Vincent Jackson's career with the Chargers appears to be nearing its end – Jackson was placed on the Roster Exempt list on Friday, which would force him to sit out for three games if/when he signs with the Chargers. Seattle has already been granted permission to discuss contract terms with the disgruntled wideout, so it looks like a trade could be on the horizon. He's set to miss the first three games of the season due to violating the league's personal conduct policy, but a trade to a new squad would mean a boost in fantasy value as Jackson would likely see the field sooner than if he continued contract negotiations with San Diego.
Willis McGahee scored on a one-yard plunge in Saturday's 23-3 win over Washington – Ray Rice is getting tons of hype this year, and rightfully so after accumulating over 2000 yards from scrimmage last season, but the fact is McGahee still looms as a goal-line vulture. Rice is certainly justifiable as the fourth pick in fantasy drafts, but until he starts seeing more goal-line carries, he remains a step behind Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew.
Mark Sanchez isn't doing much this preseason to inspire confidence in him as a starting fantasy option – Sanchez struggled on Saturday night, finishing 5-for-10 with 12 yards passing. He's on a great team and has a bright future, but I'm still not sold on Sanchez as legitimate fantasy option this year. Looking at the young QBs around the league, I'd much rather take a flier on Kevin Kolb, Matthew Stafford or Chad Henne than Sanchez.
Rookie running backs are making some noise this preseason – San Diego's Ryan Mathews and Detroit's Jahvid Best are backing up the pre-draft hype surrounding the pair of them with their solid play this preseason. Mathews has rushed for 103 yards on 21 carries while hauling in three catches for 24 yards in two games. Best hasn't seen as much work as Mathews, but he's still been able to compile 78 yards rushing while averaging 5.6 yards per tote. Each rookie is expected to carry the load for their respective teams, and so far this preseason, they both look well worth the early-round investments it'll cost to land one (or both) of them on draft day.