Preseason Losers

These are the players who have not been making a good impression during preseason action.

QB Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers – The former Golden Domer could have a bright future in the NFL, but is not ready to push Matt Moore for the starting gig at quarterback in Carolina, as Clausen completed just 21-of-42 of his passes for 231 yards over three preseason outings, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He fumbled twice as well.

QB Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles – Kolb has loads of upside as the new starting quarterback in the Eagles' high-flying offense, but he is not lighting up the league in the preseason, completing just 52.8 percent (28-of-53) of his passes for 324 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. He also holds an anemic 22.6 first down percentage, but we should cut the guy some slack as he hasn't seen game action since Week 3 of 2009 while serving as Donovan McNabb's backup. In other words, don't pass on Kolb as a hot sleeper in fantasy drafts going by his preseason performances, and chalk it up as him just shaking off the rust.

QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons – Ryan is completing just 53.3 percent (24-of-45) of his passes in the preseason, with one touchdown. He has a dismal 24.4 first down percentage, and his longest completion is a mere 18 yards. He improved last season while coming off a quality rookie campaign, but it does not seem like he is ready for a true breakout as a fantasy quarterback in 2010. In other words, don't draft him as anything more than a No. 2 quarterback with upside.

QB Mark Sanchez, New York Jets – Sanchez is completing 64.6 percent (31-of-48) of his passes in the preseason, but threw two interceptions and his longest completion is just 23 yards. The chance for a breakout will be there, but the second-year quarterback doesn't have us impressed right now.  

RB Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins – Brown said that his surgically-repaired knee and foot are not an issue and believes he is fully healthy, but it is not encouraging that he is averaging a mere 2.0 yards on 17 carries in the preseason. He has suffered season-ending injuries in two of his last three seasons and is not a good bet to stay healthy for a full 16-game slate in 2010, meaning his current ADP of 5.08 seems a bit high.

RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers – Grant is not having a good preseason, especially since he suffered a concussion in the first game versus Cleveland. He has fumbled twice in three appearances, and is averaging just 3.8 yards on 16 carries. He did look better last week though, picking up 36 yards on eight attempts, so we are not concerned about him as a No. 2 fantasy back. 

RB Jerome Harrison, Cleveland Browns – Harrison has fumbled twice in three preseason games, and is also averaging just 3.1 yards on 23 rushing attempts. He is going to need to perform much better if he expects to hold off talented rookie Montario Hardesty for the No. 1 role at running back in Cleveland this season. Harrison impressively averaged 187 rushing yards over the final three games of 2009, but the Browns' coaches are not going to keep that stat close in their memory, and Harrison should just be drafted as a fantasy backup for 2010. 

RB Larry Johnson, Washington Redskins – Johnson is averaging just 2.7 yards on 17 carries in the preseason. The former stud hasn't been a factor in fantasy leagues since 2,006, and it does not look like the 30-year-old vet is going to make much noise with the Redskins after looking good at times last season in Cincinnati.

RB Joe McKnight, New York Jets – McKnight had ball security issues during his college career at USC, and that problem apparently followed him to the NFL as he has fumbled twice over three preseason outings. To make matters even worse, the rookie is averaging a mere 2.4 yards on 29 rushing attempts. He is not a player to target in the late rounds of fantasy drafts, especially since LaDainian Tomlinson is performing well as the No. 2 back behind rising star Shonn Greene.

RB Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers – The good news is that the rumor that Mendenhall broke his arm in practice proved to be false. The bad news is that he is averaging just 2.3 yards on 18 carries in the preseason. The Steelers are high on the 23-year-old back as he is coming off his first 1,000-yard season, but expectations should be tempered for 2010, and Mendenhall is best drafted as a No. 2 fantasy back, rather than the centerpiece of your teams.

RB Chris Wells, Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals are ready to give “Beanie” a larger workload in his second campaign, but he is yet to impress while averaging just 2.8 yards on 25 carries in the preseason. At least he converted six first downs, and we are not worried about Wells, who could very well join the elite class among fantasy backs in the near future.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers – Williams has built up a rep as one of the toughest running backs to contain in the NFL, but he is having an unimpressive preseason, averaging 3.6 yards on 20 carries. He has converted just two first downs, and we wonder if his undisclosed personal matter is a contributor. Williams is still worth targeting as a No. 2 fantasy back, but keep in mind that Jonathan Stewart could see a larger workload if Williams doesn't perform much better when the games count.

WR Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers – Crabtree is yet to see any action in the preseason due to his strained neck. He has stud potential, but the second-year receiver is missing important playing time regarding his development, and could be rusty for the start of the season. We still wouldn't discourage fantasy owners from targeting Crabtree as a No. 2 fantasy receiver in drafts though.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals – “Fitz” has missed the last two preseason games due to a sprained knee, and he is missing valuable time to build chemistry and get into rhythm with Arizona's quarterbacks. He needs to adapt to life without Anquan Boldin as his wingman too, which will lead to more coverage from opposing defenses, especially those who aren't scared of Steve Breaston. Fitzgerald will likely remain a very good No. 1 fantasy receiver, but expectations should be tempered a bit, meaning he should not be reached for too early in drafts. He has a current ADP of 2.04, which sounds about right.

WR Mike Sims-Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars – Sims-Walker could be on the verge of a breakout season after catching 63 passes for 869 yards and seven scores over 15 games (14 starts) in 2009 –- but he has been quiet over three games in the preseason, with a total of five receptions for 84 yards and no touchdowns. He has been dealing with a shoulder injury and hopefully he won't be limited when Week 1 rolls around.

TE Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles – Celek is known to be a favorite of quarterback Kevin Kolb, yet the tight end only caught four passes for 51 yards and no touchdowns over three preseason games. We are still excited about Celek after breaking out with 76 catches for 971 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009 though.

TE Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts – Clark has not made an appearance in the preseason due to a leg injury, but he is expected to be ready to go for Week 1 at Houston. In other words, the stud should be safe to target as the No. 1 tight end in fantasy drafts.

TE Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers – Davis has missed the last two preseason games with a strained right knee, but the injury is not believed to be serious enough to force him to miss Week 1 at Seattle. Keep drafting the stud tight end as you would normally in fantasy drafts.