NFL Preseason Week 3 Recap: 11 Must-Know Facts

Aug 26, 2024

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

We’re almost there, guys and gals. It’s the height of fantasy draft time, but no one has the time nor the desire to watch all 16 preseason Week 3 contests. That's where I come in. Here's a position-by-position look at how the final preseason weekend went down, so you can plan and adjust accordingly for the onslaught of upcoming drafts.

Note: All player ADPs mentioned are courtesy of 4for4’s Multi-Site Tool.

Get Ready for the Final Draft Week: Fantasy Football Draft Kit

Quarterbacks

Accuracy and consistency were an issue for Anthony Richardson: The fourth overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft played in the first five offensive series, finishing 8 for 14 for 86 yards and a score. Most of those yards came on his first drive, which ended in a 9-yard TD toss to Adonai Mitchell. After that, the sophomore threw multiple erratic passes, including a pick-six to Bengals safety Jordan Battle. Hopefully, he’s just shaking some rust off after missing most of 2023.

Starting NFL QBs probably shouldn’t tackle in the preseason: Brock Purdy got lucky and came out unscathed, but he threw a red-zone interception and subsequently tackled Raiders Chris Smith ll when originally trying to just get him out in bounds. Purdy posted a 9-96-0 line with that one pick and played into the second quarter.

Bryce Young appears to be taking that step forward fantasy managers hope for: In his 2024 debut with a new system under Dave Canales, the sophomore looked poised and confident, ending his 12-play drive going 6-for-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown. One highlight was a 17-yard cross-body pass to Diontae Johnson.

Both Pittsburgh QBs led scoring drives but Mike Tomlin won’t commit: Coach Tomlin has repeatedly said that Russell Wilson is in the pole position over Justin Fields but even after Saturday’s game he deferred the decision until the “end of this work week”. All signs point to Wilson as the starter but he is being drafted four positional spots after Fields as the QB31.

Drake Maye looked ready, but his o-line may not be: The rookie completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, while his line received eight flags in the first half for holding, illegal formation, and false starts.

Running Backs

Will Carson Steele be a thing in 2024? The UDFA from UCLA made a pretty good case to sneak in as Isiah Pacheco’s backup in Kansas City. He had five carries for 50 yards, which included an ankle-breaking 31-yard run to set up his own score. Steele had 11 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns during the preseason and could be an interesting final-round stab in best ball formats.

It’s finally Kenny McIntosh time: Well, not exactly but the sophomore has had a solid camp and preseason and he likely secured that RB3 spot in Seattle on Saturday. The sophomore had just one run, but it was a 56-yard touchdown that included a sweet stiff arm.

Tight Ends

It was a two-TD night for Evan Engram: The perfect outing for Engram included four receptions for 28 yards on four targets, with two short touchdown passes of five and six yards. Before you break out the Hall of Fame bust, it was against all of the Falcons players who are fighting for jobs. Engram boasts a TE8 ADP, with a hefty price tag of 6.04.

George Kittle is in regular season form: The SF tight end made a beauty of a 19-yard catch between two defenders at midfield, ending the night with three receptions for 34 yards. Kittle is being drafted as TE5 with an aggregate ADP of 55. He’s the least expensive in Yahoo leagues, where he’s being selected at spot 67.

Kickers

We have a nail-biter for the Green Bay job: Greg Joseph improved his chances of stealing the role from Anders Carlson by making a 55-yard field goal and a 36-yarder on Saturday, while the incumbent Carlson nailed a 54-yarder in the first quarter but missed on a 32-yard attempt at the end of the game.

Cade York was perfect in his new gig: In his first game as a Commander, York went 2-for-2 with field goals from 34 and 33 yards.