NFL Barometer: Charging To the Forefront

Another week of preseason not only drew us closer to Week 1, it got us closer to some closure on certain job battles throughout the league. In some cases, first units got a longer leash in terms of playing time, while young skill players saw extended action that encompassed multiple quarters. It's another week with plenty of candidates on both the bullish and bearish end of the spectrum, so let's dive in to examining whose outlook is either brightening or dimming.

Trending Up

Quarterback

Josh Allen, Bills: The combination of a collarbone injury to AJ McCarron – not as serious as originally feared, but one that's still causing him to miss practice for the time being – and the announcement that Allen will draw the start for this week's "dress rehearsal" game against the Bengals has the latter's stock trending in the right direction. The decision by head coach Sean McDermott to have his rookie get extended action with the starters in the most meaningful game of the preseason clearly points to an audition for a potential Week 1 starting gig, and Allen may well be up to the task – he's thrown for 176 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in his first pair of exhibitions while playing behind the second -and third-team offensive line and with secondary pass catchers. How he acquits himself Sunday versus Cincinnati should go a long way to determining his immediate future.

Running Back

Carlos Hyde, Browns: While there was plenty of buzz surrounding the selection of Nick Chubb in April's draft, Hyde quietly went about his business, letting his practices and play speak for itself. The veteran then provided a glimpse of what he's capable of bringing to the Cleveland offense with a nine-carry, 64-yard, one-touchdown versus Buffalo in last Friday's preseason tilt, a performance that included an impressive 26-yard rumble. Also of note is the fact that Hyde showed plenty as a receiver in San Francisco last season, posting career highs in receptions (59) and receiving yards (350). While Duke Johnson will naturally handle the bulk of that type of work out of the backfield, Hyde's ability to snag a few passes of his own only serves to enhance his overall value as he heads into the regular season with the lead-back role seemingly in hand.

Peyton Barber, Buccaneers: Barber has been impressive through two preseason contests, and his strong play has particularly stood out in contrast to the pedestrian production second-round pick Ronald Jones II has generated. Barber lost approximately 15 pounds this offseason in an effort to get quicker, and that's seemingly paying dividends in both practice and preseason games thus far. He's averaged an impressive 5.3 yards per tote on his 10 carries while consistently drawing praise from the coaching staff for his practice performances as well. The latest accolades came from the head man himself, as coach Dirk Koetter was unequivocal recently when declaring that Barber is performing like a starting running back.

Wide Receiver

Mike Williams, Chargers: The gulf between Williams' draft status (seventh overall pick in 2017) and his actual rookie-season production (11 receptions, 95 yards) was expansive, with a back injury that delayed his debut until Week 6 certainly playing a part. However, the talent that earned Williams his slotting is beginning to emerge now that he's at full health, with his touchdown reception in last Saturday's game against the Seahawks serving as a tangible example of such. Williams leaped high over his defender to snare a Geno Smith pass in the right corner of the end zone, utilizing every bit of his 6-foot-4 frame in the process. That followed a two-catch preseason opener and plenty of impressive training camp practices, according to reports. While Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin are on hand as well, a Chargers offense that will be missing Hunter Henry all season figures to have plenty of wideout targets to go around, and Williams is progressively demonstrating he is able to capitalize on that opportunity.

Christian Kirk, Cardinals: Word out of Cardinals camp and what's been evident in preseason games has Kirk's outlook continuing to brighten. The rookie snagged four receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown against the Saints on Friday while playing during the first half with both Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen, and he's also slated to potentially serve as the primary punt returner, affording him additional value in leagues that factor in special teams production. The 2018 second-round pick still has to contend with Chad Williams in his bid for the No. 2 job alongside Larry Fitzgerald, but it appears he's left incumbent J.J. Nelson behind in the job battle.

James Washington, Steelers: Washington has looked every bit the second-round pick through training camp and two preseason games, securing seven of 11 targets for 158 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles and Packers. He's been moved up to the second team on the depth chart for Saturday afternoon's "dress rehearsal" exhibition against the Titans, and it appears he's all but sewn up the third receiver job to open the campaign. While Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and, eventually, Le'Veon Bell will garner a significant target share in the offense, this is a team without a consistent tight end threat, given Jesse James' typically modest production between the 20s and Vance McDonald's checkered medical history. Therefore, there should be opportunities for Washington, especially with the defensive attention that will undoubtedly be foisted on his aforementioned talented trio of teammates.

Taywan Taylor, Titans: Rishard Matthews may have just snagged himself a contract extension, but he's yet to even make an appearance on the practice field this summer. The lack of information about his injury – and consequently, his recovery timetable – leaves fantasy owners in a lurch, but also continues to pry the door open for Taylor to have an early-season impact that could in turn help him lock down a meaningful role throughout the season. He's certainly doing his best to set himself up for such a scenario this preseason, compiling five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. The majority of that came Saturday against the Bucs, when he showed off his speed with a 47-yard touchdown off a wide receiver screen against the Tampa first-team defense and followed it up with a three-yard score on a slant in the third quarter. With the time Matthews has missed (he last practiced in May) very likely to lead to limited snap counts at minimum for multiple weeks once he returns, Taylor looks poised to benefit.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Patriots: Throughout his career, Patterson has often provided better production than the general lack of press he's received would suggest. The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick in particular have had success in the past targeting such skill players and placing them in fairly prominent positions within their Tom Brady-helmed offense, and Patterson has a chance to potentially be the latest example. The 2013 first-round pick brings an intriguing mix of size (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) and speed, along with dependable hands. The team has made it clear Patterson will be utilized on kickoff returns, but there's plenty of opportunity to be had in the base offense as well, especially to open the season. The combination of Julian Edelman's four-game suspension, the release of Jordan Matthews and Kenny Britt's ongoing hamstring issues eliminates quite a few obstacles to a potentially solid target share for Patterson to kick off the season with. Meanwhile the lackluster play of Phillip Dorsett and Eric Decker thus far helps support the notion that Patterson could conceivably open the season as the third receiver at worst. His four-catch, 51-yard, one-touchdown effort against the Eagles in last Thursday's preseason game doesn't hurt his case, either.

