2022 Dynasty/Fantasy Preseason Week 2 Game Report: Lions 27, Colts 26
Both teams worked their 2nd-3rd-4th-teams, and it was not exciting…as Nick Foles worked on checkdown passes, for some reason, and the Lions ran a power-run game down Indy’s throat. As more young/fringe roster players entered the game, in the 2nd-half, it got more exciting…game-wise, and scouting-wise -- the game coming down to a back-and-forth exchange with Indy scoring a late TD, to cut the lead to one point, and then going-for-two for the win at the end…and coming up short.
The Lions once again played with full fire this preseason, no matter the unit or situation the Lions are getting after opponents and going max effort…while Indy was very morose until the 3rd and 4th-string QBs started and picked up the vibe of the whole team -- many of whom are gonna be cut in the next week.
Dynasty/Fantasy Player Notes…
-- The best FF-scouting thing about this game was a couple of the WRs…
Detroit 2019 UDFA WR, the former college lacrosse star, Tom Kennedy (5-24-2/7) continues to show that he’s a legit NFL starter if given the chance. He’s not just ‘there’ catching targets from the backup QBs -- he’s their main look and he’s catching passes all over, including two beautiful TD catches in this game…timing throws, trust throws, end zone throws where Kennedy just outmaneuvered/outsmarted the cover corner.
Kennedy is definitely making this team, but not the starting lineup…yet. He has NFL-starter skills and athleticism (4.55 40-time, 6.66 three-cone, 22 bench reps at 5’10”/197)…he should be starting somewhere, but yet he is fighting for a roster spot in Detroit. He’s Dan Campbell’s kinda player, and all they do is insult the guy all preseason by talking about how they are trying to cut him, but he forces them to keep looking at him.
One of my lesser-name prospect favorites, 2021 7th-round pick Colts, Mike Strachan (3-45-1/3) has been out hurt for most of camp. He just started back practicing a day or two prior to this game and went out and dominated it for a stretch…just like last camp, which was why he was quasi-starting Weeks 1-2 last season over Parris Campbell…but then ‘poof’ he disappeared.
I’m not sure what’s going on between Frank Reich and Strachan, but I pray the Colts do a Colts thing and cut him hoping to stash him on the practice squad, he would be snatched in a second. I have a vision that the Colts do cut him and Dallas’s Will McClay pounces on him for the Cowboys.
Strachan has some George Pickens in him…the current hysteria over Pickens, there could’ve been the same over Strachan if anyone cared back in 2021. Oh, and Strachan is 6’5”/226…4.54 40-time, 6.96 three-cone, 20 bench reps…a much more gifted athlete than Pickens, with similar high-end WR skills. Pickens is now a favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year (which is a joke) while Strachan is 50-50 to make the Colts 53-man roster.
-- Two sad TE notes…
Lions 2022 6th-round pick James Mitchell (2-9-0/2) got a couple targets/catches in this game…and he looked timid, not spry and confident. I’ll give him a pass for now…but it wasn’t a good look/intro.
Colts’ 3rd-round TE Jelani Woods (0-0-0/0) had a good and bad day…
Good = He was firing off the O-Line, in the red zone, running deep routes heading towards the end zone…and did some of that outside the red zone too. He was given nice routes, perfect routes for him to run.
Bad = None of the QBs in this game were throwing to him, despite being ‘giant’ and ‘open’.
The Colts QBs in this game, including Foles, weren’t working the field/multiple reads well…so, not Jelani’s fault. But I worry Matt Ryan won’t see it either. *See: Kyle Pitts 2021.
-- Two quick RB notes from DET…
Justin Jackson (7-54-0) looks really good…he deserved better in free agency than just being signed to be a camp body. A final RB roster spot will likely come down between Jackson and 2021 rookie Jermar Jefferson (7-25-0, 2-0-0).
Jefferson, for his part, looked good as well…Jackson looks better, but both are fine backup/fill-in backs. Jefferson likely gets the #4 RB spot because he was drafted last year and is the younger back over JJax. Watch where JJax lands, if he can land in a spot where a team is in need -- like the Saints if there is growing Kamara worry to start the season again.
Craig Reynolds (7-37-0, 1-5-0/1) will be the #3 RB.
-- IDP notes from this game…
IDP that got my attention the most, one of my favorite UDFA prospects of 2022, Indy’s Dallis Flowers (6 tackles) from Pittsburg State. Flowers is a nice, lengthy cover corner and return man prospect and he was terrific here -- solid in coverage, but even better tackling…he was working as a corner but ended up like an OLB in the run game several times making clean one-on-one tackles in the game. He also returned 3 kicks and a punt and looked like he was finding daylight on a couple of them but got halted. Great glimpse from Flowers here.
Another fine effort from Sterling Weatherford (7 tackles, 1 PD)…another of my favorite UDFA prospects from 2022. He’s been converted to ILB (from SAF) and looks great there.
Nick Cross (2 tackles, 1 PD) was quite active in this game in coverage and in the run game. Good showing here for the likely rookie Week 1 starter.
Lions rookie ILB Malcolm Rodriguez (2 tackles) and 2nd-year ILB Derrick Barnes (4 tackles) were working together in this game, as ‘starters’…but really they’re in competition with each other for a starting role…that I believe Rodriguez will get Week 1…or by Weeks 4-5-6.
