2 of 3
Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Preseason Week 2: 4 carries, 23 yards
2023 Season: 104 carries, 451 yards, TD; 15 receptions, 98 yards
Last season, White recorded 84 carries for 397 yards and a touchdown in place of an injured Josh Jacobs for the final four weeks of the season. He fit the part of a workhorse running back–or so we thought.
The Raiders signed Alexander Mattison, who averaged 11.3 carries per outing last season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Through two preseason games, White has logged 10 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown while Mattison has recorded eight carries for 30 yards.
Moreover, Mattison, Ameer Abdullah and rookie sixth-rounder Dylan Laube have all seen multiple targets in the passing game. White has only been targeted once in the two exhibition outings.
If you drafted White with the thought that he’s going to see a workload similar to the last four weeks of the previous term, sell him now. He may have only handled that many touches because the Raiders didn’t have a reliable third-string ball-carrier.
Now, Las Vegas can dilute the running back workload with Mattison on early downs and Abdullah and/or Laube on passing downs.
Sell White For: Tony Pollard, Najee Harris, Brian Robinson Jr.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chicago Bears
Preseason Week 2: N/A
2023 Season: 108 catches, 1,243 yards, 7 TDs
While you shouldn’t overreact to quarterback Caleb Williams’ 45-yard pass to Rome Odunze against the Cincinnati Bengals, understand we could see more of that one-two combination in the regular season.
Though some parts of the fantasy football community saw Allen as a buy for dynasty league managers early in the offseason, you cannot ignore his injury history at 32 years old. Allen has missed 11 games over the last two seasons, and he’s no longer the definitive No. 1 target in his team’s offense.
DJ Moore is coming off his most productive season, and Odunze, the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, will likely have a growing connection with Williams as the season progresses.
Lastly, on a one-year deal, Allen faces some career uncertainties beyond the 2024 campaign.
Sell Allen For: Xavier Worthy, Jayden Reed, Tank Dell
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
Preseason Week 2: N/A
2023 Season: 81 catches, 882 yards, 6 TDs
Going back to the 2022 season, Njoku hasn’t racked up more than 59 receiving yards with Deshaun Watson under center. Over the last two years, he’s had his most productive games with quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco.
In fact, with Flacco as his quarterback, Njoku has put together two of his best career games.
Flacco signed with the Indianapolis Colts, and Watson hasn’t played well since Cleveland acquired him from the Houston Texans. In 12 games with the Browns, he has thrown for 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 59.8 percent completion rate.
Furthermore, Cleveland acquired wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and signed him to a three-year, $52.5 million extension. He may command the second-most targets for a low-end passing attack.
Njoku isn’t going to thrive in these circumstances. Yet he’s TE9 in PPR leagues.