Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Everything To Know From Preseason Week 2

Week 2 of the preseason supplied us with plenty of answers … and plenty of questions. There are some JUICY August storylines as we sit mere weeks away from the regular season:

• How high should expectations be for Mike Washington if Ashton Jeanty (ankle) is out for an extended time?
• Should the Hall of Fame start fitting MarShawn Lloyd's gold jacket now?
• Is De'Zhaun Stribling this generation's Jerry Rice?

Of course, it is August. Let's keep our composure out there, everyone. Remember: Usage matters more than performance in these glorified scrimmages; we're mostly just trying to get a better idea of who each team's starters are instead of relying on those silly unofficial depth charts.

That said: Football is back, baby! Hell yeah! What follows is a team-by-team breakdown on everything that went down in Week 2 of preseason. I will go through the usage and key plays of every team's QB, RB, WR and TE rooms before providing a key fantasy-focused takeaway (if there was one) and brief notes on any ranking updates.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

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Arizona Cardinals

• Lame but probably not a bad idea: Arizona largely rested all of its key players

Shoutout to backup QB Gardner Minshew for cashing another paycheck: He's up to $27.9 million in career earnings! Not bad for a sixth-round pick!

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Atlanta Falcons

• Unfortunately responsible: Pretty much everyone rested in this one

Jack Strand made some nice downfield throws, ran in for a 16-yard touchdown and seems to be growing a cult fanbase. Someone in my mentions called him "Temu Josh Allen." Is it a little bit sad that the Falcons' QB1 battle has so far been defined by the surprisingly solid play of the undrafted rookie out of Minnesota State-Moorhead? Yes. Do I love preseason football for silly reasons such as this? Also yes.

Otherwise: No. 4 WR Zachariah Branch made a nice downfield catch on a deep out, and Tyler Goodson had a cool 49-yard touchdown run. Hell yeah.

Stay informed with fantasy football news and track usage roles with the NFL depth charts.

Baltimore Ravens

• Lame, but we get it: Pretty much every key offensive player rested in this one

This did not include Ja'Kobi Lane (1-9-0), Devontez Walker (2-32-0) or Elijah Sarratt (1-3-0);  that No. 3 WR job is pretty much the only position on this offense that has some level of uncertainty brewing, but playing time and training camp reports continue to point toward Lane. Perhaps his runway will be even clearer if the NFL decides to act on Rashod Bateman's ongoing legal situation, though real-life lawyers ultimately don't believe there will be a suspension in 2026.

Also note that both Adam Randall and Rasheen Ali missed this one with undisclosed injuries. Randall is the slight favorite for early down handcuff duties behind Derrick Henry, though Justice Hill would still be very involved, and the Ravens do profile as the sort of organization that might seek outside help should disaster strike.

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Buffalo Bills

• After seeing the hits Josh Allen took last week, probably a good idea: The Bills rested pretty much all of their key players in this one

But we did see high-end handcuff Ray Davis turn his eight touches into 31 yards and a touchdown!

Also, shoutout to Ja'Mori Maclin (Jeremy's cousin!) for putting multiple fun plays on film.

Check out our fantasy football ADP report for a comprehensive tool with live-updated ADP data for multiple league formats and sites.

Carolina Panthers

Quarterback: Bryce Young played two drives; the second (7 plays, 58 yards, TD) ended well. He had nice intermediate strikes to Tetairoa McMillan and Tommy Tremble while also showing off his scramble gene.

Backfield: Jonathon Brooks played all but one snap alongside Bryce Young. He still didn't exactly get much going (5 carries, 18 yards), but we did see a short goal-line TD! Note that coach Dave Canales did say he's confident Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) will be available for Week 1. Brooks looks poised to have a major role in this offense; just realize it's still possible Chuba leads the way in the early going of the season, and hey, maybe beyond.

Wide receiver: Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker ran a route on all six of Young's dropbacks. Xavier Legette (foot/ankle) was sidelined. Good news: T-Mac continued to see plenty of action from the friendly confines of the slot; he's played 40 percent of his snaps on the inside after doing so on just 16 percent of his plays in 2025. The usage is a good sign for the offense finding more easy buttons to get the football to their No. 1 WR; McMillan remains firmly in play as a low-end WR2. Shoutout to Jimmy Horn Jr. for this explosive run.

