1) Jonathan Gannon on Kyler Murray: ‘He’s leaps and bounds ahead’ of last year
I’m willing to admit to some confirmation bias here. I’ve been pounding the drum recently that Kyler should be going higher than he is. It seems to have worked. Murray’s ADP has climbed to the point where he’s the QB10 in most formats. It feels like that’s his floor this season, with a top-five finish legitimately within reach.
Imagine my glee when Murray’s head coach says — repeatedly! — that the veteran quarterback “looks damn good.” It’s been a couple of seasons since we’ve seen the former No. 1 overall pick fully healthy. When Kyler was in peak shape, he was one of fantasy’s top-tier quarterbacks. With the weapons Murray now has at his disposal (hi, Marvin Harrison Jr.!), I’m positively giddy over his potential in this age-27 season.
Kliff Kingsbury’s offenses have always held a level of intrigue. The Air Raid lends itself to fantasy production. Who wouldn’t want part of an attack that fashions itself as basketball on grass? The problem has been a lack of unpredictability. Kingsbury has become notorious for keeping his top receiver static in alignment. In three seasons with the Cardinals under Kingsbury, DeAndre Hopkins took 76 percent of his snaps from the left side of the formation, per Next Gen Stats. Nuk was still quite productive when active, but it made you wonder if a lack of creativity was holding the team back. And now that Kingsbury’s calling plays for Washington, that same concern’s creeping up with the Commanders’ WR1.
Through two preseason games, 28 of McLaurin’s 29 preseason snaps have come from the left side. But maybe that was the Commanders offense not trying to show too much. McLaurin has traditionally moved across the formation. Last year, his snaps were split evenly between the left and right sides. Now that Washington has a quarterback it believes in, it would be a shame to limit McLaurin by locking him to one side of the field.
3) Tim Patrick on comeback: ‘You guys haven’t seen anything yet’
The last time we really saw Patrick in action, he was asserting himself as the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver. It was his second straight campaign with 50-plus catches and more than 700 yards. It seemed as though he was ready for liftoff. That was in 2021. In ’22, Patrick tore his ACL in training camp. The following year, he popped his Achilles tendon. The breakout was on hold, and it was fair to wonder if we’d ever see it.
Now, two and a half years since his last regular-snap, Patrick returns to a similar situation to the one he left. The Broncos are looking for a WR2 to complement Courtland Sutton and they’re breaking in a new quarterback. Early returns suggest Patrick and rookie signal-caller Bo Nix are vibing. The receiver has caught all five of his targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. There’s still some way to go in Patrick’s recovery, but it looks like the previously postponed breakout could be in progress.
