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 | Week 2
2026 Fantasy Football Stock Pages: Week 1 | Week 2




Cowboys 17, Seahawks 7

Both the Cowboys and the Seahawks sat their starters in this game, but there was one extremely important development from a fantasy perspective. That would be that George Holani played extensively for the Seahawks. If Seattle considered Holani a major threat to Jadarian Price's workload, he likely would have sat with the other starters. However, he was given 12 carries in this game, which is an indication that he will not be playing very much in comparison to Price.

The Seahawks started Drew Lock in this game, who eventually gave way to Jalen Milroe. The former third-round quarterback really struggled. He took a horrible sack and made some poor decisions. He ran well, but his passing has not come along in his development.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, started Sam Howell, who was accurate in this game. Joe Milton eventually played the second half. Milton was able to zing some impressive throws in relief of Howell. On one occasion, he spun out of a sack and completed an 8-yard pass. Both quarterbacks threw touchdowns, coincidentally to the same player.

The recipient of both Dallas touchdowns in this game was a rookie named Camden Brown. The undrafted player was able to wrestle the ball away from a defender on the first touchdown, and then he hauled in a one-handed catch on the second score. Brown had three receptions in total, and this all could have been a preseason fluke, but perhaps he'll emerge as a somewhat relevant player if he continues to make big plays like he did in this game.

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Ravens 24, Eagles 7

There was only one fantasy-relevant player in this game, as both teams sat their starters. Rookie receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who's enjoyed a terrific training camp, was able to catch three passes. He initially hauled in an 18-yard reception, and then he caught a pass in traffic and was able to run into the end zone.

Baltimore's other rookie receiver, Elijah Sarratt, had a bigger night, although he did it more so with deeper backups. However, Sarratt was able to make a great diving catch at one point.

Undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano played most of the game for the Ravens. He was accurate for the most part and looked pretty good for an undrafted player. Perhaps he can become a long-term backup at some point.

Ravens rookie running back Adam Randall handled most of the workload for Baltimore in this contest. Randall had some nice runs, including his touchdown rush where he broke a tackle and was able to scamper into the end zone. Randall has good pass-protection skills, so perhaps he will be used at some point during the season.

There's not much to say about the Eagles, who played mostly deep backups. Andy Dalton started but didn't play very much. Tanner McKee came in after that but wasn't effective at all, showing some indecisiveness in the pocket. The best quarterback for Philadelphia was Cole Payton, who was able to scramble for a first down and then hit a pass to eventually score a touchdown.

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Vikings 13, Giants 10

Jaxson Dart was checked for concussions more than any player in the NFL last year, and that trend continued in the preseason opener. Dart was sacked on two occasions, and on the second one, a defender named Jay Ward destroyed him. Dart had to go into the medical blue tent later in the possession and missed one down.

The good news is that Dart was able to return to action and immediately threw a touchdown pass to Malachi Fields. Dart's touchdown to Fields will look great, but the concern is that Dart continues to take brutal hit after brutal hit. If this trend continues, he will undoubtedly miss some action this year, making him a very risky fantasy selection in the middle rounds.

Here were Dart's targets:

Malachi Fields: 1 (1 end zone)
Isaiah Likely: 2
Devin Singletary: 1
Tyrone Tracy: 1

Malachi Fields was the only Giants player to catch more than two passes in this game. He hauled in three balls in total, although only one came from Jaxson Dart. He made that one count, however, with a touchdown where he climbed the ladder and hauled in the pass over the defender.

Fields' debut was great, and he continues to look like a terrific late-round sleeper.

All three of the Giants' running backs rotated in this game. This is not a positive development for Cam Skattebo, though given that this was the preseason and Skattebo is coming off an injury, it's understandable that his touches would be limited in this game.

However, the Giants' coaching staff nearly paid the price, as Tyrone Tracy Jr. was easily beaten in pass protection, resulting in one of the sacks that Dart took.

