0 of 8

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

We’re constantly told NFL preseason games are meaningless, and in many ways, they are. What we see is often misleading, and the final scores have about as big of an impact on the league’s landscape as those of a pickup game between you and your friends.

Of course, there’s a big difference between a breakout preseason performance and that four-touchdown game you had nine Thanksgivings ago—aside from the fact that your cousin Carl couldn’t cover a pineapple with a parachute.

Often, a strong preseason is an indication that a player can be a difference-maker. Take the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson, for example. He racked up 179 passing yards and 24 rushing yards in his preseason debut last season, then went on to be a leading Rookie of the Year candidate before tearing his ACL November 2.

We’re here to scrutinize some of this year’s breakout preseason performers and determine which are accurate signs of things to come in 2018 and which are fool’s gold. We’ll examine players with both strong single-game outings and high overall stats.

We won’t look at established stars here because, well, who cares what guys like Tom Brady and Todd Gurley do in the preseason? We know who they’ll be when the final scores matter.

1 of 8

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Undrafted rookie Cam Sims entered the preseason as a bit of a long shot to make the Washington Redskins roster. The team already has a strong trio of wideouts in Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson.

Sims, though, has forced his way into the mix.

“It’s been a good competition,” former Redskins quarterback Doug Williams said, per JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. “I think what has happened is … [Sims] threw a hand grenade in this thing. I think Sims has had a tremendous camp.”

Sims caught two passes for 74 yards in his preseason debut and followed that with a three-catch, 57-yard outing. Pro Football Focus graded him the highest among rookie receivers over the first two weeks as well.

Sims has the talent to be a notable piece of Washington’s receiver rotation this season.

2018 Projection: 625 Yards Receiving, 6 Touchdowns

2 of 8

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Former Central Florida receiver Breshad Perriman has been perhaps the biggest first-round disappointment in Baltimore Ravens history. A knee injury cost him his rookie campaign, and poor play bumped him down the depth chart last season. He did have a 499-yard season sandwiched between 2015 and 2017, but Perriman hasn’t proved he deserves to be part of Baltimore’s future.

A strong three-catch, 71-yard performance against the Los Angeles Rams in the Ravens’ second preseason game didn’t change things.

Yes, seeing him rip off a 32-yard touchdown reception likely gave Ravens fans some hope that Perriman is about to turn the corner—but it shouldn’t. The questions have never been about Perriman’s speed or athleticism. They’ve been about his ability to stay healthy, run clean routes and absorb the nuances of playing receiver in the NFL.

He is the same disappointing wideout he’s always been.

2018 Projection: 125 Yards Receiving

3 of 8

Uncredited/Associated Press

The Cleveland Browns’ 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Week 3 opener wasn’t fun to watch unless you love defensive football. However, Cleveland’s pass rush did generate some excitement, and fifth-round rookie Genard Avery was a big part of that.

Avery earned a sack and a forced fumble while going against Philadelphia’s vaunted starting offensive line. It wasn’t a fluke. The Memphis product is in position to be a significant piece of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ pass-rush rotation, and he has the physicality and drive to make the most of it.

“If you see him out here, he is a human bowling ball,” fellow Browns linebacker Joe Schobert said, per Josh Edwards of 247Sports. “He takes it and goes 100 miles an hour in any direction he wants to go. There are not a lot of people in the NFL that can stop him if he gets going where he wants to go.”

Avery will make a few offensive coordinators pay for focusing on 2017 No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett this season. Unfortunately, it might not be until later in the year, as Avery suffered a hip injury during the Week 3 win.



2018 Projection: 45 Tackles, 5.5 Sacks, 2 Interceptions

4 of 8

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The New York Jets believe former USC quarterback Sam Darnold is the guy to fix their long-standing quarterback woes. He’s looked like a future Pro Bowl signal-caller during the preseason—at least on the stat sheet.

Darnold completed over 72 percent of his passes during the first two weeks of the preseason, even while going against Washington’s starters in the second contest. Here’s the thing, though. The 6’3″, cannon-armed Darnold has been dinking and dunking his way downfield with low-risk throws against bland coverage schemes.

After Darnold’s Week 2 outing, Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com wrote:

“The rookie attempted just one pass over 10 yards against the Redskins … and more than half of his attempts were within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Darnold averaged just 4.0 air yards per attempt, by far the lowest of his fellow first-years. The [passing chart] also shows that Darnold was either much more comfortable throwing or more likely to throw to his right.”

