Fantasy: Takeaways from Saturday's preseason action
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.
Hunt runs with the ones
Spencer Ware was the official starter at running back for the Chiefs on Saturday, but he gave way to Kareem Hunt after just one snap and then watched from the bench as the rookie lit it up.
Hunt, a player the Chiefs traded up to draft, carried the ball eight times for 40 yards and added three catches for 23 additional yards. Along the way, he broke tackles, stiff-armed a defender, and generally slashed though the defense.
Ware handled 200 carries last season, the first time in his career (including college) that he's seen such a workload. His effectiveness also waned badly late in the season.
Hunt is clearly pushing for at least a timeshare with Ware and it appears more likely than ever that the rookie will snatch away the starting job before Week 1.
If you're drafting now, Hunt's eighth-round ADP represents a potentially extreme value. But it won't stay in the eighth round for long.
Burkhead the Pats RB to own?
Mike Gillislee has an ADP eight rounds earlier than Rex Burkhead right now, but that could flip by the time the regular season rolls around if current trends continue.
With Gillislee again sitting out with an ailing hamstring, Burkhead was the Patriots' feature back Saturday and finished the evening with seven carries for 20 yards and three catches for 50 more yards and a touchdown.
More importantly, Burkhead also may have finished the night as the new odds-on favorite to start for the Patriots in Week 1.
It was Gillislee whom most fantasy analysts anointed as the likely successor to the LeGarrette Blount role in the Patriots' backfield - a job that produced an NFL-best 18 rushing touchdowns last season - but unless Gillislee gets healthy in a hurry he may miss his shot at making good on that promise.
Of course, this is Bill Belichick's team we're talking about. No one should be surprised when Dion Lewis starts Week 1. Or maybe it will be James White.
Instant Impressions
- Derrick Henry overcame a slow start to finish with two touchdowns and a few thunderous runs, but the story with him remains the same. Unless DeMarco Murray is somehow removed from the picture, drafting Henry at his ADP is a significant risk.
- Christian McCaffrey showed us why he was a top-10 pick in real life, flashing absurdly quick feet on a few nifty runs and receptions. The consensus seems to be that McCaffrey won't get enough goal-line work to pay off at his ADP, but does he really need those touches if he's capable of scoring from distance?
- Rob Gronkowski saw his first preseason action since 2012. There is no doubt he will be fully healthy for Week 1.
- Nothing of significance can be gleaned from Marshawn Lynch's two carries for 10 yards, but it's just great to see him back on an NFL field.