Preseason HOF Game: Titans vs. Bills

Yes, it is only the first preseason and performances that happen in these warm up games don't necessarily carry over to the regular season. Still, preseason games are useful in that they give you, the fantasy player, a chance to make an eye-ball judgement on a player or players who you might decide to draft- or pass on. With that in mind there are certain things that you should look for when it comes to making a quick determination about whether a player is due for a big year.

The HOF game features a couple of interesting players who very well could make, or break, your fantasy team. It is not important what these respective players stats are at the end of the game. It is, however, important to note some of the questions surrounding a player- coming into the season- and see if he has appeared to have worked hard in the offseason to addresses those issues. Without further ado, let's examine the players and, more importantly, the questions they look to address.

Buffalo Bills

Trent Edwards:
Arm Strength- Look for Edwards arm strength on deep throws. His ability to make all the throws not only has a strong barring on his fantasy potential, but also the fantasy potential of Owens and Evans.
Progressions- does he go through his progressions to find the open receiver or does he fall into the trap of locking on to TO too much.

Terrell Owens:
Explosiveness- It seems that TO's fantasy potential will greatly depend on Trent Edwards' ability to get him the ball. However, TO is starting to enter the final stages of his career and it will be interesting to see if his usual explosiveness in the open field will still be on display.

Lee Evans:
Making plays on short-to-intermediate routes- We have seen that Evans can go without a catch for 2 quarters only to catch one or two deep balls and end the day with 3 catches for 80 yards and a score. This can be especially maddening to a fantasy owner because you think if he could just get 2 or 3 catches more 8 to 10 yards, each, he would be borderline elite. I want to see if Evans will make plays all over the field or if he will merely be a one-trick pony- that being the deep route- while TO is the one catching the majority of the balls.

Marshawn Lynch:
Determination- expect Lynch to receive a considerable amount of work in the preseason due to his suspension sentence which will take place over the first three games of the season. Look for him to attempt to make a strong impression on the Bills coaching staff in an attempt to send the message- "that he will be the Bills primary back when his suspension is up". This is big because he is significantly less valuable- come draft day- if you feel that Fred Jackson will perform well enough over the first three games that the Bills decide it is best to rotate the backs.

Fred Jackson:
Determination- This no doubt represents Fred Jackson's best- maybe only- shot to make a name for himself and, thus, carve out a legitimate role in the bills offense. You should see from the get-go how bad he wants to take advantage of this opportunity presented to him. Let's see if he makes the most of his opportunity.

Shawn Nelson:
Blocking- This intriguing rookie- a 5th round pick in last year's draft- is tall, at 6'5, fast and possesses solid all-around pass catching skills. He is, however, a bit on the light side at 240 pounds and it will be interesting to see how he holds up, in run and pass blocking, over the course of this preseason. If he can hold his own as a blocker, he could surface as an every-down pass-catching TE in an offense that otherwise has no reliable option at the TE position.

Tennessee Titans

Lendale White:
Weight- There has been reports that LenDale has lost considerable weight this off-season which should only help as Chris Johnson makes a public push to be the feature back in for the titans. If LenDale is in shape, but still big enough that he can be the same force in goal-line situations, then Chris Johnson will have a hard time becoming the feature back. Further, a dual running back system would mean that LenDale would still be the primary goal-line back- which will mean that he is still starter-worthy in most fantasy leagues and formats.

Chris Johnson:
Running between the tackles- CJ is a lightning bolt who is as fast and as allusive as any running back in the league- in the open field. Last year, he was rarely touched as defenders routinely took poor angles in attempt to make the tackle. This year, teams should be more prepared and willing to take a contain defense approach in an attempt to minimize the explosive second year RB. He may have to compensate by becoming a better 1st and 2nd down back who can grind out tough yards in addition to breaking off 1-2 big runs a game.

Kerry Collins:
Accuracy- Everybody, and their mother, knows that Kerry Collins has had and will continue to have great arm strength on all his throws. What will be interesting to see is if he continues to display the kind of accuracy and game management skills he did last season. This is not a given as he struggled to do just that in Oakland a couple of years back and if he begins to slip it could open up the door for Vince Young to step back into the starting QB role.

Vince Young:
Game Management- Vince Young has been a substantial bust after finding initial success in his first year with the Titans. But let's not lose sight of the fact that he is still the titans best option if he is playing to the best of his abilities. It will be important to see if VY is playing confidently and limiting passing mistakes while consistently moving the chains with his arm- and not just his feet.

Kenny Britt:
Separation- Britt is a large possession receiver who is capable of being a good go-to red zone option. The key will be if he can quickly learn how to gain separation from NFL cornerback's in order to be an effective receiver. This will be accomplished threw a combination of route-running and short area explosiveness- all of which are undetermined at this point.