2026 NFL Preseason Recap and Fantasy Football Notes: Week 1

**** NOTES FOR EVERY GAME WILL BE UP AS SOON AS I WATCH THEM **** Follow me @walterfootball for updates.



2026 Preseason Notes: Week 1





Panthers 33, Cardinals 30

Neither the Cardinals nor the Panthers played their starters in this game. Even Jeremiyah Love sat out despite being a rookie. That meant that all eyes were on third-round rookie quarterback Carson Beck, who was starting for Arizona. Beck didn't put together a scoring drive on his first possession, although he scrambled for a first down on the initial third down of the game. On his next third down, Beck threw an accurate ball, but the pass was dropped thanks to rookie cornerback Will Lee breaking up the play.

Beck, however, rebounded on the next possession with a 35-yard pass when receiver Jalen Brooks beat Lee. Beck then zinged a pass to Brooks for a gain of about 20 yards, and then had a nice throw to running back Corey Kiner, who was tackled inches shy of the goal line, setting up Kiner's touchdown run on the ensuing play.

Beck wasn't done after that. He had a great deep pass to Brooks, hitting him in stride for a 49-yard connection. He then showed great touch on a fade pass to Simi Fehoko for a touchdown. Beck played one drive in the third quarter, where he had a deep throw that looked like it would be completed for a 30-yard gain, but his receiver dropped it.

Beck finished the night on that possession, and he showed some great ability. However, it should be noted that he was playing against a vanilla Carolina defense that didn't give him any complicated looks, which is where Beck would probably struggle in real-game action. Still, Arizona should be optimistic about his performance in his debut appearance.

Kenny Pickett started for the Panthers in this game, but didn't play very much. He drew a deep pass interference penalty to receiver Bryson Tremayne on his first possession, but then threw well short on third-and-9. Pickett just dinked and dunked while he was on the field and didn't really show anything of note.

Undrafted rookie Haynes King played most of the game for the Panthers. King is known for his mobility, and he showed off his scrambling ability on numerous occasions. However, he was a surprise as a passer. He showed nice touch on a touchdown pass on an early drive and then made some very accurate throws right before halftime. However, King made a huge mistake at the end of the drive when he missed a wide-open receiver in the end zone. This was a classic example of King's poor mechanics, which he desperately needs to improve.

King, however, rebounded at the end of the third quarter when he converted a third-and-15 with a 16-yard completion. On the final drive, King fired an accurate ball on third-and-10 for an 11-yard completion. He then made a great scramble to move into the red zone. On the final play of regulation, King scrambled and barely reached the ball over the goal line to score the decisive touchdown.

King showed some very good passing ability in this game, surprising Chris Collinsworth, the color commentator on the broadcast. He's still a work in progress and really needs to improve his mechanics, but he showed some potential in his NFL preseason debut.

Follow me @walterfootball for updates.


2025 Preseason Notes: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3
2025 Fantasy Football Stock Pages: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3

More 2026 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings

2026 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 8/6 (Walt)



2026 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:



2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 PPR - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Half-PPR - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 2-QB - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Touchdown League - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 8/6 (Walt)

2026 Fantasy Football Articles:
2026 Fantasy Football Stock Report: OTAs, Training Camp - 8/6 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy Guide - 8/5 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Values - 8/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 8/3 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Busts - 8/3 (Walt)






Fantasy Football Rankings - Aug. 6


2027 NFL Mock Draft - June 16


NFL Picks - Feb. 9


NFL Power Rankings - Jan. 26