By contrast, we didn't see much of the Vikings' starters. They played one drive, and Kyler Murray attempted three passes. Thanks to the running game, the Vikings were able to move into field goal position and score three points.

Here were Murray's targets:

Jordan Addison: 1
Max Bredeson: 1
Aaron Jones: 1

As for the Minnesota running game, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason split the workload evenly. They basically rotated snaps. Jones was given the initial touch, and he broke a tackle to gain 15 yards. Mason, however, was also able to break a long run up the middle.

Both Vikings runners looked great, albeit against what appears to be a very poor Giants run defense. The New York broadcast expressed extreme concern about the team's inability to stop the rush.

NFL Preseason Announcers: This one stung from a betting perspective, as the Giants failed to cover by 1.5 points, with Minnesota covering as a -1.5 road favorite. John Harbaugh previously had terrific success in the preseason as the Ravens' head coach, but perhaps it was wrong to be very optimistic about Brandon Allen's chances of doing anything offensively.

To be fair, however, the Giants got screwed late in the game. They had a big completion that was negated by offensive pass interference. Also, the Vikings initially went to Max Brosmer, but then went back to Carson Wentz to make sure that they'd win the game. Wentz predictably came up big with two third-down completions on the final drive, preventing the Giants from having a chance to win at the end.

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Jaguars 24, Saints 20

Almost nothing was learned in this game. Both teams sat their starters, and even key backups didn't play. There were no fantasy-relevant players in this game, aside from perhaps Saints rookie tight end Oscar Delp. But he's more of a player who will be relevant in 2027 rather than this season, unless Juwan Johnson suffers an injury.

Delp looked good, catching three passes for 10 yards and a touchdown.

NFL Preseason Announcers: This was a very odd telecast. The broadcast missed the opening kickoff return that nearly went for a touchdown because the sideline reporter was talking to some old woman about how crime has decreased in New Orleans.

Also, one of the broadcasters mentioned a very weird quote where he said, "Many in the NFL ranks were impressed with what Spencer Rattler did last year." Either those people were not watching him at all and pretending that they did, or they were knocked on their heads when they were small children.

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Bills 29, Panthers 14

We had a good look at Buffalo's new offense in its brand-new stadium, as Josh Allen and the rest of the starters played two drives in their initial preseason game of 2026. The Bills scored on both possessions, nailing a field goal and then scoring a touchdown on those two drives.

Allen began things by firing a 21-yard laser to Khalil Shakir, and later on, a deep pass of his to D.J. Moore set up a Keon Coleman receiving touchdown. The only negative that you could say about the Bills is that Allen was sacked twice, although one sack was negated by a penalty when a Carolina player grabbed Allen by the face mask. Still, this was concerning, even though the Panthers played their starting defense.

Here were Allen's targets:

Keon Coleman: 2 (1 end zone)
D.J. Moore: 4
Khalil Shakir: 2

In addition to a new head coach and a brand-new stadium, the Bills also revealed their new No. 1 receiver, as D.J. Moore saw four targets, which was two more than any other Buffalo receiver had with Allen on the field.

Moore looked great. He made a huge play after a short reception on the first drive and then hauled in a deep reception on the second possession. He grabbed his leg in what appeared to be discomfort after his final catch of the afternoon, and it looked bad at first glance, but it appears as though his shoe just fell off his foot. All indications are that he's okay.

The Panthers also played their starters. In fact, Bryce Young was on the field for one more possession than Allen was. However, none of it was fruitful. The Panthers failed to score a single point while their starting offense was on the field.

Young never had a chance. He was sacked on multiple occasions, as his worsened offensive line failed to block Buffalo's improved pass rush. He also had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage.

Here were Young's targets:

Jonathon Brooks: 1
Xavier Legette: 1
Ja'Tavion Sanders: 1
Tommy Tremble: 2

NFL Preseason Announcers: My apologies for the recaps of this game and the Giants-Vikings contest being posted late. There was an issue with NFL+ being unable to log people in, and there were many complaints made on X. You'd think that a multi-billion dollar operation wouldn't have any login issues, but that apparently is not the case.

