Note: My final Big Board will hit the site on Thursday.

If you have any questions regarding the color-coding below, please refer to my last Big Board. Otherwise, the key to the stats is below, in case they are not self-explanatory:

PYd – Passing Yards
PTD – Passing touchdowns
RuYd – Rushing Yards
RuTD - Passing touchdowns
ReYd – Receiving yards
ReTD - Receiving touchdowns
Rec - Receptions

NFC EAST

Thoughts: One of the most impressive players I have seen this preseason is Jones, who appears to have added a lot of muscle to his frame. Long considered a speedy complementary back, Jones has transformed himself into an every-down back and the Cowboys are viewing him as one as well, which is the most important thing. Because Austin has sat out the preseason, we haven’t been able to get any hint on how much of an effect Bryant will have on Austin’s final numbers. Until further notice, Romo appears to trust Witten the most, followed by Austin and then Bryant. Expect Bryant to be on the receiving end of a lot of short passes until Romo gets fully comfortable with him, with the idea being that Bryant’s YAC ability will serve as an extension of the running game.

Thoughts: Make fun of the preseason all you want, but the Redskins have been quite impressive so far. Beck and Grossman have both looked good enough to make HC Mike Shanahan appear prophetic for staking his reputation on his QBs. Davis is enjoying a fine training camp and preseason as well, helping ease the potential loss that a completely healthy Cooley would have on this offense. But the most impressive player so far has been Hightower, who may be the first RB with a bit of staying power under Shanahan in some time. He doesn’t have the explosiveness of Helu, but he has been sound in just about every other facet of the game so far and avoided his biggest bugaboo to this point – fumbles. At this point, that might be the only thing that keeps Hightower from keeping a stranglehold on this job all season long.

NFC NORTH

Thoughts: I have made significant changes to my team projections here, but not because of what I have seen in the preseason. Instead, I realized that Best probably isn’t going to do exceed 4.5 YPC or receive 20 carries in all that many games this season. However, OC Scott Linehan is fond of using his RBs heavily in the passing game – and does a particularly good job at getting Best out in space – so I believe I may actually have hit the floor (and not the ceiling) for his potential in that regard. At TE, I stole a significant of Scheffler’s catches and gave most of them to Pettigrew, whose abilities as an all-around TE help keep him on the field on just about every down.

Thoughts: Although I have made a few minor changes here, the most notable is my belief that Starks will overtake Grant at some point this season. HC Mike McCarthy has never been a RBBC coach, so if Grant’s lack of burst continues into the regular season – and there’s no reason to think it won’t – then Starks can be expected to carry the load sooner than later. (Think Cadillac Williams-LeGarrette Blount from last year.) Starks has shown himself to be a capable receiver in the preseason and is running with all the toughness one would expect out of a 6-2, 218-pound RB looking to stay healthy for the first time in years.

Thoughts: I’ve played around with Peterson’s final numbers a lot since my initial projections, but I believe I have finally settled on a good range for him now. With OC Bill Musgrave adding more plays to get the RB the ball in the passing game, Peterson could push 50+ receptions, although a final determination on whether he, Gerhart or Lorenzo Booker will get the most passing-game work hasn’t been made public yet. Otherwise, Berrian gets a nice bump as McNabb has not only shown faith in him so far, but the team also feels as if they need him to be the field-stretching element to make this offense more explosive. He’s worth a look for owners rounding out their WR corps late in the draft.

NFC SOUTH

Thoughts: My opinion of Ryan has spiked over the last few weeks (and that was before he posted 42 first-half passing attempts in the team’s third preseason game), but it isn’t for the reasons you might think. A healthy Douglas makes this offense almost unstoppable most weeks as defenses will already be stretched to defend White, Jones and Gonzalez as it is. While Turner may not turn in his usual gaudy rushing numbers, I believe it will have less to do with an age-related decline and more to do with the level of production that will be coming out of the passing game.