Darnold had more success with throwing downfield in Week 3 against the New York Giants, but he also completed just 50 percent of his passes.

This isn’t to say he won’t be a successful quarterback or even that New York won’t be right to start him in Week 1. However, Darnold’s biggest issues in college were a lack of pocket awareness against pressure and a penchant for turnovers. He was, for the most part, a boom-or-bust quarterback, and a couple of efficient preseason games don’t prove he’s changed for 2018.

2018 Projection: 3,200 Yards Passing, 24 Touchdowns, 25 Turnovers

5 of 8

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Hassan Ridgeway hasn’t established himself as a consistent difference-maker in his two seasons as an Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle. He’s made just six starts since the team took him in 2016’s fourth round, and he has 35 tackles in that span.

However, the Colts did discover last season that Ridgeway has value in more of a rotational pass-rushing role—he had 3.0 sacks and a safety—and this is the role in which new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has placed Ridgeway.

As more of a pass-rusher than a traditional defensive tackle, Ridgeway racked up 2.0 sacks in each of the first two preseason games. His 4.0 sacks were the most in the NFL.

Now, preseason sacks aren’t the same as regular-season takedowns because they often come against lesser competition. However, Ridgeway showed last year that he can get to the quarterback, and if the preseason is any indication, he’s in the right role to do so with more frequency in 2018.

2018 Projection: 38 Tackles, 7.5 Sacks

6 of 8

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman had a stellar game in preseason Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry, caught two passes and found the end zone twice. He had 42 combined rushing and receiving yards in limited time in Week 3. However, fantasy fanatics shouldn’t scramble to grab Gallman.

The reason? Saquon Barkley. The Giants used the No. 2 overall pick on the Penn State product, and as long as Barkley is healthy, he’ll be New York’s workhorse runner.

Gallman can be a solid piece of injury insurance for the Giants—Barkley has been dealing with a hamstring strain—but he won’t steal the starting job or even significantly cut into the rookie’s workload when he’s a full go.

Gallman got numerous opportunities last season when the Giants couldn’t find a consistent rushing attack, yet he never established himself as a starter or had a big game—he reached 60 yards rushing once. He won’t suddenly become a star.

2018 Projection: 220 Yards Rushing, 120 Yards Receiving, 1 Touchdown

7 of 8

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Former Wisconsin-Whitewater receiver Jake Kumerow has taken an interesting path to the Packers. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015, briefly spent time on the New England Patriots practice squad then joined Green Bay’s practice squad last year.

This preseason, Kumerow has been a revelation. He’s had long touchdowns (52, 82 yards) and has been a consistent presence in the Packers’ passing game. More importantly, though, he’s earning quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ trust.

“I have confidence in him,” Rodgers said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “He’s in the right spot all the time; he makes contested catches, finishes the right way. He practices like a pro.”

Yes, preseason stats don’t mean much, but Kumerow has flashed the speed, agility and field vision to be a difference-maker. The fact that Rodgers believes in him makes it likely Kumerow will work his way into the offense and make an impact there.

2018 Projection: 475 Yards, 5 Touchdowns

8 of 8

Mark Reis/Associated Press

Th Minnesota Vikings defense, which allowed a league-low 275.9 yards per game, was incredible last season. Based on what we’ve seen in the preseason, you might believe fourth-year safety Anthony Harris is primed to make it even better this year.

Harris logged his second preseason interception in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks. He leads the NFL in that category and has seven total tackles, 2.0 sacks and three passes defended through three partial games.

Here’s the problem for Harris: The Vikings already have a strong pair of starting safeties in Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo. Harris sits behind Smith at free safety, and he isn’t likely to see the field much unless the incumbent starter suffers a significant injury.

Should Sendejo struggle, Minnesota won’t put Harris and Smith on the field at the same time. The team recently added former Cincinnati Bengals starter George Iloka, who coincidentally tipped the pass Harris picked off.

Harris can provide quality depth, but he isn’t in position to be a regular-season breakout star.

2018 Projection: 21 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended

0 of 7

Cole McDonaldDavid Zalubowski/Associated Press

Whether you call it opening weekend, Week 0, a soft launch or something else, one thing’s for certain: College football is back, baby!

