2026 NFL Preseason Recap and Fantasy Football Notes: Week 3

**** 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 | Week 3
2026 Fantasy Football Stock Pages: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3




Bears 24, Titans 15

The final preseason game was a dud, as both the Titans and Bears sat their starters. It was Will Levis versus Tyson Bagent at quarterback. Levis had a great touch pass at one point but was rather mediocre overall.

Bagent, on the other hand, was extremely sharp, which explains why he is viewed as one of the better backups in the NFL. Bagent misfired on just one of his 17 passes, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He was exceptional in this game.

A couple of plays made by receivers stood out in this game. The first was a deep bomb from Levis to first-round rookie Carnell Tate. It looked like a potential touchdown, but the ball was slightly overthrown, so Tate couldn't make the catch. This meant that Tate failed to record a single reception on his six targets this preseason.

Conversely, the Bears saw their rookie receiver Xavier Thomas make a terrific reception from Bagent. Bagent led him perfectly down the field, and Thomas snatched the ball and sped by two Tennessee defenders to score rather easily on the 96-yard touchdown.

A third-round rookie, Thomas isn't expected to do much offensively this year, but he'll be a big boost on special teams.

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Lions 25, Colts 16

You wouldn't know it by the score, but the Colts became the third team in the past 24 hours to play their starters. The word "starters" should have an asterisk next to it because Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor, and Alec Pierce all sat. However, the entire starting offensive line played, as did Keenan Allen.

Anthony Richardson, today's starting quarterback, threw a 24-yard dart to Allen on the first pass of the afternoon. That was the only action Allen saw, but he looked good in the process, albeit on an obviously small sample size.

Richardson, meanwhile, had two more drives after that with the backups. He had a couple of very nice plays, but many of his other throws were way off the mark. The disappointment continues.

The Colts used their defensive starters as well. On Detroit's first offensive drive of the afternoon, Sauce Gardner intercepted quarterback Luke Altmyer, who stared down his target pretty blatantly.

NFL Preseason Announcers: The Colts always seem to have the oldest announcers in the league. One of them looked like Dr. Robotnik, while the other one, who was even older, repeatedly said, "30 is the new 20."He muttered this about three times, and I have no idea what he was talking about.

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Broncos 34, Vikings 6

There's nothing exciting to note about the final preseason game on Friday night, as both the Broncos and Vikings played their deep backups. What is significant is who didn't play. That would be Jonah Coleman, Denver's rookie running back. Coleman sat out, which is bullish for his outlook this season.

Something else of note is what Broncos announcer Steve Levy said during the telecast. Levy, who is the longtime SportsCenter anchor, mentioned that Carson Wentz won the No. 2 quarterback job in Minnesota. This likely means that J.J. McCarthy could potentially be traded, assuming the Vikings can find a suitor.

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Packers 42, Cardinals 38

Both the Packers and the Cardinals sat their starters, but there was an impressive quarterback performance in this game from undrafted rookie Kyle McCord out of Syracuse. McCord was amazing against the Cardinals and may have won the No. 2 job, potentially unseating Tyrod Taylor.

McCord began the game with a great throw deep downfield while under heavy pressure. The pass was incomplete because Bo Melton was slightly out of bounds, but it was still a terrific throw. McCord then fit the ball into a tight window to Isaiah Neyor for 13 yards on a third down.

One of McCord's best throws of the evening was a 36-yard deep pass to J. Michael Sturdivant. On the next play, McCord was drifting backward and launched a perfect fade pass to Sturdivant for a 29-yard touchdown.

Another excellent throw of McCord's wasn't complete. He lofted a beautifully thrown deep pass to Neyor, which should have gone for a 65-yard touchdown, but Neyor dropped the ball.

However, McCord ended up leading a comeback with two touchdown drives in the final few minutes. One of his touchdowns was a perfect fade pass to his receiver. The other touchdown was more the result of the receiver, as McCord completed the pass and his target made a great play to dodge a defender.

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Bengals 30, Eagles 13

The Bengals and Eagles both sat their starters, and Joe Flacco didn't even play for Cincinnati. That's the type of game this was. However, there was one significant player who suited up, and that was Makai Lemon, who made his debut for Philadelphia.

The good news for Lemon, if you want to call it that, is that he caught three passes near the line of scrimmage. On one of the receptions, he went to the ground to haul in the pass. His three receptions went for a grand total of three yards. I don't know if you want to call that good news, but that's the good news in this situation.

The bad news was that Lemon dropped a pass that turned into an interception. He was also targeted downfield on a pass that was broken up.

The best receiver in this game was someone named Dohnte Meyers. The CBS announcers spent a lot of time talking up Meyers, citing that the Bengals coaching staff was in love with him. It was easy to see why, as Meyers made play after play during the first half.

I don't know if Meyers will contribute much this year, but perhaps he'll see some playing time if one of the top three receivers goes down with an injury.

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Seahawks 9, Chiefs 9

The Chiefs were one of two teams to play their starters on Friday night — minus Patrick Mahomes, of course — but the star for their team was Emmett Johnson. The rookie running back had some nice runs, including a 12-yard burst, but his best play was a 14-yard reception on a screen in which he hurdled over a potential tackler.

