The final dress rehearsal is in the books. Week 3 of the NFL preseason has come and gone, so all that’s left to do is wait an excruciating 10 whole days until the first regular season game of the year.
We saw teams employ a few different philosophies in their final tune-up contest. Some teams opted to give their starters significant snaps while others gave them the day off entirely. Some teams only needed to see their starting unit for a drive or two before ultimately giving way to the backups.
Overall, it was probably the most informative week we’ve had so far this preseason. Let’s dive into some of the top takeaways from preseason Week 3.
Brock Purdy is ready to roll
The quarterback position in San Francisco was one of the biggest question marks heading into the offseason.
- Would Purdy be healthy enough to start right out of the gates?
- Should Trey Lance get another shot as the starting QB?
- And why did they feel the need to sign Sam Darnold?
We started to get some answers after Purdy was cleared for practice in late July, and things are officially solidified after the third week of the preseason.
The news got started before kickoff, when it was announced that Darnold would open the season as Purdy’s backup. That left Lance as the odd man out, and the 49ers promptly traded him to the Cowboys. Lance's path to playing time isn’t any clearer in Dallas than it was in San Francisco, but he needed a change of scenery.
This now leaves Purdy as the unquestioned starter for the 49ers, and he answered any doubts about his effectiveness in the final preseason contest.
Aug 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Purdy played two drives and led the offense to 127 total yards, and although the 49ers' first drive ended with a fumble inside the opponent’s five yard line, the team was able to finish the job with a TD on their second drive. Purdy took matters into his own hands, punching in a five-yard rushing TD.
Although Purdy likely won't warrant consistent starting consideration in fantasy leagues outside of 2QB and deeper 1QB formats, his efficiency is still extremely important. Christian McCaffrey is coming off the board as the No. 1 RB, and Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are both top-27 receivers on Underdog. Add in a top-five TE in George Kittle, and that’s a lot of mouths waiting to be fed by Purdy.
If his final preseason showing is any indication, though, Chef Purdy is ready to serve.
The sky's the limit for Garrett Wilson
There’s a clear-cut top group of receivers this season. Justin Jefferson leads the way, followed closely by Ja’Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp, and Tyreek Hill. It would not be surprising if they were the first four players off the board in your fantasy football draft.
After them, things get a bit more complicated.
Davante Adams is still really good, but he’s getting up there in age, and both Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown have plenty of competition for targets. And as for CeeDee Lamb, he's on a Dallas offense that ranked just 25th in pass rate over expectation (PROE) last year.
You know who has none of those issues? Garrett Wilson.
He and Aaron Rodgers got their first taste of preseason action on Saturday, and the two players seemed like they’d been playing together for years. Wilson saw three of Rodgers’s eight targets, and that doesn’t even include a play on which Wilson drew a flag. The duo hooked up for three catches and 30 yards, including a TD.
Rodgers has been driving the Wilson hype train all offseason, and it seems like Wilson really could be poised for a monster sophomore season. In his final four seasons with Green Bay, Davante Adams averaged 183 targets, 129 receptions, 1,584 yards, and 14 TDs. I’m not saying that Wilson is as good as Adams just yet, but he did turn in a better rookie season.
The ceiling for Wilson is the No. 1 WR in fantasy this year. I’m not sure that it's possible to draft Wilson too early.
The Steelers are on a rocket ship
I hope you got your Steelers exposure early on this offseason. If the preseason went any longer, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Kenny Pickett might've all ended up being first-round picks.
The ADP on all of the Steelers’ offensive pieces is only going to continue to skyrocket after another impressive showing in Week 3. Pickett and the starters played on two offensive drives and found pay dirt on both of them.
Aug 11, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates with quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The first drive was extremely impressive, starting at their own eight yard line and traversing 92 yards. Pickett completed 30-yard passes to both of his top WRs on that drive, with Pickens ultimately getting brought down at the one-yard line. Najee Harris was able to cap things off with a short TD.
The second drive started deep in Falcons’ territory, and they needed just three plays to cash in. This time, Jaylen Warren punched in the TD from eight yards out.
Will this momentum carry over into the regular season?
It’s tough to tell. There are plenty of examples of teams looking good in the preseason and flaming out when things start to matter, but it’s hard not to get excited about Pickett. He has the pedigree, and he has certainly looked the part this preseason. If Pickett can make a Year 2 leap, Pittsburgh's offense could provide plenty of fantasy value in 2023.
Is it time to panic on Travis Etienne?
On the surface, things weren’t that bad for Etienne in the Jaguars’ final preseason game. He scored a TD while racking up 39 yards on just eight carries.
That said, those numbers don’t tell the full story. Tank Bigsby continued to eat into Etienne’s workload, and it’s becoming harder and harder to justify Etienne at his current price tag.
In the first preseason game, Bigsby played just one snap with the starting unit while Etienne handled the rest. This past Saturday, Bigsby played on 36% of the snaps with the starting unit and logged six carries to Etienne’s eight while averaging 6.2 yards per attempt.
Aug 11, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates with quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
It’s impossible not to be impressed by what Bigsby has accomplished this preseason. He's averaged 5.7 yards per attempt, and this Jacksonville backfield is looking more and more like a timeshare situation.
Bigsby did lose a fumble on Saturday, though, and Etienne continued to play in short-yardage situations. That makes Etienne the clear favorite to lead the team in fantasy production, but the gap might not be nearly as wide as their current ADPs would suggest. Etienne is coming off the board as the RB12 on Underdog with Bigsby's ADP at RB39. I would much rather draft Bigsby at their respective ADPs.
The Bills' offense redeemed themselves
The Bills’ offense didn’t exactly need to prove themselves during the preseason. They’ve been one of the most explosive offenses in football over the past few years, and they were third in points per game last season. However, they did struggle against the Steelers in their second preseason contest, mustering zero points on three drives.
Buffalo was able to turn things around on Saturday against the Bears, though, scoring a TD on their lone drive with Josh Allen starting. It was a 12-play, 72-yard drive that culminated with a Damien Harris TD.
We also got a bit of clarity on the Bills’ personnel. Two of the biggest questions were how would they integrate rookie TE Dalton Kincaid and how they would split the workload at RB.
Kincaid played fewer snaps than Dawson Knox, but the rookie's usage was still encouraging. Kincaid was on the field for 10 of the Bills' 15 passing plays, and he was lined up all over the formation. He saw time in the slot, in-line, out wide, and as a traditional TE.
Although Kincaid didn't see a single, the underlying snaps played make it clear that he’s projected to play a significant role even as a rookie. TEs are notorious for struggling in their rookie seasons, but Kincaid’s versatility could make him an outlier.
In the backfield, James Cook operated as the clear lead back in his two drives. He saw nine snaps, four carries, and four routes run while Harris had just one carry on four snaps. That said, it's worth noting that Harris's lone rushing attempt did come near the goal line, which could be a major hindrance for Cook’s weekly TD potential.
Allen is already a major factor to run it himself near the goal line, so Cook’s TDs may need to come from longer runs this coming season. Ian Hartitz recently made the case that Cook is too cheap in fantasy drafts, and that might be the case based purely on his projected workload. Still, a potential lack of goal-line and red-zone usage makes me a bit nervous to draft Cook at his rising ADP.
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