Fantasy: Takeaways from Sunday's preseason games
Get ready for your season with theScore's 2017 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.
Every game night during the preseason, theScore gets you caught up on the most important fantasy performances from around the league.
Meredith likely done for year
The third week of the preseason wrapped up with a tripleheader on Sunday, and the injury reaper claimed another victim.
Cameron Meredith will miss the entire season after suffering what's believed to be a torn ACL in a gruesome collision with the Titans' Johnathan Cyprien and Wesley Woodyard. Spare yourself the horror and don't go watch the video.
The Bears now need to fill the void left by Meredith, who was entering the season as Chicago's top option in the passing game. Former first-round pick Kevin White is finally healthy, and will likely get the first shot at the job. However, White hasn't shown anything that would inspire confidence that he can produce in a lead role. He remains a dart throw in the later rounds.
Kendall Wright is another name worth watching, but isn't someone you want to invest in outside of a deep fantasy pick. That leaves Markus Wheaton, who's recovering from a broken finger. Wheaton will be worth taking a waiver-wire flier on once he's nearing a return.
Overall, you might as well draw a big red X over the Bears' passing game.
Instant Impressions
- Meredith wasn't the only player who left with an injury Saturday. Jeremy Hill exited due to an ankle ailment, though he was made available to the media after the game and said he was fine. Hill has started all three of the Bengals' preseason games, which is painful for fantasy owners waiting on a potential Joe Mixon breakout. Giovani Bernard also returned to action, rattling off 25 yards on four carries and reminding everyone of his place in Cincy's backfield. Mixon will end up seeing the most carries of the group by season's end, but his upside will be capped as long as Hill and Bernard are healthy.
- Rob Kelley has locked down the Redskins' starting running back spot over rookie Samaje Perine, and sadly it wasn't even as close as Mayweather-McGregor. Kelley turned 11 touches into 60 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. We can all admit he's a boring fantasy pick, but his consistently-average play is better than anything else Washington has going in its backfield. Chris Thompson will continue to serve as the passing-down back, while Kelley handles early-down and short-yardage duties. Kelley is a surprisingly good value in the seventh round.
- Josh Doctson was held out Saturday due to groin and hamstring tightness. It's yet another setback for a player who needs to get on the field and begin showcasing his first-round talent. Head coach Jay Gruden said Doctson would have played if it was the regular season, but that doesn't comfort fantasy owners who've watched the wideout miss the majority of his young career with injuries. Doctson is still worth a late-round pick this season, but doubts are starting to creep in that he may never reach his potential.
- The Vikings moved Adam Thielen into the slot, where they plan on playing him this season, and the result was five receptions and 50 yards. Sam Bradford prefers the short-to-intermediate game, which means Thielen could see a major uptick in targets if this deployment continues. Teammate Stefon Diggs is now lining up on the outside where the team hopes to take advantage of his playmaking skills. Diggs and Thielen are well worth drafting at their current ADPs in the sixth and 11th rounds, respectively.