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Rams 20, Chiefs 12

Viewers of the Rams-Chiefs game were treated to a thrilling SEC battle between LSU and Alabama. Whoops, sorry, I got confused because Ty Simpson and Garrett Nussmeier battled each other in this initial preseason affair for the Rams and Chiefs. Both quarterbacks played the majority of the afternoon, which is a strategy that Aaron Glenn should have deployed with his rookie quarterback, Cade Klubnik.

Beginning with Simpson, he was very impressive at times. Simpson threw a number of short passes, but he released the ball quickly and was very accurate. One of Simpson's better throws before the final drive was when he rolled out of the pocket and delivered a 23-yard strike to his receiver. He misfired badly on a short throw, but he rebounded with a nice 22-yard completion and then delivered strikes of 23 and 16 yards, ultimately throwing a 2-yard touchdown toward the end of the game to go up 20-9.

Nussmeier, meanwhile, wasn't as impressive, but he still made some very good plays. On one occasion, he did a good job of buying time in the pocket to locate his receiver for a first down. He then made an impressive throw toward the sideline, and his receiver made a circus catch. It was reviewed, but replay showed that the pass was complete. Nussmeier didn't convert on a 94-yard touchdown, but he should have when he tossed a great bomb to his receiver, who dropped the ball. The Chiefs are set with their top two quarterbacks this year, but Nussmeier is easily the third quarterback on the roster, as he's miles ahead of Chris Oladokun. He looks like a potential No. 2 quarterback down the road.

The Chiefs and Rams played their backups, but there were two young players who were absolutely worth noting. The first was Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson, who was their mid-round pick this year. Johnson had a great run of 12 yards where he deployed a terrific stiff-arm. He then made a nice cutback for a touchdown run, but that was negated by a penalty. After that, he showed great speed on a screen, but that was also nullified by a penalty. If you look at Johnson's stats, they'd be much better if it weren't for those two infractions.

Later on, Johnson showed terrific power to convert a third-and-1, and then he carried defenders on a 12-yard gain. There's a good chance that Johnson ends up as the No. 2 running back on the roster because he is far more talented than Emari Demercado.

The other young Chiefs player worth discussing is rookie receiver Cyrus Allen, who has made a big name for himself in training camp. Allen made a nice move to pick up a significant gain early on, but that was negated by offensive pass interference. Allen also made a leaping 10-yard catch to convert a third and eight. He looked good in this game, but it's still too early to say if he's a viable fantasy option.

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Bears 34, Browns 10

The Bears' starters were nowhere to be seen in this game, while Cleveland had its starters on the field for the entire first half. Surely, the Browns' offense would have tons of success against Chicago's backups, right? That was not the case, though Deshaun Watson was able to engineer one scoring drive via some passes to rookie receiver KC Concepcion.

Otherwise, the Browns did nothing offensively, as Watson saw tons of heat from Chicago's backup pass rush. On one occasion, he lost a fumble on a strip-sack. On another occasion, he had to skip a pass into the dirt toward Concepcion because he was under so much pressure. The Browns scored just 10 points on Chicago's backups in an embarrassing performance. Here were Watson's targets:

Isaiah Bond: 1
Denzel Boston: 2
K.C. Concepcion: 4
Harold Fannin: 1
Jerry Jeudy: 2
Ahmani Marshall: 2
Dylan Sampson: 2
Blake Whiteheart: 1

Quinshon Judkins had no running room in this game. Watson handed him the ball on all three plays to begin the game, yet Judkins picked up only a grand total of eight yards on those carries. Cleveland's offensive line should be improved this season after the moves they made in the spring, but we saw no evidence of that in this game. The Browns went against Chicago's backups, and yet Judkins had no running room.