Tight end: The Panthers rested Darren Waller and continued to rotate three bodies in his absence. Waller is in play as a low-end TE2 in deeper leagues; just realize Panthers tight ends rank 30th in targets in two seasons with Dave Canales.

Chicago Bears

Quarterback: Caleb Williams led an eight-play, 33-yard drive that ended in a field goal during his only possession. It would've been a lot cooler if he put this seam pass on Colston Loveland's numbers for a potential score, but then again, it is just the preseason.

Backfield: Roschon Johnson continued to work as the clear No. 3 RB with both D'Andre Swift (rest) and Kyle Monangai (knee) sidelined. 

Wide receiver: Rome Odunze played every snap with Caleb and the 1s, while JP Richardson and Kalif Raymond were used in complementary roles. Obviously, Luther Burden would be expected to play a near full-time role once healthy enough to suit up.

Tight end: Other than Colston Loveland thankfully being OK after this hip-drop tackle, the biggest takeaway might just be the Bears' willingness to embrace two-TE formations: Both Loveland and Cole Kmet were on the field for three of the first-team offense's seven snaps — one-drive sample be damned, that 43 percent multi-TE rate would be a decent jump from what we saw in 2025 (32.6% snaps in 12 personnel). I'm especially willing to buy into the strategic shift considering it would make more sense to see Ben Johnson utilize heavy personnel vs. handing 32-year-old career backup/special teamer Kalif Raymond anything close to a true three-down role.

Cincinnati Bengals

Par for the course: Cincy rested the heavy majority of their key players

The only somewhat notable surprises from this: No. 2 RB Samaje Perine and presumed No. 3 WR Andrei Iosivas. The former RB does profile as the next-man-up ahead of Tahj Brooks should anything happen to Chase Brown, though the Bengals join teams like the Ravens, Colts, Chiefs and Cowboys where I really have a tough time believing they wouldn't look to bring in a veteran or make a trade should disaster strike in their backfield.

Only other note: The Bengals might have something in fourth-round rookie Colbie Young. The man is smooth for a 6-foot-4, 218-pound gargantuan, and his lack of production at Georgia in 2025 can at least somewhat be explained by the Bulldogs' wonky-ass offensive scheme.

Cleveland Browns

Quarterback: Shedeur Sanders played the first half and gave a solid showing for himself (9/11, 74-1-1), showing off good ball placement and getting through his progressions well when given the benefit of a clean pocket. The INT was thrown a little behind his man and obviously wasn't ideal; just realize the ball did still hit his man in the hands and was ruled a drop by PFF. Either way:

The performance was significantly better than what Deshaun Watson (5/12, 36-0-1) put forward in the second half. He continued to show a rough combination of meh arm strength, limited mobility and sporadic accuracy. Oh yeah, Watson was also booed after the interception and then proceeded to criticize the fans in his postgame interview.

I think I speak for all of Cleveland when I say: FREE TAYLEN GREEN (and also please just name Shedeur QB1 already). [Editor's note: sorry, Browns fans.]

Backfield: Raheim Sanders was the clear RB1 in the first half with both Quinshon Judkins (undisclosed, potential rest) and Dylan Sampson (rest) sidelined. The decision to sit Sampson adds further credence to the idea that he's CLEARLY the next-man-up behind Judkins. Sampson is in the RB5 conversation and doesn't boast that different of a profile than someone like Tyjae Spears.

Wide receiver: Denzel Boston was the only presumed starter to get some run in this one, signalling KC Concepcion could be viewed as the clear top option among the pair of rookies. Jerry Jeudy also rested. Concepcion remains the top target here; he's one of my single favorite sleepers at the position thanks to his dynamic ability with the football and Todd Monken's proven willingness to find fun ways to get him the ball.

Tight end: No Harold Fannin, so the Browns rotated several bodies throughout the game.

