Now that we're through the dress rehearsal in the NFL preseason, we'll get a better sense of what rosters will look like when Week 1 kicks off. Nonetheless, you still have plenty of questions pitting two players against each other. We get that. We're here for you. It's another edition of Fantasy Football Audibles as we head into the final week of the preseason.
Both of those running backs are going to be within the top three picks of most fantasy drafts this season. The difference could be the Chiefs' offensive line, which has had a tough run of things in the preseason. That's bad news for Charles, who will be asked to once again carry the offense without a lot of support from a mediocre passing game. Certainly he was up to the task last season, but it will be a tall order to post another 19 total touchdowns. McCoy should be able to prosper in part because of Philadelphia's more dangerous pass-catchers. The Eagles back has a good chance to claim the top spot among fantasy backs this year.
Drew Brees has been among the most consistent quarterbacks in fantasy football over the past five seasons. The only other quarterback that comes close is ... Aaron Rodgers. Before a collarbone injury knocked him out of nearly eight full games last season, the Packers quarterback had finished in the top two at his position every season dating back to 2009. There's no reason to believe that Brees won't once again be a top three quarterback, but Rodgers has the complementary pieces on offense to possibly challenge Peyton Manning for fantasy quarterback supremacy.
If you're suggesting that one of those players goes first overall, I'd gently nudge you in the direction of one of the two running backs at the top of this article. However, if you're asking which player should be taken ahead of the other, the answer is Graham. While both were leaps and bounds ahead of their position mates last season, there is much greater scarcity at the tight end position. Having Jimmy Graham on your roster is to know the joy of a tight end that produces elite receiver numbers. Having Peyton is nice, but if you're intent on taking a quarterback early, you can likely wait and still snare Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers on the turn around.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcasG.