Johnson has looked great so far in training camp and the preseason, and it looks like he's going to be the RB2 on the Chiefs.

With Patrick Mahomes out, Garrett Nussmeier started for the Chiefs. He had an ugly interception in this game where he stared down his receiver and severely underthrew his target.

Nussmeier played the whole way and was better later in the game, but the pick will stand out as being a horrible play on his part.

Cyrus Allen made an impressive 12-yard reception in this game. That's the good news, especially for those who are high on Allen as a potential sleeper.

The bad news was that this occurred in the third quarter, when the starters were long gone. If the Chiefs loved Allen as much as his fantasy owners do, then they probably would have rested him in the second half of this game.

That said, he could still be a decent sleeper for the Chiefs, given Rashee Rice's struggles thus far in the preseason and training camp.

The Seahawks sat all of their starters and even backup quarterback Drew Lock. Third-string quarterback Jalen Milroe played the entire game, and he had a fairly decent performance.

Milroe had a touchdown run wiped off the board, and some penalties negated some positive plays. He put the team in position to win this game, but kicker Jason Myers whiffed on a 52-yard field goal.

Hopefully, Myers spends his winnings on the +2.5 very wisely.

NFL Preseason Announcers: The Chiefs play-by-play announcer might be the same guy who voices Bertram on Family Guy. Take a listen to him if you get the chance, and then go to YouTube and listen to Bertram. I think they're the same person.

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Saints 27, Cowboys 24

This was one of many worthless games on Friday night, as the Saints and Cowboys both played their deep backups in this contest. The Saints didn't even use their third-string running back, Devin Neal, while the Cowboys sat their top three running backs as well.

There were a couple of things to note here. First, the fact that Kendre Miller and Audric Estime played means that they're probably not going to be involved in the Saints' plans unless there are major injuries.

Also, Bryce Lance made a couple of nice plays in this game and blocked well, so there's a chance that he could sneak onto the field with Jordyn Tyson out for a couple of months.

This was a disappointing game for Joe Milton. He had a terrific performance last week, but we saw the old Milton in this game. Milton struggled with his accuracy, although some of his incompletions were the byproduct of drops.

Sam Howell played better late in the game, leading a comeback that tied the game. However, Howell had a chance to win the game on the final drive but got stuck near midfield with numerous incompletions.

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Giants 23, Jets 6

Both New York teams sat their starters, which meant that Giants rookie receiver Malachi Fields didn't play either. Fields was named the No. 2 receiver on the team, so he sat out while Odell Beckham Jr. and Darius Slayton played for the Giants.

Beckham played into the second quarter and made a mistake in this game. He slipped on the field and then tried to get up, only to have the ball pop out of his hands and into the arms of a Jets player for an interception charged to Jameis Winston.

Najee Harris saw his first action with the Giants. He was given a whopping 11 carries in this game, plus a reception, which was actually a 20-yard gain on a screen where he had the luxury of having two blockers in front of him.

Harris looks to be the primary backup behind Cam Skattebo, given that he probably won't get his quarterback killed like Tyrone Tracy nearly did in an earlier preseason game.

As for the Jets, they started Cade Klubnik for the second time this preseason. Klubnik had a poor performance, which included an interception on a horribly underthrown pass.

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Falcons 17, Dolphins 12

Of the 10 games played Friday night, only two featured starters. This was one of them, as the Falcons decided to play their starters for three drives.

When Tua Tagovailoa jogged onto the field to start the game, he was booed by the Miami crowd. The Dolphins fans were excited to see him fumble the snap on the first play of the second drive, losing the ball in the process.

Tagovailoa threw some short passes in this game, often connecting with Kyle Pitts and Jahan Dotson. There was nothing special about his throws. They were just routine, short passes. The stats will say that Tagovailoa accumulated nearly 100 yards on seven completions, but much of that came on yards after the catch from Pitts.

Here were Tagovailoa's targets:

Brian Robinson Jr.: 1
Jahan Dotson: 3
Kyle Pitts: 3

I mentioned above that Pitts had some quality yards-after-the-catch plays. The one that stood out was when he caught a short pass from Tagovailoa and then ran down the sideline for a gain of 37 yards. This set up a touchdown run for Brian Robinson Jr. Keep in mind that all of this occurred against Miami's third-string defense.

The Falcons didn't play all of their starters, as Bijan Robinson sat out. Brian Robinson Jr. started and scored a touchdown, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. However, he also lost a fumble in the red zone, which is a great thing to hear if you're a Bijan Robinson fantasy owner.

It was shocking to hear that the Dolphins were going to play rookie receiver Chris Bell in this game, given that he tore his ACL in November. Bell saw the first target from quarterback Cam Miller in this game, and then he caught his next target on a slant for a gain of 18 yards.

Unfortunately, Miller tried to get Bell killed over the middle of the field. Bell got hit as soon as the ball got to him, and it popped out of his hands upon contact. Bell also nearly caught a deep downfield pass but was held while trying to make the catch.