Dallas Cowboys

That's no fun, Jerry!: The Cowboys rested pretty much all of their expected contributors

BUT we did see the RB2 backfield competition find a new leader in the form of Malik Davis, who handled 13 of 15 snaps on the first two drives before resting for all but one pass-pro snap the rest of the way. Kudos to the 27-year-old veteran for catching a touchdown on drive one and for averaging a crisp 5.8 yards per carry.

Jaydon Blue was solid on the ground himself (15-75-0, this was a cool hurdle), but this was a step back after working as the clear leader amongst the backups last week. Maybe the most impressive day of any Cowboys RB was Phil Mafah reversing field for this 15-yard touchdown. Ultimately, Davis is the odds-on favorite for pure handcuff duties behind Javonte Williams at the moment, but the Cowboys join the Colts, Ravens, Chiefs and Bengals as five teams I would expect to be VERY active in the free agent/trade markets if disaster hits their RB room.

There were also several fun happenings in this passing game:

• Shoutout to gunslinger Joe Milton (9/13, 179-2-0, rush TD) on the impressive performance! The former Patriots actually showed the ability to throw with some touch and made numerous big-time throws. Milton might have the lead over Sam Howell for backup QB duties after this performance.
• Preseason Hall of Famer Camden Brown NEARLY had another touchdown, but we'll have to settle for this nice 69-yard catch-and-run.
• Jonathan Mingo got loose deep and hauled in a 53-yard TD on a clean double-move. How can you not be romantic about preseason football?

Denver Broncos

Quarterback: Bo Nix led the Broncos to 10 points in two drives. He looked healthy, notably finding Jaylen Waddle down the seam for a chunk play and throwing a b-e-a-utiful ball to RJ Harvey for the 22-yard TD. Nix is one of MANY appealing QBs in the late-round scene.

Backfield: In addition to Harvey's nice touchdown catch, his stock moves up from playing every snap alongside Waddle and Courtland Sutton before also calling it a day before the second drive. J.K. Dobbins didn't play and remains the starter, and Jonah Coleman also figures to be involved, but don't underestimate Harvey's chances of making some major contributions in the pass game. He caught 47 balls as a rookie — 82 percent of RBs who caught at least 50 passes in a season posted top-24 fantasy numbers on a per-game basis since 2020.

Wide receiver: Waddle looked fast and fun on his 35-yard catch-and-run from the slot. He lined up inside on 66 percent of his snaps, a MASSIVE increase from what we saw with the Dolphins in 2025 (18%). Note that while Pat Bryant was the clear No. 3 WR, he did continue to play after Waddle and Sutton's days were already over. I continue to be awfully high on Waddle; he's a priority pick in Rounds 4-5.

Tight end: Evan Engram played 16 of 22 (73%) snaps during his four drives, running a route on 63 percent of the offense's dropbacks during that span. Fine, not great, usage; he's only a late-round dart in TE premium formats.

Detroit Lions

• Party pooper: Dan Campbell didn't play anybody of substance in this one

With the only concern being that Isaac TeSlaa (0 targets on 16 routes) continues to not be someone the team is comfortable simply resting. TeSlaa is one of just three wide receivers to run 2-plus preseason routes and have *zero* receptions to his name.

The biggest highlight was a 50-yard touchdown run by the Passtronaut himself!

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback: Jordan Love led a 12-play, 63-yard drive capped by an 11-yard TD strike to RB MarShawn Lloyd and then called it a night. You saw some of Love's usual special sauce even in the small sample. 

Backfield: MarShawn Lloyd (71% snaps) played well ahead of Chris Brooks (29%) in three drives before being done. The injury-stricken third-year talent didn't get much going on the ground again (6-17-0), but did look elusive on his aforementioned 11-yard TD reception. One subnote: Brooks out-snapped Lloyd 4-2 on 3rd and 4th downs, notably having the only two pass-blocking snaps. While Lloyd is clearly the preferred handcuff and No. 2 RB, he might not have the same sort of every-down role as guys like TreVeyon Henderson or Mike Washington.

