This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.
Two weeks into the preseason, some battles are resolving themselves already, while others look set to linger through the remainder of exhibition action and into the regular season. This week's Depth Chart Watch won't be quite as comprehensive as the preseason's first edition, as I'm looking for new news and drilling down to the more meaningful battles that'll affect the majority of fantasy teams (in one way or another) on draft day. If you're here for Cooper Rush talk, you've come to the wrong place.
QUARTERBACK
Cleveland Browns
The early returns in Cleveland seem to have DeShone Kizer in a dead heat with Brock Osweiler for the starting role, while Cody Kessler's surprisingly (or maybe not that surprisingly) fallen into a seemingly distant third. An announcement is supposed to be forthcoming on this front, so keep an eye out.
Denver Broncos
Sorry, Paxton Lynch fans, but Trevor Siemian has won this job again. This quote from coach Van Joseph via ESPN says it all about the duo: "I saw Paxton make some plays with his legs, which he should. He's an athlete. And Trevor, he was solid. He was Trevor. He made good decisions, his ball placement was on point tonight, he controlled the huddle."
Houston Texans
Coach Bill O'Brien officially confirmed Tom Savage as his starter this week, but there's no reason for Deshaun Watson owners (at least in keeper formats) to despair -- this is for the best, as Watson will get some time to develop,
Two weeks into the preseason, some battles are resolving themselves already, while others look set to linger through the remainder of exhibition action and into the regular season. This week's Depth Chart Watch won't be quite as comprehensive as the preseason's first edition, as I'm looking for new news and drilling down to the more meaningful battles that'll affect the majority of fantasy teams (in one way or another) on draft day. If you're here for Cooper Rush talk, you've come to the wrong place.
QUARTERBACK
Cleveland Browns
The early returns in Cleveland seem to have DeShone Kizer in a dead heat with Brock Osweiler for the starting role, while Cody Kessler's surprisingly (or maybe not that surprisingly) fallen into a seemingly distant third. An announcement is supposed to be forthcoming on this front, so keep an eye out.
Denver Broncos
Sorry, Paxton Lynch fans, but Trevor Siemian has won this job again. This quote from coach Van Joseph via ESPN says it all about the duo: "I saw Paxton make some plays with his legs, which he should. He's an athlete. And Trevor, he was solid. He was Trevor. He made good decisions, his ball placement was on point tonight, he controlled the huddle."
Houston Texans
Coach Bill O'Brien officially confirmed Tom Savage as his starter this week, but there's no reason for Deshaun Watson owners (at least in keeper formats) to despair -- this is for the best, as Watson will get some time to develop, while it's not hard to imagine Savage playing his way out of the starting role at some point.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake Bortles has not been making his coach happy, and the result was some Chad Henne time with the first-team offense in the Jags' most recent preseason game. Doug Marrone has said he's looking for "the best person to lead the offense," and that's an open question right now. I'd still lean Bortles, personally, as I think we've seen all we'll ever need to see from Henne. But there's no doubt that Bortles isn't in a good place right now, with some labeling him "broken and beyond repair" (yikes). In such an environment, it's worth noting the early successes of 2016 sixth-round pick Brandon Allen (15-for-22, 229 yards, two touchdowns).
New York Jets
Josh McCown has attempted only four preseason passes so far and notably looked on as Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg (both of whom have been what you'd call… un-good… in exhibition play so far) worked with the Jets' first-team offense Tuesday. The Jets have made it rather clear that they're not willing to commit to McCown, nor should they -- Hackenberg gives them an equal (if not better) chance of going 0-16 and getting that precious No. 1 pick. That's the point of this season, right?
RUNNING BACK
Baltimore Ravens
Terrance West is still set to start here, but Javorius Allen has looked good in the preseason. Danny Woodhead has a minor injury right now, but it's not a concern -- you (and the Ravens) can still look to him for third-down duties.
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey has looked electric in the preseason; Jonathan Stewart has been pedestrian. The question on all of our minds: What does this mean for the JSCMMADFVT? Well, it seems like it's trending toward turning into the Jonathan Stewart Loses Fantasy Value At Age 30 Tour. Which sounds about right. Stewart isn't necessarily done, but he's coming off a 3.8 YPC and isn't a factor through the air. The writing's on the wall; at this point, he's the one holding McCaffrey back, not the other way around.
