The preseason is starting to wind down and teams are preparing to make their first cut down to 75. Week 3 of the preseason has long been considered a “dress rehearsal”. This is the week of the preseason that most resembles a real game, well for a half anyway, as teams starters usually play 25 to 30 plays. As teams continue to evaluate talent as they prepare for the NFL season, fantasy football owners continue to study the 2008 Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets as we prepare for the 2008 Fantasy Football season. Now because this week is probably the most important week of the preseason, for the NFL and fantasy football owners alike the Bruno Boys have decided to change up this week’s Preseason Rundown. Of course it will still be fantasy-style and it will of course have the Bruno Boys flavor, but instead of only hitting on five or six players we are going to give you a recap of all 16 games in Week 3. It will be broken down into three different editions, so make sure you check back as the week goes on.
Enjoy Part Two of Week 3’s version of the Bruno Boys Preseason Rundown (fantasy-style).
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Cincinnati Bengals vs. New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer was 11 for 16 passing for 105 yards. He was also sacked three times and when he left the game, he had a broken nose and a bloody lip. Palmer will probably miss the Bengals fourth preseason game, but is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. Palmer is the #5 rated QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets. RB Chris Perry had 12 carries for 36 yards and 4 receptions for 22 yards on the game. Perry has impressed the coaches, while getting extended time with the first team as Rudi Johnson sits out with yet another injury. HC Marvin Lewis has said that Perry is sitting at the top of the RB chart at this time. It is not clear what the situation will be when Johnson comes back, but it does not appear to be a one-man show anymore for the Bengals. Reports are that Johnson should be ready for the start of the season, but with the injury risk and threat of Perry stealing carries Johnson has become a RB3 until he can prove otherwise. Consider Perry a must have as a handcuff for Johnson owners.
Saints starting QB Drew Brees was 14 for 22 passing for 199 yards and 1 TD. Brees has been solid this preseason and should once again thrive in the Saints high-powered offense. Brees is the #4 ranked QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets. RB Reggie Bush left the game in the first half with a bruised thigh. It does not appear to be serious and Bush should be available to start the regular season. Bush is the #15 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys and is a top ten RB in PPR leagues. Newly acquired TE Jeremy Shockey participated in pre-game warm-ups, but did not play in the game. The Saints were hoping to get Shockey his first game action since breaking his leg December 15. HC Sean Payton said, “He had a good pre-game (warm-up), but I wanted to err on the side of caution”. Shockey is the #6 ranked TE in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets and if healthy he should flourish in the Saints high-powered offense.
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New York Giants vs. New York Jets
Week 3 of the preseason proved to be devastating to the New York Giants as they lost two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora with a season ending knee injury. This is a huge blow to the Giants and their chances of repeating as Super Bowl Champions. This also hurts the value of the Giants D/ST as Umenyiora had 13 sacks to go along with 5 forced fumbles and 1 TD in 2007. The Giants D/ST ranks #9 in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets, but with this loss they may end up no better then a #2 fantasy unit. QB Eli Manning was 10 for 17 passing for 113 yards in the game. He has not had an overly impressive preseason and is only the #13 ranked QB by the Bruno Boys. Even after winning a Super Bowl MVP Manning is still a QB2 only worth starting when the match-up is right.
Brett Favre received a standing ovation when he took the field with the Jets offense at home for the first time. He went 9 for 12 passing for 96 yards and had a TD called back when TE Bubba Franks was called for illegal motion. Favre is ranked as the #12 QB by the Bruno Boys. WR Jerricho Cotchery had 1 catch for 30 yards and rookie TE Dustin Keller had 3 catches for 43 yards in the game. Cotchery is the #24 ranked WR and Keller is the #20 ranked TE by the Bruno Boys. Both are low-end number two options at their respective positions, but with the addition of Favre both could see increased value this season.
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Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City QB Brodie Croyle was 12 for 21 passing for 110 yards with 1 Int. He also had a fumble that led to a Miami TD. Croyle is the # 29 ranked QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets and has limited fantasy value at this time. RB Larry Johnson had 13 carries for 36 yards. Johnson is the #10 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys and is a low-end RB1/ high-end RB2 as he looks to rebound from a disappointing 2007 season. TE Tony Gonzalez had 3 catches for 14 yards in the game and is the # 4 ranked TE by the Bruno Boys. Gonzalez had 99 receptions in 2007 and should be targeted often as an outlet for the young QB Croyle.