Tight End

Trey Burton, Bears: Big things are expected from Burton in the coming season, partly due to his performance as a Zach Ertz fill-in last season. It's fair to also say at least a fraction of that buzz is due to him simply having been on a Super Bowl-winning roster, but Bears brass thought enough of his upside to ink him to a four-year, $32 million contract this offseason. The 26-year-old has been solid in camp thus far, and head coach Matt Nagy hasn't been shy about stating that he envisions utilizing Burton in similar fashion to how he deployed Travis Kelce in Kansas City last season. Some impressive recent game tape was all that was missing from the Burton hype machine leading into last weekend, but the young tight end took care of that with a four-reception, 45-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Broncos. Not only did Burton draw a team-high number of targets from starter Mitchell Trubisky, he also lined up in the slot on multiple occasions, a trend that will allow him to create plenty of mismatches down the seam in the coming season if it persists.

Trending Down

Quarterback

AJ McCarron, Bills: The Bills' three-way quarterback job battle was fun while it lasted, but a collarbone injury suffered in last Friday's preseason game against the Browns may have sunk McCarron's chances. While it turns out he avoided the hairline fracture that was originally feared, McCarron will still miss time, and rookie Josh Allen will apparently get an extended audition as a starter in this week's game versus the Bengals. A strong-enough performance by the first-round pick could be the impetus for head coach Sean McDermott to take a leap of faith and name Allen the Week 1 starter. Absent that development, Nathan Peterman is also firmly in the mix and has been more than holding his own in the competition (17-for-20, 231 yards, two touchdowns, one interception through two preseason games).

Running Back

Ronald Jones II, Buccaneers: Just as Barber's stock is rising, Jones' seems to be dipping in direct proportion for the time being. Still considered a work in progress as a pass catcher out of the backfield, Jones' main contributions and opportunities to showcase his skills were almost certainly slated to come on the ground in the early going of his pro career. However, the second-round pick has positively fizzled in that regard through two preseason contests, gaining just 12 yards on 11 rushes. Combined with reports of a rash of dropped passes in practice and Barber's impressive play, Jones appears destined for a more modest role to open the regular season that may have been initially envisioned.

Ameer Abdullah, Lions: Abdullah appears to be on a fast track to irrelevance and a possible release by the end of preseason. LeGarrette Blount, Theo Riddick and rookie Kerryon Johnson are roster locks, leaving Abdullah with plenty of pressure to make a formidable case for a spot. He's not exactly making good on that task, significantly underwhelming in a start against the Giants this past Friday (two carries for seven yards, one reception for minus-two yards and an average of just 9.5 yards and a muff on two kickoff returns). What's more, undrafted free agent receiver Brandon Powell has looked better as a kickoff returner, a role that's pivotal for Abdullah to secure in order to have a chance at sticking on the 53-man.

Wide Receiver

Kenny Britt, Patriots: Britt continues to struggle with a dreaded soft-tissue injury, as his balky hamstring has prevented him from logging so much as a single full practice in training camp. Head coach Bill Belichick doesn't exactly suffer perpetually injured players with no firm return timetable well, especially those that have no proven track record with him. With a pair of other veteran options around in Cordarrelle Patterson and Eric Decker who could potentially offer reasonably similar, or potentially better, production as that of a healthy Britt, the Patriots could soon decide they're done waiting around on the veteran to get healthy.

J.J. Nelson, Cardinals: Nelson is struggling to make any meaningful impact through two preseason games, while two younger hopefuls, Christian Kirk and Chad Williams, continue to mostly make good on their opportunities. Nelson has seen just three targets through the first pair of exhibitions, a discouraging tally for a receiver that's faced with having to prove himself to a new coaching staff. Nelson's slight 160-pound frame makes him a less-than-ideal candidate as a legitimate No. 2 wideout anyhow, and it appears that's playing itself out during the current exhibition slate. He could certainly still stick as a No. 4 speed option -- a role that he's enjoyed occasional success in over his first three seasons – but he's looking strictly like a deep-league draft candidate at present.

Tight End

Jordan Leggett, Jets: The Jets' starting tight end role is one of those rare but coveted wide-open starting positions, except that none of the viable candidates seem to want it very much. Rookie Chris Herndon at least has an injury as an excuse to fall back on, as he's been unable to suit up for either of the first two preseason contests. His absence has presumably only made Leggett's opportunity bigger, but he's thoroughly failed to capitalize. The 2017 fifth-round pick didn't see a target in last Thursday's game against the Redskins after missing the preseason opener with an injury of his own. Someone has to win the job by default, but there's little reason to believe that whoever the starter is will have any true fantasy relevance, at least in the early portion of the season.

Cowboys tight ends: Big D has the potential to serve as another barren wasteland for the position in the coming season, something that's been suspected as a possibility since the abrupt retirement of Jason Witten. The first two preseason games have helped confirm that notion, with presumed top two options Geoff Swaim and Blake Jarwin failing to make much of an impact thus far. Rico Gathers has physical upside, but he's still making a full transition after only playing basketball during his college career. The fantasy upside just isn't there at the position for the Cowboys at present, and it's difficult to envision that changing at any time in the near future.