Chicago Bears
Tarik Cohen has made himself noticed with 18 carries for 116 yards through two preseason games, and while he won't take Jordan Howard's job, he could carve away some passing-down work (which is considered his specialty) while taking the primary backup job from Jeremy Langford.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon hasn't exploded out of the gate in preseason action; in fact, Jeremy Hill has looked a bit better than him so far. It looks like we could be facing a fantasy value-destroying timeshare here, especially with Giovani Bernard sounding like he's going to be healthy enough to open the season with the primary third-down role.
Cleveland Browns
Tuesday's preseason game saw Duke Johnson get nine carries with Isaiah Crowell on the sidelines due to a groin injury suffered last week, but Johnson didn't outperform, rushing for just 28 yards and catching a three-yard pass. Crowell's injury is worth watching, but it sounds like the Browns are just being careful to ensure he's ready for when the games count.
Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott has been slapped with a surprisingly harsh six-game suspension by the league, but that's heading for appeal and it wouldn't be surprising to see it get reduced to three or four. That in mind, you can't discount him all that significantly in fantasy. While Zeke's out, Darren McFadden will carry the majority of the load, with the unheralded Rod Smith making an interesting case to beat out veteran Alfred Morris for the No. 3 (which is to say, temporary No. 2) role.
Denver Broncos
C.J. Anderson looks to be entrenched as the clear No. 1 here, which isn't surprising, considering that Devontae Booker (wrist) is expected to miss the rest of the preseason and Jamaal Charles has two knees made of glass. Rookie De'Angelo Henderson has starred in camp and looked good in preseason action, and he's got to be in consideration for the immediate backup role now too. In short, it's a mess behind Anderson.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kareem Hunt has taken hold of the No. 2 job here, and while Spencer Ware has received some assurances about being the starter, the coaches have been raving about Hunt, fueling speculation that there may be a takeover in the works at some point this year. Meanwhile, Charcandrick West has actually been great in the preseason, but he's getting bumped down anyway.
Minnesota Vikings
Latavius Murray has had his preseason cut short by an ankle injury, but he's reportedly looking good in red-zone drills now that he's back on the field. Dalvin Cook will take the early downs, but it sounds like Murray could snake more than a few touchdowns from him -- cause for concern for the rookie's fantasy owners.
New England Patriots
Mike Gillislee is just getting back from a hamstring injury that's kept him out of the preseason to this point and perhaps has hurt his argument to lead this backfield, but he's still the favorite to be the new LeGarrette Blount, chewing up goal-line and second-half carries; all the other guys the Pats are likely to break camp with (Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White) are more receiving-oriented backs. Burkhead has a little more of a well-rounded skill set, making him an interesting gamble late in drafts.
Philadelphia Eagles
The negative whispers are already beginning to swirl around LeGarrette Blount, but he's still set to occupy the early downs while Darren Sproles enters in passing situations; Wendell Smallwood and Donnel Pumphrey will have to content themselves with the scraps for now.
Pittsburgh Steelers
His holdout having been ineffective, Le'Veon Bell is expected to sign his franchise tender and report to camp Sept. 1, putting him in line to assume his usual role as the head of the Pittsburgh running game when the season commences. Now let's hope he'll be his usual self coming off groin surgery. James Conner is your handcuff; he's looked quite intriguing in preseason action thus far.
Seattle Seahawks
Thomas Rawls (ankle) and C.J. Prosise (groin) are already struggling with injuries -- not a good sign after they both missed major time last year. Eddie Lacy's looking better and better here, but he'll need to stay healthy too. Chris Carson and Alex Collins have been seeing some extra work thanks to the injuries ahead of them, and both have looked solid enough to utilize if they're forced to step in at some point this season.
San Francisco 49ers
It seems like Carlos Hyde isn't under so much threat as it seemed, with Tim Hightower likely set to come out of the gate in a distinctly No. 2 role and promising rookie Joe Williams (who had a nice showing in the first preseason game) more of a prospect than anything else at this point.
