We’re two weeks into the 2022 NFL preseason and firmly in the middle of 2022 fantasy draft season. That means it’s time to overreact to games that don’t mean anything.
Sure, the league’s three-game exhibition slate ultimately shapes the back end of 53-man rosters across the league — but it’s not going to tell us anything about how Tom Brady or Justin Jefferson are going to look. Entrenched stars play even less in August than in years past. This leaves games looking more like start-up spring league football than the genuine article.
That doesn’t mean some stars begin shining in the summer. Rhamondre Stevenson made his case to take over the New England Patriots’ backfield last August when he led the league in preseason rushing yards. Lamar Jackson planted his flag as a future MVP by dazzling second- and third-string defenses in 2018.
With precious little else to obsess over in the world of football, these preseason decisions and performances expand to fill the ovoid void the game leaves in our hearts. Hype trains across the league have picked up steam, affecting futures bets and fantasy drafts alike as the sands of summer’s hourglass tumble. Which too-early trends are here to stay?
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