QB Chad Pennington was 11 for 15 passing for 94 yards with 1 TD in the game and he appears to be having a smooth transition to his new team. Pennington is the #28 QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets and is no more then a QB3 on this Dolphins offense. RB Ricky Williams who has been a pleasant surprise this preseason had 12 carries for 47 yards in the game. Williams is currently the # 41 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys, but if Ronnie Brown continues to battle injuries Williams could see increased carries and production. Just Remember Williams is a high-risk type of player, be careful not to overvalue him based on the preseason. He has not played a full season since 2003.
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Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jaguars QB David Garrard played into the third quarter of the game and ended it with his second TD pass of the game. He was 10 for 16 passing for 118 yards to go with the 2 TD’s and 1 Int. Garrard is the #11 ranked QB heading into 2008 and he can be a QB1 in the Jags explosive offense. RB Maurice Jones-Drew left the game in the first quarter with an apparent ankle sprain. It does not appear to be serious at this moment as he is expected to miss the team’s final preseason game, but should be ready to go at the start of the regular season. MJD is the #11 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys and he is being valued as a RB2 by most, but when healthy he has the potential to be a RB1. Fred Taylor had 7 carries for 26 yards in the game and is the #28 RB in the Bruno Boys rankings. “Fragile” Fred has proved to be more durable since the arrival of Jones-Drew; consider Taylor a RB3.
Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia was 11 for 18 passing for 79 yards with 1 TD and 2 Int. The veteran Garcia heads into the season as the #22 ranked QB and is a back-up fantasy option. WR Joey Galloway missed his third straight preseason game, but he might play in week 4 of the preseason. HC Jon Gruden said that he is running good routes and showing good quickness and downfield speed. Galloway is the #30 ranked WR by the Bruno Boys and is solid WR3 when healthy.
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Washington Redskins vs. Carolina Panthers
Washington didn’t have a huge offensive explosion in their third preseason game. Starting QB Jason Campbell was 6 for 10 for 39 yards. Campbell is the #21 ranked QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets and despite the poor outing in this game, he is a QB2. Redskin’s RB Clinton Portis had 8 carries for 32 yards in the game. He played in all 16 games last season and is once again a RB1. Portis is the #7 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys. TE Chris Cooley who is the # 7 ranked TE going into the year had 1 catch for 15 yards. The sure handed receiver is a TE1.
Carolina on the other hand did have an offensive explosion. Jake Delhomme was 11 for 19 passing with 2 TDs and 1 Int. He is the #19 ranked QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets and is a QB2; if he remains healthy, he could increase his value. Delhomme connected with his favorite target WR Steve Smith 4 times for 60 yards including a TD. Smith will serve a two game suspension at the beginning of the season for punching out a teammate at training camp. After the suspension he dropped to #9 in the Bruno Boys WR rankings, but he remains a low-end WR1. Running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were trying to one up each other in the game. Williams who is ranked the #30 RB by the Bruno Boys had nine carries for 101 yards, which included a 60yard TD run. The rookie Stewart who is the # 31 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys had 10 carries for 100 yards, which included a 50-yard TD run. Both players are RB3 options and both have potential to improve on their value.
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Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns
Lions QB Jon Kitna has continued to have a nice preseason. He was 9 for 11 passing for 98 yards in the game. He is the #16 ranked QB in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets and is a solid QB2. Kitna has weapons like the #14 ranked WR Roy Williams and the #21 ranked WR Calvin Johnson at his disposal. Williams had 3 catches for 61 yards on the game. Both of these receivers should post WR2 numbers. Rookie RB Kevin Smith appears to be the front-runner for the starting RB job in Detroit. He started the game and had 10 carries for 45 yards including a 35-yard TD run. Smith is the #33 ranked RB by the Bruno Boys and is a RB3 option. He will have the benefit of a lot of carries in the thin Detroit backfield and could improve his value.
The Cleveland Browns were missing most of their starting offensive skill players as QB Derek Anderson (concussion), RB Jamal Lewis (hamstring) and WR Braylon Edwards (cut on foot) all sat out of the game. All three players are expected to be ready to start the regular season. Anderson is the #8 ranked QB; Lewis is the #16 ranked RB and Edwards is the #4 ranked WR in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheets. Cleveland is expected to improve on last season’s production and all three of these players are fantasy starters.
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Remember to check back with the Bruno Boys for more of the Week 3 version of the Preseason Rundown (fantasy-style) with editions two and three later this week.
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