Washington Redskins
Fourth-round rookie Samaje Perine has excelled through the first two preseason games (nine touches, 74 yards), while Rob Kelley hasn't (12 carries, 11 yards), so this is suddenly a situation to watch. As a guy who came out of nowhere to claim a starting job last year, Kelley is naturally at risk of being displaced by the new hotness, but he's not exactly "old and busted." It'll probably just take one big showing from him in the third preseason contest for Kelley to lock down a noticeable majority of the touches. For now.
WIDE RECEIVER
Arizona Cardinals
Jaron Brown has floated his way into the No. 2 slot here, as a quad injury has hampered John Brown and J.J. Nelson isn't impressing. To tell the truth, Jaron hasn't been so impressive himself, so this remains a fluid situation behind clear-cut No. 1 wideout Larry Fitzgerald.
Buffalo Bills
Well, Anquan Boldin's time in Buffalo didn't last long. The veteran announced his retirement this weekend, and that may allow second-round rookie Zay Jones to step in and grab hold of a starting role opposite Jordan Matthews (chest). Andre Holmes is in this mix, but come on, he's Andre Holmes.
Cincinnati Bengals
It appears John Ross is going to be broken in gradually, so we're looking at A.J. Green opposite Brandon LaFell, with Tyler Boyd in the slot, to start things out this year. But if Ross stays healthy and picks up the offense quickly, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him overtake LaFell in short order.
Detroit Lions
Kenny Golladay caught a pair of touchdowns in the first preseason game, and it's looking ever likelier that he's going to be a difference maker in the red zone this year. That's the only way he'll carve out much production behind Golden Tate and Marvin Jones.
Los Angeles Chargers
Rookie wideout Mike Williams appears to be avoiding surgery and targeting an October debut, which means he might start out on the PUP list. That's good news for Tyrell Williams, who's set to maintain the No. 2 wideout role behind Keenan Allen for a while after busting out for 1,059 yards last year. Once the younger Williams returns, Philip Rivers is going to have a truly dangerous wealth of options at his disposal; Travis Benjamin is also around for the occasional (or more-than-occasional) home run.
Los Angeles Rams
A name to remember: Cooper Kupp. A third-round pick blessed with good size and hands, if not particularly great speed, Kupp has been a stabilizing presence for Jared Goff and the Rams' offense through the first two preseason games. Tavon Austin (hamstring) is already hurt; Sammy Watkins has had his last two seasons shortened by injuries; Robert Woods is just a guy. That leaves plenty of room for Kupp to carve out snaps and targets as a safety blanket of sorts for Goff.
Tennessee Titans
No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis has been nursing a hamstring injury throughout August, but he's expected to return in time for the final preseason game. What's unclear is what his role will be when the regular season rolls around, as the Titans have a lot of options, but it's possible that Davis starts opposite Rishard Matthews while Eric Decker (ankle) does damage out of the slot when healthy. Tre McBride and Taywan Taylor have made themselves noticed, but injuries will need to befall the guys ahead of them before they have meaningful roles. Of course, that might not be a big ask.
Seattle Seahawks
Kasen Williams, a project type who's mostly spent his career to this point on the practice squad, has exploded through the first two preseason games, and with Paul Richardson (shoulder) unspectacular and injured while Jermaine Kearse is the definition of a depth receiver, there's an opportunity here for Williams to rise as far as the No. 3 spot… or maybe even No. 2 if the club decides Tyler Lockett is better deployed in the slot than on the outside. Doug Baldwin is still your crystal-clear No. 1.
TIGHT END
Cleveland Browns
Right now, the Browns are listing blocking-oriented tight end Randall Telfer as their starter, with Seth DeValve second (meaning first to catch passes) and first-round pick David Njoku (who's been limited by an ankle injury) third. DeValve also earns brownie points in my book for joining a number of his black teammates in taking a stand by taking a knee in their most recent preseason game. Njoku is expected to play in Saturday's exhibition contest, which is good because we need a longer look at him to see what he's got to offer right now.