Wide receiver: Christian Watson and Matthew Golden started alongside Love for one drive before chilling on the sideline. The latter had a nice 4th-down win on none other than Patrick Surtain. Jayden Reed didn't suit up in Week 2 while attending his grandmother's funeral. All three are reasonably priced in the WR3/4 conversation as key pieces of an offense we love — Watson in particular is someone I love in Round 6 of Yahoo drafts.

Tight end: Tucker Kraft got the night off in this one and is expected to be on a snap count of some shape or size during the early parts of the regular season.

Houston Texans

Quarterback: C.J. Stroud led the Texans on a 10-play, 69-yard game-opening touchdown drive before calling it a night. It was a nice first step back in the right direction following the 24-year-old's infamously awful 2025 playoff run.

Backfield: Presumed bell-cow David Montgomery got the night off, allowing Woody Marks to work as THE running back, y'all, playing all 10 snaps with the starters. And man: Marks impressed, converting five touches into 43 yards and a cool 20-yard touchdown during his lone drive with the starters. Note that Marks is wearing No. 4 this season after rocking No. 27 last year. Not saying that's the only reason why he looked so good out there … but you never know! He's a great RB4 pick thanks to potentially underrated standalone value and confirmed solid handcuff upside.

Wide receiver: Xavier Hutchinson joined Jared Wayne as the offense's starting two receivers alongside Stroud with Nico Collins, Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell getting the night off. The team signed Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones on Friday to help replace Jayden Higgins (ACL).

Tight end: We didn't see Dalton Schultz in this one, leading to Foster Moreau, Cade Stover and Marlin Klein seeing plenty of work with the starters. The big takeaway: Half of the first-team offense's snaps featured multiple tight ends on the field.

Indianapolis Colts

• Harsh but fair: Pretty much all key parties involved rested in this one

Seth McGowan continued to receive No. 2 RB work, but that was again with DJ Giddens (hamstring) out of the picture. Still: If we had to pick a Jonathan Taylor handcuff at the moment, it'd be McGowan.

Only other note: FREE ANTHONY RICHARDSON.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• Alright, alright, alright: The Jaguars again declined to play just about anyone who matters

The biggest takeaway was 33-year-old Ameer Abdullah showing that unc has still got it on this fun 23-yard run.

Kansas City Chiefs

• Gotta keep the boys safe, I guess: Key starters of most shapes and sizes rested in this one

However, the Chiefs backup RB and WR competitions kept on chugging:

• Kenneth Walker got two carries on the first two plays of the game before calling it a day. Emari Demercado was the next-man-up on 3rd and long and was the only back to play alongside Justin Fields on the second and third drives. Still, Demercado continued getting some run alongside Emmett Johnson throughout the rest of the first three quarters. Brashard Smith didn't appear until the 4th quarter. This Demercado-Smith usage is basically the opposite of last week. I'd still give the lean to Johnson for handcuff duties (credit to the rookie for racking up a preseason high 12 missed tackles forced), though it's telling that he was badly out-snapped by Demercado on 3rd downs (8 vs. 1) during the first eight drives of the game. It'd be surprising if the Chiefs didn't immediately give free-agent Kareem Hunt a phone call if Walker were to be sidelined.
• Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen started, but the former field-stretcher continues to look like the favorite for No. 3 WR treatment after his day ended well before the latter two youngsters. The concern for Allen would be the fact that he played just three snaps in heavy multi-TE personnel; this pales in comparison to both Royals (10) and even Andrew Armstrong (15). Reminder: Allen (5-11, 180) is not a very big human being. He's fine as a late-round dart in deeper formats, though Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy still firmly project as the top-two target earners in this passing game. Final note: Shoutout to Royals for flashing after the catch. The dude has some twitch!

Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback: Kirk Cousins got the night off, leading to Fernando Mendoza playing the entire first half. We still saw some flashes from the No. 1 overall pick, but the defining moment of the evening was an unfortunate pick-six on his third pass of the game. Coach Klint Kubiak declined to name a starter in the postgame, though it'd be surprising to not see Cousins under center for at least the first handful of games in the regular season.