Yes, it was only four games. And yes, the teams in action on opening weekend received a combined total of zero votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. But after months of ESPN airing things like cornhole, semi-professional basketball and a lot of Texas Hold’Em, it sure was nice to have college football back in our lives.

To properly welcome its return, we’ve got the biggest winners and losers of opening weekend. From Duquesne’s deplorable defense to the heavenly helmets of Hawaii, here’s the Saturday roundup.

1 of 7

Omar Rawlings/Getty Images

Tucked away in the obscurity of a Massachusetts program with a 19.4 winning percentage over the past six seasons, Andy Isabella has quietly put together a solid career.

Per Sports Reference, he was one of just 11 players to accumulate at least 1,800 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns between 2016 and 2017. He’s the only player from that list who is still playing college football in 2018.

And he’s doing so quite well thus far.

In the season-opening 63-15 trouncing of FCS opponent Duquesne, Isabella was responsible for three of the Minutemen’s nine touchdowns. He scored on a 60-yard reception early in the first quarter, rushed one in from 14 yards out in the second and caught a 44-yard TD in the third. He only had six touches in the game, but he finished with 145 yards from scrimmage.

Don’t blame it all on the quality of the opposition, either. It wasn’t even a career-high day for Isabella, who had 158 and 152 receiving yards in back-to-back games in November. In fact, he had seven games last year with at least 80 yards and a touchdown, and he has made at least three catches in 23 of 24 games over the past two seasons.

Massachusetts probably won’t be relevant for anything other than the first win of the 2018 season, but Isabella could be a factor in the national race for most receiving yards.

2 of 7

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

If recent years are any indication, Duquesne won’t be the last FCS team that gets obliterated by an FBS opponent in Week 1. Between 2013 and 2017, there were 30 instances of a team scoring at least 63 points in its first game, 27 of which were of the FBS-over-FCS variety, according to Sports Reference.

But it’s hard to believe it happened in this particular game.

Massachusetts hasn’t exactly been one of the best teams in the nation since joining the FBS ranks in 2012, and Duquesne is usually one of the more successful FCS squads. The Dukes are no North Dakota State or James Madison, but they have earned at least a share of the Northeast Conference title in four of the past seven seasons.

Prior to Saturday’s tussle with Massachusetts, Duquesne had not given up more than 59 points in a game since 2001—nor had Massachusetts scored more than 55 points in a game in any of the past 16 seasons.

Lo and behold, the Minutemen scored nine touchdowns—and it could have been worse. Through five possessions, Massachusetts was averaging 14.3 yards per offensive snap and nearly two points per minute.

3 of 7

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Helmets don’t win games, but it turns out they can win Twitter.

Shortly before kickoff between Hawaii and Colorado State, Robert Kekaula—well known among college football fans for announcing Hawaii games in a Hawaiian shirt—tweeted a picture of the helmets Hawaii would be wearing for the game.

It went viral.

A couple hours before that, the Hawaii Football Twitter account posted a video of the decals being placed on the helmets. It included the hashtag #HurricaneLane to signify that they are thinking about their friends and family back home. Thankfully, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm and didn’t hit Hawaii squarely.

Here’s hoping those beautiful helmets are here to stay rather than something the Rainbow Warriors will only break out for meteorological anomalies.

4 of 7

Tim Warner/Getty Images

By beating Prairie View A&M 31-28 on a walk-off field goal, Rice already has as many wins as it did in the entire 2017 season.

Congratulations, Owls!

Now let’s talk about how ugly it was.

Rice went at least 44 yards on each of its first four possessions, punctuating each one with points. It looked like business as usual for a Prairie View A&M defense that has been annihilated by FBS opponents in recent years. In 2016, the Panthers lost 67-0 to Texas A&M and 65-44 to Rice. The year before that, Texas State stomped them 63-24. That’s an average of 65.0 points allowed in their three most recent FBS games.

But after taking a 19-7 lead, Rice’s offense vanished. The Owls had seven consecutive drives of fewer than 30 yards, only one of which resulted in a score. Meanwhile, Prairie View scored 28 points in the span of 16 minutes, forcing the Owls to come from behind to get the win.

Rice only outgained Prairie View by 13 yards, and it had a nightmare of a time trying to move the ball through the air, averaging just 3.6 yards per attempt.

