In this article, we’ll recap everything that actually mattered during the preseason.
UPGRADES
Quarterbacks
Bryce Young (Car) – Young is going to carry over the momentum that he had at the end of last season. Sure, it’s preseason against some of the Browns' backups. However, it’s clear that Young is playing with a high level of confidence and throwing with great anticipation. On his two drives, he went 4-of-6 passing for 58 yards and a TD. Young should’ve had another TD to Tetairoa McMillan on the second drive, but McMillan dropped a perfectly placed and timed throw. Ultimately, Young’s performance just gives me more confidence in McMillan as one of the best picks in the midrounds of drafts.
Running Backs
Chase Brown (Cin) – The Bengals reversed course from their usual preseason plan of resting starters in Preseason Week 1, getting them reps vs. Eagles backups to try to avoid their traditional slow start during the regular season. Joe Burrow and most of Cincinnati's first-team starters played two drives, on which Chase Brown was on the field for 11-of-15 snaps (73%). This just confirms what we were already projecting. Brown is a bell cow, and Samaje Perine (four snaps) will mix in on a handful of third downs. We remain higher on Brown (projected RB9) than ADP (RB12).
Tony Pollard (Ten) – Cam Ward and the Titans' first-team offense played 14 snaps in Week 1 of the preseason, and Pollard was on the field for 79%. Bullish. This was before his backup Tyjae Spears injured his ankle badly. Spears has a dreaded high ankle sprain, which is typically an injury that costs skill players 3-5 weeks in missed time. This means that Spears could miss a few games to open the season, which is a huge boost to Pollard’s playing time. In four starts without Spears last season, Pollard played on 87% of the Titans' snaps (RB2), and his role was worth a massive 19.6 expected Half-PPR FPG (RB1).
R.J. Harvey (Den) – Bo Nix and the Broncos' first-team starters played 18 snaps in the preseason opener. The rookie Harvey (12-of-18 snaps) played well ahead of veteran J.K. Dobbins (6-of-18). HC Sean Payton isn’t making the rookie “earn it.” He’s already the starter. Harvey remains one of my favorite picks in the midrounds.
Travis Etienne (Jax) – In a bit of a surprise, it was Travis Etienne on the field for all 11 of Trevor Lawrence’s snaps in the starters’ lone drive vs. Steelers. It’s hard to know if the Jaguars are giving Etienne veteran deference or if he’s actually ahead of Tank Bigsby. Jacksonville’s ace beat reporter John Shipley has been clear that Bigsby has worked ahead of Etienne for most of camp with the first-team offense. For now, this is a definite upgrade for Etienne’s fantasy football stock. Bigsby came in for two drives after Lawrence, and he turned his six carries into 24 yards. The rookie Bhayshul Tuten worked as the RB3 behind Etienne and Bigsby, turning his eight touches into 36 yards and a touchdown.
TreVeyon Henderson (NE) – What’s a better way to start your NFL career than a 100-yard kickoff house call on your first touch? Henderson was the fastest player on the field, showcasing what we all saw from the former-Buckeye in college. Drake Maye and the Patriots' first-team offense played 13 snaps vs. the Commanders, and Henderson (6 snaps) split work with Rhamondre Stevenson (8 snaps). As expected, Henderson handled most of the passing-down snaps while Stevenson handled the bulk of the carries (7/36 rushing). Henderson had one carry go for an explosive 18 yards, and he added 3/12 as a receiver. We see Henderson and Stevenson splitting carries this season, and the rookie has bell cow upside if he can improve his vision as an inside runner.
Wide Receivers
Travis Hunter (Jax) – Unsurprisingly, the Jaguars want Hunter to be a wide receiver first. Hunter played on 10-of-11 snaps on Jacksonville’s lone drive with Trevor Lawrence under center. Lawrence needs all of the help that he can get to have a fifth-year breakout season, which means that Hunter needs to be on the field with Brian Thomas as much as possible. By my count, Hunter and Thomas both lined up in the slot for 5 snaps apiece on the Jags’ opening drive. Hunter is going to be a great value in Rounds 5-6 if he plays full-time WR and gets significant work out of the slot.
Tight Ends
None of note.
DOWNGRADES
Quarterbacks
None of note.
Running Backs
Breece Hall (NYJ) – As it turns out, the Jets weren’t lying when they said they wanted a running back by committee. New HC Aaron Glenn said back in April, “Hall is in a good place, but I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we're going to utilize as much as possible… They're all big men, they can run, they're violent, they're physical.” In our first look at the Jets' backfield, it was Hall (5-of-10 snaps) splitting with Isaiah Davis (3-of-10) and Braelon Allen (2-of-10) on New York’s lone drive with starter Justin Fields. Two of Davis’ 3 snaps were on third-downs, signalling that he’s going to play in some obvious passing situations. Not only are Davis and Allen going to mix in just enough to stop Hall from being a bell cow, Fields will take enough designed carries to hurt Hall’s stock as well. At the very least, Hall was put on ice after the opening drive. Allen and Davis continued to play until the end of the first half. My outlook on this backfield remains unchanged – Hall is the starter, but he’s no longer a bell cow. If he misses time, we’ll see a split between Davis and Allen.