Backfield: Mike Washington continued to put together one helluva preseason, this week ripping off a fun 33-yard run that showed more patience than the athlete was generally given credit for during the pre-draft process. He (again) assumed a near every-down role with the starting offense (85% snap rate), dwarfing incumbent pass-down back Dylan Laube (who did have a fun celebration after scoring a TD, to be fair). Washington is deserving of being in the same handcuff RB tier as guys like Tank Bigsby and Brian Robinson — he'd be a top-10 RB in fantasy football if every starting back decided to take a season-long vacation.

Of course, the real RB news here was Ashton Jeanty going down in practice Sunday. The initial report stating he couldn't put any weight on that leg was troubling to say the least, but fortunately it was just a sprained ankle. We still don't know the timeline for a return as of Monday morning; just realize things certainly aren't as bad as they could have been. Pending a bad, 4-6 week-esque update, Jeanty continues to be in play in Round 2, while Washington remains a great late handcuff. If drafting on Monday and no update? I lean more toward Round 3. 

Wide receiver: Malik Benson played every snap alongside Mendoza during the first half. Jalen Nailor (88%) was also featured during his three drives; Jack Bech (38% route rate in Drives 1-3) was again usually the odd man out with multiple tight ends and/or FB Connor Heyward on the field. Probably the biggest takeaway: Tre Tucker looks locked in as the No. 1 WR considering he got the night off.

Tight end: Another somewhat big takeaway: Michael Mayer got starter's rest treatment alongside Brock Bowers. This offense isn't expected to just trot out mediocre wide receivers all day; Klint Kubiak's Seahawks ranked 29th in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) last season.

Los Angeles Chargers

Quarterback: We saw Justin Herbert for three plays: A handoff, a 9-yard completion to TE Charlie Kolar, and an incomplete pass intended for Ladd McConkey. It was the Trey Lance show for the rest of the first half after that — the 2021 No. 3 overall pick did look pretty spry on this 37-yard run, albeit his 4.6 yards per pass attempt weren't anything to write home about. 

Backfield: Omarion Hampton played all three snaps alongside Herbert before calling it a day. Keaton Mitchell was the next man up and played every snap of drives two and three before Kimani Vidal entered the game for the first time. It'd still be a committee of some shape or size between Mitchell and Vidal if Hampton missed time, but everything we've seen through two weeks of preseason seems to indicate the ex-Raven speedster is locked in as the No. 2 RB. Kudos to Mitchell for showing off some legit downfield receiving ability; he's a priority late-round sleeper at the position.

Wide receiver: McConkey and fourth-round speedster Brenen Thompson played alongside Herbert with Quentin Johnston (lower-body injury) and Tre' Harris (undisclosed) sidelined with seemingly minor injuries. McConkey's day was over after drive one, while Thompson played an additional drive. It'll be interesting to see if Thompson manages to find a way into the rotation; the Mississippi State product is fresh off leading the SEC in receiving after all.

Tight end: Charlie Kolar (89% snaps in Drives 1-2) and David Njoku (56%) each played two drives before bouncing for the day. We didn't see Oronde Gadsden until drive three. The second-year talent clearly has the ability to be a productive receiver if given the opportunity, but he sure looks like the clear No. 3 option here. That said: Gadsden joins Terrance Ferguson as two LATE-round options at the position that would be immediately in contention for top-10 treatment if we do find out something close to a 70 percent route rate is on the table.

Los Angeles Rams

• Sean McVay hates fun: The Rams (again) rested basically every offensive starter of consequence in this one

Which (again) included your favorite fantasy nerd's favorite late-round TE target, Terrance Ferguson! He's a great lottery-ticket dart throw on rosters that failed to get a top-four option at the position.

That said: Credit to each of Stetson Bennett, Jarquez Hunter and CJ Daniels for putting their respective best foot forward throughout the game. Bennett in particular deserves credit for winning best throw of the week presented by, well, me.