To be fair, Emmanuel Esukpa had a great game, rushing 32 times for 173 yards and a touchdown. The junior had not previously rushed for more than 56 yards in a game in his college career. But it wasn’t exactly an encouraging start for an offense that will be facing one of the most unstoppable defensive forces in the nation in Week 2: Houston’s Ed Oliver.

5 of 7

Olabisi JohnsonDavid Zalubowski/Associated Press

After two years as the starting quarterback for Hawaii, Dru Brown transferred to Oklahoma State this offseason.

Nick Stevens, who spent three years as the starting quarterback for Colorado State, ran out of eligibility at the end of the 2017 campaign.

As a result, this Mountain West Conference season opener featured a pair of QBs—Cole McDonald for Hawaii and K.J. Carta-Samuels for Colorado State—who had a combined total of 332 career passing yards.

They had nearly triple that amount in this game alone.

Initially, McDonald was the undisputed star. The sophomore was unstoppable as Hawaii jumped out to a 37-7 lead. He finished with 418 passing yards, 96 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. According to Sports Reference, that is just the 14th time since 2000 that a player has had at least 400 passing yards, 90 rushing yards and five scores in a game. Even Lamar Jackson only did it once in his career.

As Colorado State mounted a furious comeback attempt, Carta-Samuels put on quite the show too. The graduate transfer from Washington threw for 537 yards and five touchdowns—a feat made even more incredible when you remember the Rams no longer have phenom wide receiver Michael Gallup. It wasn’t quite enough, though, as Hawaii won 43-34.

In the past two seasons, there were only two games in which one team had at least 525 passing yards and the other had at least 400. Both of those games involved Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma at Oklahoma State last year and Oklahoma at Texas Tech in 2016).

You expect that type of offensive explosion in those Big 12 games, but shame on these defenses for getting lit up by a pair of guys who combined to attempt 19 passes in 2017.

6 of 7

Matt RomeroAndres Leighton/Associated Press

In 2017, New Mexico State played in a bowl game for the first time since 1960. However, after losing the starting quarterback, the primary running back and the star wide receiver, it felt like a safe bet the Aggies would take a step back on offense.

But there’s a fine line between “a step back” and “hopelessly unable to accomplish anything.”

One half into the 2018 season, Wyoming’s defense had New Mexico State looking like the latter. The Aggies had eight yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes.

You read that correctly: Eight. Freaking. Yards.

And if you factor in penalties, it’s even worse. There were three false starts, one illegal formation and a holding call against NMSU. One of the false starts came on its own 3—and led to a safety—so it was 26 penalty yards instead of 30. Still, eight yards of total offense minus 26 penalty yards means New Mexico State lost 18 yards of field position in the first half.

The Aggies did not get a first down until there were 15 seconds remaining in the first half, and they immediately followed it up with a false start and the holding penalty. It was as if they didn’t know how to handle something good happening.

Obviously, a lot of the credit goes to Wyoming’s defense, which is probably going to be the best in the Mountain West Conference this year. But eight total yards on 21 plays is something else.

At least they didn’t commit any turnovers…

The Aggies got a bit better in the second half, finishing with 135 total yards, but this thing was over shortly after it started. Wyoming cruised to a 29-7 victory.

7 of 7

Nico EvansAndres Leighton/Associated Press

While New Mexico State couldn’t find an inch of space in Wyoming’s defense, Nico Evans was busy gashing the Aggies D on repeat.

The fifth-year senior running back entered the night with 36 carries for 108 yards in his college career. His previous career high was 25 yards.

But Next Up Nico did whatever he wanted, rushing 24 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

He scored from 24 yards out in the first quarter and effectively ended any hope of a New Mexico State comeback with a 56-yard TD midway through the third quarter. All told, he had seven carries that went for at least 10 yards.

If this is the start of a legitimate rushing campaign for Evans, watch out for the Cowboys. They still have an elite defense, and they would have been more of a threat to win the Mountain West Conference last year if they weren’t ranked 125th nationally in rush yards per attempt.

It would be weird if they got better after losing Josh Allen, but much stranger things have happened in this sport.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Sports Reference and CFBStats.com and recruiting data courtesy of 247Sports.

Kerry Miller covers college football and college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.