2022 Dynasty/Fantasy Preseason Week 3 Game Report: Cowboys 27, Seahawks 26
A battle of the backups…no, wait…that’s actually Seattle’s 1st-team offense/QB. My bad. Essentially, it was a battle of backups.
Dallas losing Tyron Smith is a dagger to the season…drags down Dak and EE and everyone a bit more.
Michael Irvin is on the game call on the tape I’m watching…what did I do wrong to deserve this, God?
Dynasty/Fantasy Player Notes…
-- The best worker/player I saw this game, outside of like the glimpse of Tyler Lockett/any legit-obvious guys…was Seattle 7th-round rookie WR Dareke Young (3-43-0/5). A gifted athlete that I was thinking might be too raw and would need a few years -- but he looks like a veteran running routes, improving every week I watch him. He was working like a young Michael Thomas, only more athletic. Stock is rising here…but in a terrible spot to try and breakout for FF purposes.
-- Dallas Cowboys WR report…
Jalen Tolbert (2-9-0/5)…I still don’t see it. He’s not going to start Week 1 it looks like, and even if he does -- he’s low impact. I’ve not been into him, and nothing has changed.
A week-ago-media’s-new-Tyreek-Hill, KaVonte Turpin (1-8-0/2) is a return man, an overhyped one…not a legit WR weapon…as we said this when he ‘broke out’ (media-wise) last week. Denver’s Montrell Washington is the better return man/WR weapon, small-speedy guy to pay attention to…not Turpin.
Brandon Smith (3-27-1/4) has been making plays all preseason, but he’s not speedy enough to get anyone’s attention…he’s just a great hands receiver that will be constantly overlooked. Too many ‘nots’ right now…not fast enough, not big enough.
WR who caught my eye the most: Rookie UDFA Dennis Houston (2-25-0/3) has a little something…a little ‘it’ factor. He’s going to be cut/stowed on the practice squad I’m sure, but I’m officially keeping RC tabs on him…I see a little ‘it factor’ potential. Still raw, needs time but I like the ingredients I’m seeing. Didn’t catch it before.
-- Quick QB thoughts…
I saw a report in the mainstream with the thrust of/headline of: “How Geno won the job!” Ha! Geno Smith (3-6 for 43 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) won the job by default…Drew Lock (13-24 for 171 yards, 1 TD/3 INTs) was so awful, they had to name Geno.
Geno looks fine enough to be a bad starting NFL QB. Seattle is ‘tanking’, so it works. Drew Lock’s career is essentially over. If Brian Daboll is such a mad QB scientist, he should trade nothing for Lock and then try and make him Josh Allen 2.0 -- but Daboll had nothing to do with Allen’s ascension, so it wouldn’t work…not that the Giants would even think of such a thing. They signed Tyrod Taylor to be their backup QB…that’s their radical thinking at the QB spot.
Cooper Rush (2-5 for 20 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) looked better, more promising than either Seattle QB…and that’s a burn on the Seahawks…and a minor tip of the cap to Rush, who looks improved to me.
-- I know he’ll be cut/stowed on the practice squad…but rookie UDFA RB out of Harvard Aaron Shampklin (13-54-0) looked like he had skills to work with. 5’9”/194 running a 4.48, 6.94 three-cone, 19 bench reps, 37.5” vertical…not bad. He ran the interior really well this game, but it was later in the game against a bad defense, I know. Still, there was a little hope displayed here.
-- Dallas IDP notes…
As always, Dallas head of personnel Will McClay is about the only NFL personnel person I really respect and acknowledge he see things I don’t/I miss…and when I see some of his late round picks and UDFAs, if I didn’t grade them well initially -- I stop and take note/take a second look. He’s done it again with some defenders (his later round/UDFA specialty)…
Pick #167 DaRon Bland (1 tackles, 3 PDs), I didn’t catch him pre-NFL Draft. He graded poorly on analytics, and I never took a deeper look that I recall because he didn’t jump out of the computer models/grades to take more look at. But that guy is a rugged, aggressive corner who is going to have value for Dallas ahead.
UDFA SAF Markquese Bell (4 tackles, 1 PD) scored poorly in analytics, but I liked his tape…Ross Jacobs is a big fan in his scouting of him -- well, he looks like the real deal. He’s a big boy safety (6’2”/210+) he's just a ‘football player’.
Pick #193 LB Devin Harper (7 tackles), we did like right away and he looks like he’s a legit NFL linebacker. McClay keeps loading Dallas with low-key talent on defense…it’s gonna pay-off. But hiring Mike McCarthy or paying Zeke big or Tyron Smith going down, is not his fault…when this season goes sideways.