The story for the Browns in this game, aside from their dysfunctional offense, was the play of the two rookie receivers. Denzel Boston caught the first pass, a gain of 17 yards, but KC Concepcion did everything after that. Concepcion handled the opening punt return, so I was concerned about his playing time, but he was on the field often with Watson. He saw more targets than anyone (4), and he showed some burst, especially on his yards after the catch on his touchdown score.

Both project as quality sleepers in fantasy this year, despite the struggles of the rest of Cleveland's offense. Check out my 2026 Fantasy Football Sleepers page.

Shedeur Sanders played the entire third quarter, and there were mixed results. He made decisions quicker than he did last year, and some of his incompletions were batted away. However, he threw a hideous interception where he sailed the ball way over his receiver's head. He didn't do enough to challenge Watson for the starting job.

NFL Preseason Announcers: I spent most of this game being tiled by NFL+. I couldn't log in, and many others had the same issue. The NFL makes billions upon billions of dollars, and yet they couldn't figure out the log-in situation on their platform.

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Broncos 27, Falcons 7

In an unusual event in the preseason, both teams played their starters in this game. However, the Broncos did not have Bo Nix, so they had Jarrett Stidham under center once more. Tua Tagovailoa, conversely, started for the Falcons and didn't have much of a chance against Denver's ferocious defense.

Tagovailoa was constantly under pressure in this game, and it didn't help that he fumbled a shotgun snap and took a big loss on the opening series of the evening. All Tagovailoa did in this contest was toss checkdowns to Kyle Pitts.

Here were Tagovailoa's targets:


Kyle Pitts: 4

Even though Stidham started for the Broncos instead of Nix, that didn't stop Courtland Sutton from having an amazing game. Sutton hauled in a very deep pass where he landed inches shy of the goal line. The catch was good for 40 yards, but Sutton wasn't done.

On the next possession, Sutton reeled in an amazing one-handed catch for 16 yards. It appears as though Sutton is highly motivated after the Broncos used a first-round pick to trade for Jaylen Waddle in a pre-draft deal. Waddle is going way earlier than Sutton in fantasy drafts, but they could have equal production this year.

NFL Preseason Announcers: The Falcons announcer in this game was discussing a linebacker who used to play for Houston. In doing so, he mentioned the Texans' head coach as DeMarco Ryans instead of DeMeco Ryans.

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Redskins 20, Dolphins 7

The Redskins did not play their starters in this game, while the Dolphins did for one possession, so I will discuss Miami's players first. Malik Willis led a touchdown drive to begin the game, going 4-of-5 and looking in command of his new offense. However, it must be noted that he was going against backups, so it's fair to be skeptical about Miami's performance.

Here were Willis' targets:

Caleb Douglas: 2
Malik Washington: 3

The star of Miami's offense, besides De'Von Achane, of course, was receiver Caleb Douglas. The third-round rookie saw two targets from Malik Willis, and he looked incredible on both of them. He appeared to catch the first pass, but upon replay review, it was apparent that he was barely out of bounds. The catch was terrific, so it would have made SportsCenter highlights had Douglas' one foot not been out of bounds.

The second catch did make SportsCenter highlights, however. It was an incredible one-handed, back-shoulder catch to convert a third-and-5. The announcers in this game called Douglas a breakout star in training camp, and it appears to be true. Douglas, who was named the No. 1 receiver by his coaching staff, appears to be a terrific late-round fantasy sleeper.

Miami's backup quarterbacks were awful in this game. Quinn Ewers entered the game and immediately made numerous mistakes, and then Cam Miller was even worse in the second half. If Malik Willis suffers an injury at some point, the Dolphins will be an automatic fade like the Jets were last year with Brady Cook.

For those of you attempting to handcuff De'Von Achane and trying to figure out if you should go with Jaylen Wright or Ollie Gordon, the former was the immediate ball carrier after Achane left the game. Gordon entered the contest shortly afterward, so it appears as though Wright is the running back to own should Achane suffer an injury. However, it would most likely be a timeshare.