Thoughts: Jimmy Clausen basically gift-wrapped the starting job for Newton, who hasn’t exactly torn up the preseason himself. Because he is a thick-built QB like Ben Roethlisberger, Newton may be able to last the season physically even though he will likely take some shots when he tries to make things happen outside the pocket. I understand 3,000+ yards is a high number for Newton, but he only needs 200 yards/game to hit that mark over 15 games. I have come way down on Stewart, but that is only because it is impossible to predict if/when Williams will get hurt. Stewart has decent stand-alone value, but with Williams and Newton likely to steal the few scoring chances the Panthers will get each game, he might need a D-Will injury to be fantasy-relevant..

Thoughts: While Ingram’s totals have slipped a bit, it is only because I was admittedly low on Thomas’ initial projections (and still might be if he puts together a full season). Ingram’s ceiling is probably 12-13 TDs, but projecting that high total for a part-time back with goal-line duties – even in this explosive offense – is a bit more than I want to do at this point. I believe Sproles is greatly undervalued – especially in PPR leagues – in the 10th round or later as a more durable player in the Reggie Bush role. With Colston’s continued knee problems, Moore and Graham have been two of the hotter topics in Saints’ camp. Graham’s role appears pretty solid – a high-upside TE1 candidate who may take over as Brees’ top red-zone target if Colston is unable to stay healthy. Moore is a bit different, because his likely final reception numbers this season figure to come as a result of Colston’s health and Sproles’ ability to fill Bush’s former role. His preseason groin injury is a bit of a concern, so owners should draft him no higher than a WR4.

Thoughts: Tampa Bay has remained relatively unchanged since my initial projections.

NFC WEST

Thoughts: The loss of Ryan Williams greatly changed the outlook of this offense as a whole. As a whole, fantasy owners have long memories when players “burn” them, but Wells is looking more like the RB we saw at Ohio State this preseason. He isn’t going to impress the masses with his huge weekly fantasy totals or contributions in the passing game in all likelihood, but my projections for him are definitely attainable with no realistic competition for carries. Stephens-Howling appears to be the next in line and warrants a roster spot in deeper PPR leagues. I like what I have seen from Roberts, but there is a strong belief that he will be part of a committee attack opposite Fitzgerald.

Thoughts: Last year, Bradford scored seven times (six passing, one rushing) from the 3-yard line or closer. If Jackson can steal half of those this year and return to a 4.0 YPC on 300 carries with his customary 40+ receptions, I think he makes a strong case for a very good RB2, if not a low-end RB1 in all leagues. Now seen as a mid-level RB2 in fantasy, he has a shot to exceed expectations for the first time in years. The biggest mover here is Kendricks, who has shot up my most recent Big Board and stands to benefit the most from OC Josh McDaniels’ offense, especially since he is far and away the second-most dependable receiver in this passing attack already.

Thoughts: I made minor changes to most of the RBs and WRs, so I’ll simply say that Gore’s contract issue could make this season a rough one for his owners (and that’s not even considering he is one of the bigger injury risks around at his position). Hunter needs to be on the radar for owners in small or deep leagues, because it figures to be a matter of when, not if, he’ll see the field. He isn’t likely to be a feature-back anytime soon, but he’ll be usable in fantasy in the event Gore gets hurt. The new offense is TE-friendly, so Davis’ only concern is the same as it has been since he became a strong fantasy option – the accuracy of his QB. Expect him to remain the team’s top receiver.

Thoughts: So far this preseason, this passing game has struggled just about as much as I expected it to before the preseason started. Surprisingly, Jackson hasn’t been the main cause of the struggles since he has been more accurate than expected when given the chance to set his feet in the pocket. The biggest problem has been the amount of pressure his rebuilt offensive line is allowing. As long as this remains the case, everyone suffers. As a result, players like Rice, Williams and Miller are all late-round selections at best. On the bright side, Washington is slated to eat into the RB timeshare more this season, so he has some low-end appeal in deep PPR leagues. Expect the running game to be just about as frustrating as the passing game from a fantasy perspective.

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