Tyjae Spears (Ten) – Unfortunately, Spears continues to get bitten by the injury bug. He suffered a high ankle sprain in the Titans' preseason opener, which will sideline him for multiple weeks. Spears has already been declared out for the rest of the preseason. His status for Week 1 is definitely up in the air.
Rachaad White (TB) – While he already lost the starter job to Bucky Irving last year, White suffered a groin injury in the Buccaneers' preseason opener. Sean Tucker makes more sense as the direct, early-down backup to Irving because White is such a below-average runner.
Wide Receivers
Jayden Reed (GB) – After he missed practice late last week, Reed was spotted in a walking boot on the sidelines of the Packers' preseason game vs.the Jets. HC Matt LaFleur was non-committal about Reed’s status for Week 1. Hopefully, the Packers are being cautious with their talented receiver and his injured foot. For now, we’ve docked Reed a bit in the projections.
Jack Bech (LV) – Geno Smith and most of the Raiders starters played just one drive (4 snaps), and it was Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and Dont’e Thornton working as their starting trio of receivers. TE Brock Bowers rested. Geno hit Tucker for a nice 15-yard gain on the opening play of the game. Bech has been behind Tucker and Thornton since OTAs began this summer. This usage is just further confirmation that he’s the Raiders' #4 wideout entering the regular season.
Tight Ends
None of note.
WATCH LIST
Quarterbacks
Shedeur Sanders (Cle) – The Browns rested Joe Flacco while Dillon Gabriel (hamstring injury) didn’t play. This gave Sanders a huge opportunity in his debut, and he played relatively well, throwing for 138 yards and 2 TDs. Sanders threw with some nice touch, and he hung in the pocket when pressured. Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, David Njoku, and the Browns' starting offensive line all rested. By all accounts, Flacco is the heavy favorite to start Week 1. Sanders is trying to become Flacco’s direct backup and get the first start of the season when the Browns want to go into evaluation mode for both Sanders and Gabriel.
Running Backs
Javonte Williams (Dal) – The Cowboys rested Williams while Miles Sanders (knee) and Jaydon Blue (bruised heel) didn’t play due to minor injuries.
Keaton Mitchell (Bal) – While he holds zero standalone value right now behind Derrick Henry, my sense remains that Mitchell would become the Ravens' lead ball carrier if Henry were to miss games this season. He looked terrific against the Colts, turning his nine carries into 68 yards and a TD. His speed and start/stop quickness are fully back after he tore his ACL two years ago. Mitchell remains one of my favorite RB5-RB6 dart throws in the late rounds of best ball drafts.
Will Shipley (Phi) – As expected, Shipley worked ahead of Eagles #3 RB A.J. Dillon in Week 1 of the preseason. He played on every snap of the first two drives vs. the Bengals (14 snaps), and then rested. Dillon came in on the Eagles' third drive after Shipley was put on ice. Shipley will handle the small passing-down role vacated by Kenny Gainwell behind Saquon Barkley every week. He has some strong contingent upside if Barkley were to miss time.
Jarquez Hunter and Blake Corum (LAR) – As usual, HC Sean McVay rested his starters. Third-string QB Stetson Bennett played the majority of the game, and this backfield was split between Hunter (25-of-55 snaps) and Corum (19-of-55). Hunter rushed for 11/41 while Corum had 9/32/2 on the ground. This is a battle for the RB2 spot behind starter Kyren Williams, and it’s a good sign for the rookie Hunter that he’s already “splitting” with Corum. The Rams didn’t play Corum at all last preseason.
Jaylen Wright (Mia) – This is not a surprise, but Wright was the clear #2 RB with Tagovailoa and some of Miami’s starters. Tyreek Hill (rest) and Jaylen Waddle (minor injury) didn’t play. De’Von Achane played on the first 8 snaps of the opening drive, then Wright got the final 7 snaps. The rookie Ollie Gordon didn’t get a carry until the fourth quarter, but his spot on the 53-man roster is now a lock. Alexander Mattison suffered a season-ending neck injury in the game vs. the Bears.
Wide Receivers
Marvin Mims (Den) – The Broncos will rotate their receivers after Courtland Sutton, just like last season. However, it was interesting to see that Mims has earned a bigger role. He was the clear WR2. Mims played on 15-of-18 snaps with Nix and the starters while Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele mixed in for 8 snaps apiece. The rookie Pat Bryant saw the field on just 2-of-18 snaps with Nix. Bryant is being overdrafted in best ball formats. Sutton (3) and Franklin (3) were Nix’s top targets vs. the 49ers. Mims turned his lone target into 3 yards.
Tight Ends
Dalton Kincaid (Buf) – After dealing with a few minor injuries during camp (knee soreness and ankle sprain), it was great to see Kincaid back out on the field. Josh Allen got the day off. Kincaid played on the Bills' first two drives, caught his lone target for a 10-yard gain, and then rested.