There's not much to say about the Redskins, who played their backups. However, we saw a couple of rookie running backs who might be able to challenge Jacory Croskey-Merritt for the full-time early-down role. Kaytron Allen was the first running back on the field for the Redskins, and he had a great run with a strong burst of 16 yards. However, Robert Henry was the more impressive of the two backs. Henry, who played for UTSA, had some amazing carries where he was able to show off some terrific patience and set up some blocks to pick up significant gains.

Henry had nearly half as many carries as Allen (23-12), and yet he nearly had as many rushing yards (85-75). The announcers ranted and raved about his potential, so perhaps he might be able to make the roster and eventually challenge for playing time. I'm not drafting him just yet, but he's a name to watch.

NFL Preseason Announcers: The Redskins announcing team featured two old men, one of whom was confused most of the time. He kept complaining that the Dolphins were manhandling his team until he was told that the Dolphins were playing their starters. "Oh, they're playing starters?" he asked, as if he had never heard of any of the Miami players.

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Buccaneers 24, Jets 16

One team played its starters in this game, and that would be the Jets. However, we did not see Geno Smith because he was nursing a minor injury. Fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik started instead, and he had some nice moments mixed in with a couple of mistakes.

One of Klubnik's initial errors was a weird underhanded toss to Breece Hall in the backfield, where it looked like the rookie quarterback panicked and delivered a horrible pass to Hall that was caught and taken for a loss. However, Klubnik rebounded with a laser to Garrett Wilson. Unfortunately, he took a loss on a scramble later on the drive instead of throwing the ball away.

Klubnik looked fine except for those two mistakes. But the question must be asked: Why did he play just slightly longer than a quarter of action when he doesn't have any experience? Aaron Glenn is not a head coach who made quality decisions last year, and it appears as though he's still making mistakes. Klubnik is only a rookie, so he needs as much work as possible. Why have him on the field for just about 20 minutes of game action? He should have played for at least a half.

While the Jets' starters played a drive, the Buccaneers' starters were nowhere to be seen. Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, and Emeka Egbuka did not play, though Egbuka is nursing an injury anyway. It's worth noting that the Buccaneers used Sean Tucker, whereas Irving and Kenneth Gainwell sat, so it appears as though the Buccaneers don't value Tucker as much as some late-round fantasy drafters believe they do.

The one significant player who stood out for the Buccaneers was third-round rookie receiver Ted Hurst. Hurst saw six targets and caught just two of them, but he made those count. On the first reception, he made a nice juke move to pick up the first down. The second catch was an impressive diving reception. Hurst may see some action this year with Jalen McMillan injured and Egbuka's Week 1 status potentially in doubt.

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Cardinals 27, Raiders 14

While most teams played their backups in the initial week of the preseason, the Raiders and Cardinals both played their starters for a drive. However, all eyes were on one of the backups, as the No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, made his NFL preseason debut.

Mendoza's initial drive didn't amount to any points. However, he was able to convert a third-and-10 to Jack Bech along the sideline. The possession ended with no points because of a holding call and a Mike Washington drop.

Mendoza's second possession was much more fruitful. He fired a laser to Malik Benson, threading the ball between three defenders for a gain of 15 yards. He then made a nice throw to Benson that was incomplete, but there was clear pass interference on the play. However, it wasn't called even though the defender clearly grabbed Benson's jersey. This didn't matter because Mendoza eventually found Bech for a touchdown.

The Raiders didn't score any points on the third drive, as it was a three-and-out. Mendoza had to throw the ball away under pressure on third down. Mendoza, however, was able to lead his team into an opportunity to score points on the fourth drive when he went through his progressions quickly and found a receiver for a nice gain. He then moved the Raiders into field goal range, but the kick went wide right.