Miami Dolphins

• That's no fun: Miami rested the majority of their key contributors in this one

The only notable update is this backup RB competition. While Jaylen Wright dominated early game usage last week, we later found out that was in large part because Ollie Gordon was benched after getting a taunting penalty. In Week 2, we saw Wright (14 snaps, 6 touches) still lead the way during the first half, but Gordon (12 snaps, 5 touches) was right there with him. Note that Wright lost a fumble and Gordon is reportedly dealing with a ribs injury. A split committee in a likely bad offense isn't exactly what fantasy managers should be looking for in late-round handcuffs.

Only other note: This was a cool catch by rookie WR Kevin Coleman.

Minnesota Vikings

• This happened a lot this week: Minnesota rested pretty much all of its key players in this one

This did include Jauan Jennings, though perhaps Tai Felton helped his cause in earning more starter snaps with this awesome 50-yard snag. 

New England Patriots

• C'mon guys. Or not, I get it: New England rested its starters in this one

Which meant we got to see another showcase performance from Kyle Williams! Let's give this man 1-2 deep balls per game and see what happens.

New Orleans Saints

• Fine, be that way: The Saints rested pretty much all of their key contributors in this one

This did NOT include rookie Bryce Lance, who is suddenly in the running for more immediate playing time with Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) out to start the season. This could be a sign that Barion Brown is ahead on the depth chart in the running to be the No. 3 WR behind Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele while Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) is out, but then again, Lance didn't play in the preseason opener, so it could just be rest-related.

New York Giants

• Maybe just rest Tyrone Tracy at this point too: The Giants rested most of their starters

Tracy's nightmarish August continued in a major way, first losing out as the starter to Devin Singletary, who played all eight snaps of the first drive and continued to out-produce Tracy on the ground, and later by losing a fumble deep in enemy territory. At a minimum, Tracy cannot be given any benefit of the doubt as the next man up behind Cam Skattebo, and at a maximum, it's fair to question if he'll make the final roster ahead of Singletary or Najee Harris.

It's not clear if Darnell Mooney would have been considered in that group; his absence was because he served as the best man at his brother's wedding. Note that Malachi Fields might have the leg up on No. 2 duties after exiting the game following the first drive while fellow Darius Slayton and Calvin Austin continued to play. Shoutout to Austin for looking twitchy on his way to turning three touches into 45 total yards.

New York Jets

Quarterback: Geno Smith was a perfect 7/7 for 65 yards and a short TD to massive human being Jelani Woods on his only drive of the game. Smith got both of his top receivers involved and looked better than the man we last saw lead the NFL in interceptions and sacks.

Backfield: Braelon Allen played all 10 snaps on drive one before bouncing with the rest of the starters. Of course, Breece Hall (groin) and Isaiah Davis (knee) were both sidelined. Allen remains the favorite to be the preferred handcuff, though it's far from a given that he'd work across all three downs over Davis, and I question the overall upside relative to other backups around the league.

Wide receiver: Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell led the way with the first-team offense, though this week Omar Cooper (4 routes) worked ahead of Isaiah Williams (1). Note that Cooper also left with the rest of the starters, while Williams kept playing. Wilson is fully expected to lead the team in targets (he also put a fun route on film), but there's also been a fairly consistent drumbeat around Mitchell, who showed off his typically pristine route-running and caught two passes. While I usually prefer keeping my late-round picks for quarterbacks and handcuff running backs, Mitchell and Cooper fit the criteria as quality darts thanks to their combination of talent and potential to work as their offense's No. 2 pass-game target.

Tight end: Mason Taylor continued to work as the lead option with Kenyon Sadiq (hernia) sidelined. The rookie is a fine speculative late-round dart thrown in a similar mold as Cooper: At some point, it's fine to just go ahead and draft the first-rounder.

Philadelphia Eagles

• Alas: Starters rested in this one

Including No. 2 RB Tank Bigsby, who remains locked in as one of the more valuable pure handcuffs in fantasy football. Kudos to No. 3 RB Will Shipley for at least putting forward a solid showing as THE running back, y'all, for a day.

