Fantasy: Takeaways from Friday's preseason games

Get ready for your season with theScore's 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.

Every game night during the preseason, theScore's Justin Boone gets you caught up on the most important fantasy performances from around the league.

Kerryon is coming

One night after Derrius Guice was lost for the year with a torn ACL, another second-round running back helped restore our collective fantasy spirits with an impressive preseason debut.

Kerryon Johnson is going to be a fantasy star in 2018.

Reports that's he's been performing well in practice have been circulating throughout training camp, including above-average pass blocking, which can often be a problem for rookie backs.

Despite playing behind LeGarrette Blount and Ameer Abdullah on Friday, Johnson was Detroit's standout offensive weapon. The 21-year-old tallied 34 yards on seven carries, with another 33 yards coming from four catches. Those numbers also don't take into account the biggest play of the night - a 57-yard highlight-reel run - which was brought back due to a holding call.

Yes, it's just the first week of the preseason, but Johnson's complete skill set is already setting him apart from the other members of this backfield. Blount is a limited banger at this point in his career and Theo Riddick's lane will always be in the passing attack. When you consider the draft capital invested in April, the Lions will be eager to get their newest playmaker on the field when the real bullets fly in September.

Fantasy owners should be scrambling to secure Johnson at his current ADP in the sixth round. He has a chance to be this year's Kareem Hunt.

Crowell evaluated for concussion

Bilal Powell got the "start" for the Jets, but it was Isaiah Crowell who did the most damage of New York's top backs on Friday night.

Crowell turned his only two carries into 6 rushing yards, before converting a short pass from Teddy Bridgewater into a 16-yard touchdown. The score required Crowell to take on several defenders at the goal line - a battle he won in the moment.

Unfortunately, Crowell's next trip was to the trainer's tent and ultimately the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. Prior to leaving the game, Crowell looked lean and had a little more zip in his step than when we last saw him in Cleveland.

Powell finished the game with 5 yards on six carries, as well as a 7-yard reception on his lone target. Sophomore Elijah McGuire's foot injury during the first practice of training camp has removed any tension from the Jets' backfield battle. Crowell and Powell will split work fairly evenly with Crowell seeing more early-down carries and Powell handling the bulk of passing-down touches.

Assuming his injury isn't serious, Crowell is the more enticing fantasy option, and has one of the lowest ADPs of any starter - in the eighth round. Powell always manages to stay fantasy relevant, mostly in PPR leagues, and that won't change unless McGuire can challenge him once he returns to the lineup.

Marshawn can still move

Johnson wasn't the only back to have a big play taken away on Friday. Marshawn Lynch blasted through the line for a 60-yard touchdown that was called back due to a holding penalty. Lynch looked incredibly fast, outrunning the defensive back on a mad dash down the sideline.

The penalty robbed us of a fun start to the game. It also reminded us that the 32-year-old Lynch needs to be taken seriously as a fantasy starter playing behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines. The Raiders came in sixth in our 2018 offensive line rankings.

Beast Mode is lasting until the fifth round in fantasy drafts, going off the board as the RB27. With Guice's season-ending injury, Rashaad Penny playing behind Chris Carson, Ronald Jones struggling, and Mark Ingram facing a four-game suspension, there's a strong argument to be made that Lynch deserves to be moved up into RB2 range.

Instant Impressions

• It seems insane to write this, but the Jets' quarterback depth chart might be the deepest in the league. Though they lack a top-end talent, Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater, and Sam Darnold are all capable of starting this season in New York. McCown, the QB7 in fantasy through 12 games last season, had a very short night as the team gave more reps to its younger passers. Bridgewater played the best of the trio, completing 7-of-8 attempts for 85 yards and a touchdown, in what might be a showcase for a potential trade. Darnold was cautious but poised en route to completing 13-of-18 passes for 96 yards and a score. It's hard to picture the Jets keeping Darnold on the bench for long this season.

• It's dangerous to speculate on preseason injuries, which was proven when Guice's "precautionary" MRI revealed a torn ACL. The latest player to exit early with what appeared to be a minor ailment was Golden Tate. The Lions wideout left the game after taking a shot to his knee and the team decided his night was over. Beat writers remarked Tate was walking around the sidelines flexing his knee, but there are no signs this is serious ... at least not yet.

• A deep name to monitor is Jets running back Trenton Cannon. The sixth-rounder saw extensive playing time on Friday, racking up 40 yards on 11 carries while hauling in three receptions for 5 yards. With McGuire sidelined, Cannon may see snaps as a pass-catching threat. If injuries strike the Jets' backfield, Cannon might be a waiver wire add at some point this season.

Previous Takeaways

• Thursday, Aug. 9 (12 games)