This was a quality debut for Mendoza. He made some nice plays and didn't really make any mistakes. While we know that Kirk Cousins will start several games for the Raiders this year, it's clear that the team should be feeling very optimistic about Mendoza as the future.

Both the first and the third overall picks in the 2026 NFL Draft played in this game. While Fernando Mendoza came off the bench, Jeremiyah Love actually started this game over Tyler Allgeier, which is a huge development.

Another huge development is that Love was terrific in this contest, although that's not much of a surprise. On one run, he broke a tackle and showed off a spin move for a gain of 11 yards. On another rush, he made a great jump cut for a pickup of 10 yards. And then, on yet another terrific run, he hurdled a defender to gain 15 yards.

It's extremely important to note that while Love started, Allgeier worked into the rotation, so it's not like the veteran didn't play. Love began the drive and was on the field for several snaps, and then Allgeier entered the game and played a few snaps after that. Love then returned and saw the same number of snaps before Allgeier entered once again.

While we didn't see any goal-line opportunities, it's probably clear that Allgeier will be used in those situations. However, the fact that Love is already getting the first-team snaps over Allgeier speaks volumes, and Arizona clearly understands how talented he is.

This night wasn't all positive for Love, however, because he suffered an ankle injury at some point during the second quarter. The good news is that head coach Mike LaFleur said that the injury wasn't very significant, but this situation will obviously need to be monitored.

The other rookie running back in this game, Mike Washington, saw action once Ashton Jeanty departed after carrying the ball a few times with positive success. Washington had one of the highlights of the evening when he made a nice jump cut and used a great stiff-arm on a terrific 53-yard burst.

Washington, however, dropped the ball on another play, so it wasn't a completely positive evening, but it was still a nice debut for the third-day rookie.

We had a good look at both starting offenses in this game because both units went against the opposing starting defenses. Cousins had the first drive, where he completed all but one of his passes despite not having the services of Brock Bowers. He found his other tight end, Michael Mayer, for a touchdown.

It was then Jacoby Brissett's turn, and he one-upped Cousins. Brissett completed all five of his passes, ultimately tossing a very accurate throw to Marvin Harrison Jr. for a touchdown, even though the defensive back had perfect coverage on the play. Brissett was just better than that, putting the ball where the Raiders defender didn't have a chance to break up the pass.

Here were Cousins' targets:

Jack Bech: 1
Ashton Jeanty: 1
Michael Mayer: 2
Tre Tucker: 1


Here were Brissett's targets:

Kendrick Bourne: 1
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 1 (1 end zone)
Jeremiyah Love: 1
Michael Wilson: 2

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Titans 19, 49ers 13

The Titans used their starters for a quarter and a half in the first preseason game. There were some positives and negatives from Cam Ward's performance, so let's begin with the good moments he had against the 49ers. His opening drive went 96 yards for a touchdown, capped off by a Tony Pollard rushing score. Ward made a couple of nice throws on the drive to move his team down the field and put Pollard in position to score.

However, the positives end there. Ward missed Wan'Dale Robinson on an easy throw on the initial possession, and on the second drive, Ward was whistled for a horrible intentional grounding penalty because he held the ball forever and seemed to lack any sort of awareness in the pocket. Ward later missed an open Carnell Tate on a throw that the announcers deemed a "layup."

Ward also dealt with a lot of pressure, as Tennessee's offensive line couldn't block San Francisco's backups. Yes, the 49ers played their backups to begin this game, and yet Ward couldn't complete half of his passes. Tennessee's offense looked absolutely dreadful when factoring in that they were battling reserves in this contest.

Here were Ward's targets:

Elic Ayomanor: 1
Gunnar Helm: 1
Calvin Ridley: 1
Wan'Dale Robinson: 5
Tyjae Spears: 1
Carnell Tate: 2 (1 end zone)

It's difficult to find a positive for a receiver in a game in which a quarterback completed fewer than half of his throws, but Wan'Dale Robinson definitely deserves to be mentioned as a positive coming out of this game. Robinson saw five targets from Cam Ward, and yet no other Tennessee receiver who started the game saw more than two targets. In fact, Robinson was only one of two starters who saw multiple targets in this game. Ward struggled in this contest, but he looked most comfortable throwing to Robinson, who should have a solid year from a PPR perspective.