And yet, it was a different running back who really stole the show. Maybe you were having a few alcoholic beverages Saturday night. Maybe you went out to dinner with your significant other. Carson Steele? He spent his Saturday night jumping over human beings.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback: No Aaron Rodgers OR Mason Rudolph in this one. Credit to Drew Allar (110 yards-0 TD-0 INT) for outplaying Will Howard (74-0-2), but neither did too much worth writing home about, considering, you know, Pittsburgh scored *zero* points.

Backfield: Jaylen Warren (10 snaps) started but rotated with Rico Dowdle (10) during the game's first three drives, after which both veterans were done for the day. The two even split the four 3rd-down snaps. This continues to profile as an evenly split one-two punch — something that makes both backs worthwhile targets in the Round 7-8 range thanks to the potential for low-end RB2 standalone value and sky-high handcuff upside for both.

Wide receiver: DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman both sat this one out. Germie Bernard and Roman Wilson were the next two men up. The latter receiver played more snaps out of the slot (12 vs. 2), which actually goes against what we saw in the first week of the preseason. Ultimately, I'm dubious the third receiver will have any sort of fantasy-relevant value in regular-sized leagues with the Steelers having more than 90 million reasons to keep both Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington very involved in the offense.

Tight end: Speaking of Muth (10 snaps, 4 routes) and Washington (12, 5) continued to split snaps during their three drives together. Don't expect either to be making much noise in fantasy land as long as Metcalf and Pittman are healthy.

San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback: Brock Purdy played the first drive and had to settle for a punt. 2027 free agent Mac Jones led the offense to 13 points on five second-quarter drives, making some pretty, pretty, pretty nice throws along the way.

Backfield: Third-round rookie Kaelon Black took a major step forward in securing one of the more fantasy-relevant handcuff jobs in the league. Overall, Black played 10 of 12 snaps (83%) with Purdy and 16 of 21 (76%) including his only other drive. It sure seemed like the 49ers were comfortable featuring him across all three downs; Black looked solid in pass pro and played on four of the offense's six third-down snaps. We did see Jordan James (rib) return to practice on Saturday, so this competition is starting to look SPICY — but it's hard not to give Black the edge at the moment. I have Black in the same tier as fellow priority late-round handcuffs like Ray Davis and Brian Robinson.

Wide receiver: De'Zhaun Stribling continued his quest toward Canton by catching 4-of-5 targets for 46 yards. His one incomplete snag was an arguable drop. The only concern is a lame fantasy nerd note: Stribling played just 1-of-7 snaps with multiple tight ends on the field during the first drive of the game; Demarcus Robinson (7) and Deebo Samuel (5) were instead out there. The rookie has looked very solid and consistently earns praise from the coaching staff and teammates alike. Does he look like the likely No. 4 pass-game option with everyone healthy? Yes. Would there be a chance for "The Strib Club" to boast a quality fantasy ceiling in the event even one of the offense's older "unc" veterans miss time? Also yes. Ultimately, I'm coming around here: Stribling is deserving of Round 7-8 treatment and is my WR38 as a testament to both his great offseason and as a head nod to some of the random receivers that we have seen do big things in this offense based on opportunity alone (Richie James, Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne). Just keep an eye on that shoulder injury (Stribling is considered day-to-day but was already back at practice in a non-contact jersey).

Tight end: Jake Tonges played 11 of 12 snaps (92%) with Purdy and 18 of 21 (86%) including his only other drive. Reminder: Tonges worked as the TE9 in total PPR points in Weeks 1-6 with Kittle sidelined last season before tacking on additional solid 7-60-1 and 5-59-0 receiving lines in Week 17 and in the divisional playoffs in two additional spot starts.

Seattle Seahawks

• At least Hard Knocks has been sweet: Seattle rested their 1s on Sunday night

At least we got a 36-yard scoring strike from Super Bowl champion Drew Lock to TE Elijah Arroyo, who offers a unique field-stretching skill set for the position that should complement AJ Barner nicely come September. Of course, things can get iffy in fantasy land if tight ends rotate too much, so it'll be interesting to see if Barner is more of a full-time 80 percent route guy, or something closer to 60 percent due to the presence of a now-healthy Arroyo.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterback: Baker Mayfield played two drives and "led" the Buccaneers to two punts and just nine total yards.

