OAK), Steelers (vs. CIN) and Bengals (@ PIT). I realize it's weird to have two defenses in the same game, but we could see turnovers from both Mason Rudolph and Andy Dalton.This column was provided to The Associated Press by SportsGrid Inc., http://www.sportsgrid.com