Titans rookie running back Nicolas Singleton had a couple of nice runs in this game, but he was destroyed in pass protection. He was plowed over by a defender, resulting in Will Levis taking a crushing sack. Singleton will need to improve in this regard to get on the field more often.

The 49ers, as mentioned, played their backups in this game. However, there is one player who really stood out, and that was No. 33 overall pick De'Zhaun Stribling. He had a monster game, catching six passes. He made one reception that was a beautiful catch downfield near the sideline, where he somehow stayed in bounds. He made an even crazier play after that, converting a third down by keeping his toe in bounds and his heel off the ground, which would have put him out of bounds. The play was challenged, and the announcers even thought that he stepped out of bounds, but Stribling somehow remained in bounds because his heel never touched the ground. Stribling looked great in this game, and remember, he battled Tennessee's starters, so this result definitely should be factored in as a major positive for Stribling heading into the season.

NFL Preseason Announcers: The play-by-play announcer confused a second-and-1 with a second-and-14 somehow. I've never heard an announcer be that off before.

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Chargers 27, Texans 7

Neither the Texans nor the Chargers played their starters in this game, but we got a good look at Trey Lance, who was on the field for a half. Lance began the game well with some nice completions to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, but he missed Lambert-Smith for a touchdown on the initial possession. Lance then had a series of potential dropped interceptions. Two were clear dropped interceptions, while the third saw a defensive back get one hand on a potential pick. In between, Lance also threw way behind one of his targets.

Lance showed some potential on a possession near the end of the first half when he fired a laser to rookie receiver Brenen Thompson. However, later on the possession, Lance heaved an interception deep in Houston territory when the defensive back read his eyes easily. This was not an encouraging performance for Lance, who was battling Houston's backups. He continued to show some upside, but there's way too much downside with him, so he's looking like a mere career backup at this point.

It must be noted that two particular Chargers played in this game. Those were Kimani Vidal and Oronde Gadsden II. There's been some talk that Vidal might take some touches away from Omarion Hampton, but given that he played in this game with the other backups, that's unlikely to happen. Also, Gadsden playing is interesting considering that he was a big factor in the Chargers' offense last year. The Chargers signed David Njoku, so it sounds like he is going to be the primary tight end, whereas Gadsden has been practicing on special teams. Gadsden is certainly one to avoid at his ADP considering the situation.

There's not much to say about the Texans, who played Davis Mills a bit and then Graham Mertz the rest of the way. However, rookie tight end Marlin Klein made a huge play with a 31-yard downfield reception, where the announcers claimed that not even Dalton Schultz could make that sort of play. Klein also drew an interference flag. The announcers raved about Klein's potential in this offense, though as a rookie, he is probably going to be a little bit limited until 2027.

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Patriots 13, Colts 13

Both the Patriots and the Colts sat their starters in this game, so there's not much to discuss. However, the Colts played a couple of young quarterbacks worth mentioning, so let's delve into them.

Anthony Richardson played the entire first half and had some struggles to begin the game. He missed on an early throw, a short, routine pass that should have been completed easily. He then had a pass way off the mark that was bobbled and dropped into the hands of a Patriots defender.

Richardson, however, had some nice rushes. The coaches designed running plays for him, and he took advantage, even scoring an apparent touchdown on one play, though replay showed that he was barely out of bounds before he crossed the goal line. The Colts then fumbled on the next play, so they couldn't score on the drive. Richardson also fumbled later in the game on a scramble where a defender popped the ball out of his hands.