Backfield: Bucky Irving started and carried the ball on each of the first three plays before calling it a day. Kenny Gainwell was the only other RB to play alongside Mayfield. He departed with Mayfield after drive two, further reinforcing his standing as more of a 1B than true backup. Where things get a bit interesting is Josh Williams being the third RB in the game, not Sean Tucker. They rotated drives throughout the rest of the game. I'd still expect Tucker to be the No. 3 RB, but it's possible the early down grinder doesn't have as annoying of a goal-line presence with the first-team offense this season as he did in 2025.

Wide receiver: The Buccaneers again didn't dress any of their top-4 receivers, leading to Ted Hurst, Kameron Johnson and David Sills working with Mayfield. It's notable that Hurst's day was over when Mayfield left the game, while Johnson and Sills played much deeper into the game. Expecting a big early season role volume-wise for Hurst feels like wishful thinking, but he's at least probably in line for complementary snaps alongside Tez Johnson.

Tight end: The Bucs continued to rotate multiple bodies here with clear starter Cade Otton (undisclosed, potential rest) out. 

Tennessee Titans

Quarterback: Cam Ward's rocky start to Year 2 continued with just three points in three drives of action. The 5.8 yards per attempt mark was only as good as it was because Tony Pollard went uncovered for 33 yards on a short pass to the flats. We did see some nice improvisational goodness from Ward on what should have been a chunk gain to TE Gunnar Helm, but unfortunately the second-year TE couldn't get his feet down inbounds. It's only August, though it's not ideal that Ward joins Packers backup QB Tyrod Taylor as the only two signal-callers without a completion on a pass thrown 10 yards downfield this preseason (min. 5 attempts).

Backfield: Tony Pollard played the first drive and was done for the day. Tyjae Spears played the second and third drives alongside Ward before also checking out. This continues to look like more of a 1A/1B situation than the Pollard show. We didn't see Nicholas Singleton (foot) in this one.

Wide receiver: Carnell Tate (100% route rate), Wan'Dale Robinson (92%) and Calvin Ridley (85%) were the clear top-3 receivers with Ward under center. The former No. 4 overall pick is still waiting to catch his first NFL pass. Robinson caught the group's only two passes of the game from the friendly confines of the slot.

Tight end: Helm's aforementioned whoopsie on Ward's deep ball was bad. So was his usage: Old Brian Daboll friend Daniel Bellinger (again) ran more routes than Helm (6 vs. 5) despite generally being considered more of a block-first player at the position. There are better LATE-round darts than Helm to target in fantasy drafts of pretty much all shapes and sizes.

Washington Commanders

Quarterback: Jayden Daniels played three plays: He threw an incompletion to the flat under pressure, took a sack and handed off to Kaytron Allen on 3rd and 20. At least he didn't get hurt!

But you know who really got me excited? That's right: Third-string QB Athan Kaliakmanis. Whatcha gonna do when Kaliakmania runs wild on you, brother? But yeah: The Rutgers "legend" seriously put several fun plays on tape last Saturday. Appreciate greatness.

Backfield: Kaytron Allen was the only RB to appear with Jayden Daniels, though we saw Robert Henry and Craig Reynolds work alongside the Penn State product plenty throughout the rest of the game. Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White continue to project as the top-two options here.

Wide receiver: Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and Treylon Burks started alongside Daniels. The former two veterans were done after drive one. Note that Diggs spent both of his snaps in the slot and wasn't on the field for the team's lone play with multiple tight ends in the game. Rookie Antonio Williams did make a nice catch, but he was the seventh receiver to get on the field. It's fairly common for rookies to begin the season buried on the depth chart behind veterans; either way we shouldn't expect much from the Clemson product in the early going of 2026.

Tight end: Chigoziem Okonkwo played 11 of 13 snaps in his two drives of action, spending time inline (7 snaps), in the slot (3) and out wide (1). This is a solid sign that the Commanders do in fact view Chig as a capable every-down option at the position. Okonkwo remains a solid LATE-round TE bet, though there are certainly better options to roll into the fantasy season with as your TE1 in traditional leagues.

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