2022 Dynasty/Fantasy Preseason Week 3 Game Report: Panthers 21, Bills 0
The Panthers ran out the (mostly) 1st-team on both sides, including Baker, D.J. Moore, etc. The Bills started all 2nd-team on both sides but quickly went 3rd/4th-team. Carolina was ‘trying’ and the Bills were just kinda ‘there’…and thus the 21-0 Carolina ‘win’.
Carolina may have lost Sam Darnold for a while to a badly injured ankle (defender landed on wrong)…and thus no hope to trade him before the season. Carolina also may have lost their kicker for a while, who looked like he tore/injured his groin or thigh while warming up on the sidelines. Last week, they lost Sam Corral. The Panthers are already having a dark cloud moving over their season -- they don’t look good (execution-wise) or well-coached/inspired. Something doesn’t look/feel right.
The Bills 2nd-team defense was a nuisance again…the Panthers 1st-team struggled against them and got a little lucky for a score. The Bills 2nd-team defense has been as good a defense as I’ve seen in the preseason. I can only imagine what this 1st-team D is ready to do…but a tough early schedule hurts them for DST purposes.
Dynasty/Fantasy Player Notes…
-- Baker Mayfield (9-15 for 89 yards, 2 TDs/0 INT) started for a few series and was somewhere between ‘OK’ and ‘not on the same page’ with the offense.
Something just does not look right with this Carolina offense. I know once Christian McCaffrey is back, things change. I know the Bills preseason defense has been a menace, but still you want to see some spark with your 1st-team offense…and I don’t see it with Carolina. It may be Matt Rhule can’t really work an offense at the pro level.
We got to see some time/snaps with Baker and D.J. Moore on the field at the same time…and Baker acted like he didn’t know who DJM was. May have been by design, but I’m not so sure. Baker was dump passing…working short, timed throws or looking for his old Cleveland buddy Rashard Higgins. Not an encouraging brief look at the illustrious Baker-Moore connection everyone is FF-dreaming of here.
It was brief and maybe not worth worrying about it (Baker-DJM)…but I had to mention it, at least.
-- One of the reasons why the Carolina offense looks so bad this preseason is Matt Rhule’s incessant pushing of Chuba Hubbard (4-4-0, 3-25-0/6). The guy is a USFL talent getting the starting nod in these preseason games…Carolina’s #2 back behind an always-hurt Christian McCaffrey. It makes no sense in today’s NFL with all the RB talent floating around.
But when the head coach’s wife sees a talent and forces the husband to select it in the draft -- this is the type of team you get.
D’Onta Foreman (3-6-0, 2-10-1/2) is exponentially better than Chuba, but has been treated as the #3 RB all preseason.
Rookie UDFA John Lovett (14-35-0, 4-36-0/4) shows way more promise than Chuba…so, we can’t have that -- Lovett will be cut, and if he’s lucky he’ll go on the practice squad. Have to be careful putting any developmental talent on the team that threatens the golden boy, Chuba.
-- A few IDP notes…
Bills rookie Kaiir Elam (1 PD) gets better every preseason week…and he started out impressive Week 1. He’s making a difference. He may end up starting regular-season Week 1…and then for a long-time after.
Bills rookie LB Terrel Bernard (2 tackles, 1 TFL) was good/active in this game as well -- he’s a legit NFL player. The Bills have done a great job adding lesser-name defensive prospects to build tremendous depth to an already high-functioning unit.
Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (8 tackles) is set to start because he is high-effort, solid player…but rookie LB Brandon Smith (4 tackles) comes into these preseason games and looks like a difference-maker more than Luvu. Smith is behind Luvu on the depth chart, but I don’t know for how long.
C.J. Henderson (3 tackles) started as an outside CB for Carolina in this game. I was excited to see him teamed with Jaycee Horn (1 tackle) here as a duo…but watching CJH here…it wasn’t that exciting. He doesn’t ever look like he’s giving 100% anymore. Maybe it was just lax preseason work…but for a guy who has been maligned for effort and energy -- he didn’t help dissuade that here.
-- I watched some extended work on 1st-round pick OT Ikem Ekwonu again, in this game. He hasn’t looked all that wonderful his first two games -- but here, at least, he was a little bit better. Spurts of that pancake guy appeared here…but also concerning snaps as well.
He was strong on some run blocking but just OK or broken on his pass protection. He moves around, in pass pro, like he’s a hundred years old. I don’t know if he needs to do yoga or what, but that guy looks nothing like the confident mauler from college.
If Ekwonu struggles out of the gates, then this whole offense is in even more trouble than it already appears.