The good news for Richardson is that Riley Leonard wasn't any better. Leonard really struggled in this game. He had an underthrown duck that was intercepted. He also tossed some balls into the ground and had passes batted at the line of scrimmage.

NFL Preseason Announcers: For many years, Patriots broadcasts have featured a segment from the employees at Bob's Discount Furniture. This is the first time in memory that they didn't get opinions from the furniture salesmen. Let's pour one out for those guys, who put in some hard work over the years.

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Bengals 16, Lions 14

The Bengals not only played their starters in this game, but they had Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase out on the field for two whole drives to begin this contest. They did this last year during the preseason as well because they wanted to stop performing so poorly to begin the year. However, this did not work that well. They beat the Browns in Week 1 last year, but were outgained by about 200 yards and were lucky that Cleveland made some unforced errors that prevented them from winning the game.

The Bengals looked as slow as ever, as they scored just three points against Detroit's backups in two possessions. Burrow took a bad sack on one of the drives where he held the ball forever, and then the other possession stalled before a long field goal was made by Evan McPherson.

To be fair, there were heavy rain conditions in this game that made moving the ball very difficult. However, the opponent was so bad that the Bengals should have scored a touchdown on at least one of their drives.

Ja'Marr Chase: 1
Mike Gesicki: 1
Andrei Iosivas: 1
Samaje Perine: 1
Drew Sample: 1

There's nothing worth noting about the Lions, who played their deep backups the entire evening.

NFL Preseason Announcers: The announcers had some weird moments in this game. One of them shouted, "They're keeping the offense on the field!" when it was third down. They also called Burrow "one of the all-time greats," which is a bit presumptive. I love Burrow, and he could get there one day, but to declare him as such now is ridiculous.

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Steelers 28, Packers 9

The Packers decided that they needed to play their starters for some reason. They can't be too happy with the result, as the first-team unit wasn't able to score a touchdown against Pittsburgh's backup defensive unit. "No Cookie" Jordan Love missed an easy throw right away, but rebounded with a nice connection to Jayden Reed. His one drive was unimpressive overall, but it was a very small sample size.

Here were Love's targets:

Marshawn Lloyd: 1
Jayden Reed: 2
Christian Watson: 1
Josh Wylie: 1

Jayden Reed will be more involved this year because he's now playing in two-receiver formations, which he had never done prior to this season. It's no coincidence that Reed was the only starter with multiple targets in the preseason opener.

Josh Jacobs was one of the few starters who rested. Marshawn Lloyd started instead. He had a nice 5-yard run on his first opportunity, but didn't do much else after that. With Jacobs possibly facing suspension, Lloyd must be rostered.

The Steelers didn't play any of their starters. Mason Rudolph was the first quarterback on the field. He then gave way to Will Howard. Third-round rookie Drew Allar then took over a bit in the second half. He immediately completed a 74-yard pass to Kaden Wetjen, though that was mostly WetJen, as Allar connected on a slant to the fourth-round rookie that was in the air for 10 yards. Wetjen then blazed by every Green Bay defender and was tackled at the 1-yard line. Allar missed an easy throw in the red zone after that, but then ran for a touchdown on the next lay.

Allar's next drive featured some quality strikes. He eventually rolled left and found Wetjen for a touchdown. The next possession saw Allar drew an interference flag on a deep throw, setting up another score.

Allar had a great game overall. He threw off his back foot on a couple of occasions, but wasn't penalized for it. The Steelers should feel encouraged, but let's remember that Allar's biggest flaw entering the NFL was what's between his ears. He battled a vanilla defense that didn't challenge him, so things will be much different versus complex defense. Still, this was a positive outcome for him.

Germie Bernard had a nice debut as well. He caught all but one of his targets, and that lone exception appeared to be a touchdown, but a defender pushed him out of bounds while he was in the air.

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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.

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

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2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 8/26 (Walt)
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2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
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Fantasy Football Rankings - Aug. 26


2027 NFL Mock Draft - June 16


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