While NFL preseason stats ultimately don’t matter in the quest for a fantasy football championship, that’s not to say it those numbers are entirely useless to track. Exhibition action gives us a glimpse into unearthed gems and allows gamers to recalibrate late-round flier rankings. After all, just getting an opportunity to showcase one’s talent can be the difference in making a roster or not, which sometimes is enough to create an inroad for a chance during the regular season.
With that established, here’s a spin around the noteworthy performances — good and otherwise — over the first week of the preseason. Since the NFL splits the games up over several days, be sure to check back multiple times for updates.
Monday, Aug. 21
QB Sam Howell, Washington Commanders: After an aerial line of 188-2-0, Howell helped silence some doubters on the heels of him being named the starting quarterback. He remains one of the few quarterbacks with breakout potential this season. Washington’s cast of talent around Howell is more than enough to assist his efforts, so the rest will be on him to protect the ball. Take a low-end QB2 flier on him where applicable.
WR Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders: A seven-target, five-catch, 76-yard performance helps affirm Dotson’s potential role many weeks in this offense. Given the depth of talent in this passing game, he may get lost in the mix from time to time, but the overall outlook safely is in the WR3 neighborhood.
Saturday, Aug. 19
Miami Dolphins: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was picked off on his first play of 2023 preseason action, but he bounced back nicely during his second drive as the Dolphins marched 93 yards and Raheem Mostert punched it in from the 2-yard line. Backup running back Salvon Ahmed had himself a day, though it is unclear if it will be enough to save him come cut-down day. Currently, he sits no better than fourth on the unofficial running back depth chart, but his 12-carry, 99-yard showing on the ground was enhanced by a 4-32-1 line through the air. Even if De’Von Achane‘s shoulder injury suffered Saturday is serious, Ahmed isn’t a fantasy commodity without a injury to Mostert or Jeff Wilson Jr.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: A full first half of work netted the No. 2 overall pick 60 yards on 7-for-12 passing, and his 5.0 yards-per-attempt average doesn’t instill much confidence for the actual wide receivers on this roster. It also won’t help the running backs if Stroud doesn’t start pushing the ball down the field to force defenders to respect the pass. It’s obviously super early yet, but Houston’s coaching staff needs to dial up some calls to get the ball in the air farther than the equivalent of a good handoff.
RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars: The rookie started the game and ran 13 times for 70 yards, including a long of 17. He lost two yards on his lone target. Is that enough to fend of D’Ernest Johnson for the No. 2 job behind Travis Etienne following Bigsby’s strong offseason? It’s definitely getting interesting. Johnson rushed for a one-yard score and a 16-yard TD to seal the the win. His day concluded with a line of 6-36-2 on the turf and 2-7-0 aerially. The final preseason contest will be extra important for fantasy backs looking to lock up Etienne’s clear-cut handcuff.
QB Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers: The second-year signal caller tossed only four passes, completing 75 percent of them for 43 yards and a 25-yard strike to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Pickett is quietly improving over the offseason and deserves to be solidly in the QB2 fantasy discussion with all of the weapons in this offense.
RB Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers: A single carry resulted in a 62-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and that was the extent of his utilization on the afternoon. He has been ascending of late and is quickly turning into a late-round sleeper in his own right, rather than being just a handcuff to Najee Harris.
TE Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills: With Dawson Knox (finger) sidelined, Kincaid snared three of four targets and generated 45 yards in the first half. The promising rookie is drawing late-round fantasy appeal, and this performance is likely to improve his stock as draft season reaches its crescendo in the coming weeks.
RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears: The rookie turned in a respectable showing with 32 yards on seven attempts (4.6 YPC), chipping in an 11-yard reception in this Justin Fields-less contest. D’Onta Foreman managed 12 yards on his three carries and mustered a single six-yard catch. Johnson has a legitimate shot at emerging as a tandem starter with Khalil Herbert during the upcoming season. The former was rested against Indy, which is everything gamers need to know about his current standing.
QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers‘ replacement continues to look the part, and any fantasy owner paying attention will be warming up to Love in remaining drafts. He accounted for Green Bay’s only passing touchdown, finding rookie Jayden Reed for a 19-yarder. Love still isn’t draftable as more than a midrange No. 2, but the idea of him threatening QB1 status isn’t nearly as outlandish sounding as it was a few months back.
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans: Derrick Henry‘s primary backup didn’t disappoint in the second preseason outing as he racked up 57 yards and a touchdown — and it took only seven totes. He caught a single pass for three yards from Malik Willis. Running back Julius Chestnut also rushed had himself a day, too, going for 13-98-1 on the ground in a game in which the Titans pounded Minnesota for 281 total ground yards.
WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs: A second-round rookie, Rice made the most of his opportunity in what is a wide-open receiving corps pecking order. He was targeted nine times and landed all but one for a total of 96 yards. Rice fumbled but it remained in KC custody. Keep tabs on his final preseason appearance if you have the luxury of waiting until afterward. Otherwise, he’s merely a late-round stab in the dark.
RB Deuce Vaughn, Dallas Cowboys: The good: A dazzling touchdown run of 14 yards that showed his agility, balance, vision and burst. The bad: Vaughn’s other five touches resulted a total loss of one yard. He’s likely to have similar performances when it counts, but the splash plays drive this rookie’s fantasy outlook as a potential flex some weeks.
WR Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys: Last year, the then-rookie Tolbert never found his footing. After a strong showing a week ago, he managed 66 yards on his four grabs, mostly powered by a 35-yard gain. Finding exactly where Tolbert fits in when games count may be tricky. He’ll need to leapfrog Michael Gallup to even get into an iffy role for fantasy reliability. Tolbert makes for an intriguing flier in deep best-ball formats, but that’s about all without a clearer path to a significant target share.
Friday, Aug. 18
New York Giants offense: Star back Saquon Barkley rested in this one, but Daniel Jones stole the show. He completed all but one of his nine attempts for 69 yards and a short touchdown to reserve tight end Daniel Bellinger. Speaking of that position, Darren Waller corralled all three targets from Jones for 30 yards on the opening drive and looked every bit the dangerous weapon from his glory days. Wideout Jalin Hyatt secured a 33-yard touchdown from journeyman Tyrod Taylor, which should give fantasy owners a glimpse into the rookie’s potential vertical offerings.
QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers: On one hand, Young’s stats weren’t anything to write home about after a 35-yard day on just 3-for-6 passing. To the No. 1 overall pick’s credit, he led Carolina on a 62-yard drive that resulted in a field goal, and Young correctly identified a blitz before finding fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo on a 15-yard strike. Slow, steady improvement is about all we can ask for at this stage of Young’s high-upside career.
Atlanta Falcons offense: Across the board, nearly everything you’d like to see from this fledgling group was on display in Week 2 preseason play. Quarterback Desmond Ridder had a blemish on his stat line with an interception, but it was tipped and really should have triggered a pass interference call. He completed seven of his nine throws for 80 yards and rushed for a seven-yard gain. Bijan Robinson touched the ball five times for 26 yards, averaging 5.0 per tote on his four carries, which was highlighted by a 12-yarder on his first pro handle. Drake London finished with a 2-33-0 line that featured a nifty sideline grab, whereas Kyle Pitts landed his only target — an errant thrown he easily snagged on the run — for a nine-yard reception. This group has a very real chance to surprise fantasy owners in 2023.
Thursday, Aug. 17
RB Demetric Felton, Cleveland Browns: With Jerome Ford (hamstring) still not 100 percent, Felton is seizing the opportunity and rushed seven times for 54 yards (5.1 YPC), landing all three targets for 12 yards. For Nick Chubb owners, Felton probably will be the handcuff with one more quality preseason showing.
WR Austin Watkins Jr., Cleveland Browns: He has bounced around the NFL and CFL since going undrafted in 2021. The UAB product certainly didn’t hurt his chances of latching on in Cleveland with seven receptions on 14 targets, 139 yards, and a TD. Even if he were to secure a roster spot, Watkins would still likely no better than the fifth or sixth wideout in the best-case scenario.