Bell caught two of his five targets and looked pretty good considering that he's coming off a serious knee injury.

NFL Preseason Announcers: Miami's announcer called Zachariah Branch "Zacharious Branch."

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Jaguars 19, Buccaneers 0

Both teams sat their starters in yet another worthless Week 3 preseason game. However, there was one fantasy-relevant note from this game, and it's that Sean Tucker once again saw plenty of action in a meaningless exhibition contest.

Tucker played into the second half last week and took the field this week with all the scrubs. It's clear that Tucker is a distant third, perhaps even fourth, on the running back depth chart for the Buccaneers. So, don't bother drafting him, even in the final rounds of a best ball format.

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Panthers 16, Texans 13

This game had no relevance. Davis Mills and Kenny Pickett started for the Texans and Panthers, respectively. They played briefly and then gave way to Brett Rypien and Kyle Trask, respectively.

We didn't even get to see standout rookie tight end Marlin Klein, who played well for the Texans in their previous two preseason games. He sat out.

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Ravens 41, Redskins 3

This was a completely worthless game where the Redskins and Ravens both sat their starters. The only noteworthy thing here is that Ja'Kobi Lane rested along with the rest of the starters for Baltimore.

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey recently said that Lane has had the best training camp of any player this season. That's any player; not just among rookies.

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Rams 20, Chargers 18

The Rams once again sat their starters, as they've done in every single exhibition contest Sean McVay has coached. The Chargers, conversely, actually played their starters, though Jim Harbaugh said that he only wanted to see his starters for 6-10 snaps, hoping that they'd display some cohesiveness.

There was none of that on the first drive. In fact, the possession ended prematurely because Justin Herbert dropped the ball in the pocket, as it slipped out of his hands while he tried to hand it off to Omarion Hampton. Herbert laughed it off on the sideline but was ordered to take the field once again on the next possession.

Herbert was nearly picked on a pass to Oronde Gadsden II on the second drive when the ball was tipped. However, Herbert responded strongly on his final play from scrimmage with a 65-yard bomb to Quentin Johnston.

Here were Herbert's targets:

Oronde Gadsden: 1
Quentin Johnston: 1
Charlie Kolar: 1

The Rams played Ty Simpson for a half. Chargers color analyst Dan Fouts was skeptical of Simpson despite his quality play this preseason. He said, "Ty Simpson has completed a high percentage of his passes, but if we're being honest, most of those completions were the short variety."

Well, Simpson made Fouts look very foolish in this game. In fact, of his first 20 passes, Simpson threw just two incompletions. One was dropped, and the other was thrown away due to pressure in the pocket.

Simpson did miss high at one point, and he had a couple of errant throws into the end zone during one series. However, he made a great throw on one occasion. He rolled left out of the pocket when the Chargers sent the house after him. He squared his shoulders and tossed a perfect touchdown.

Simpson has been far better than Fernando Mendoza in the preseason, but let's not forget that Daniel Jones once looked like the next coming of Joe Montana in his exhibition games. Nathan Peterman, Kyle Sloter, and Pat White were all tremendous preseason quarterbacks.

We'll see what happens in real action, but Simpson is certainly off to a good start.

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Bills 28, Steelers 27

Neither team played its starters in this game, so there were only a few players of note. One was second-round rookie receiver Germie Bernard, who caught an early pass in the flat and was able to evade former first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston's tackle. Bernard scored a touchdown.

Bernard's not much of a fantasy option this year, but it was nice to see him make a good move on a highly touted prospect.

Drew Allar played the second half in this game. He didn't do anything too spectacular, but he had some nice throws, including one where he had a quality completion on the run while avoiding pressure.

Allar did have a dropped interception in the red zone, but that was more the result of a miscommunication with his receiver.

NFL Preseason Announcers: This game was so boring that the announcers spent the entire fourth quarter eating pizza and cheeseburgers. I wish I were joking, but that's exactly what happened.

In fact, color analyst Steve Tasker had a piece of pizza fall out of his mouth and onto the floor, which he tried to catch with his hands but failed.

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Browns 37, Patriots 13

This was a completely worthless game in which Tommy DeVito and Dillon Gabriel squared off in a fierce battle. DeVito threw a beautiful 45-yard touchdown bomb to Kyle Williams, but that was pretty much it for this game. No players of relevance participated in it.

To demonstrate how worthless this game was, the Patriots even had their positional coaches call the plays instead of their coordinators.

49ers 18, Raiders 12

Kirk Cousins played two drives in this game, but Fernando Mendoza saw the most action for the Raiders. Unfortunately for Mendoza, he had another rough outing.

Mendoza began with a noteworthy gain of five yards, but only because Jalen Nailor made a miraculous one-handed catch. However, Mendoza's next pass was an interception fired toward Nailor on an overthrow. Mendoza then took a couple of sacks due to some poor pass protection.

Mendoza was able to draw a deep pass interference flag on a throw to Malik Benson at one point. However, Mendoza was guilty of poor clock management at the end of the first half, squandering a potential touchdown opportunity. He also overthrew Ian Thomas in the flat on what should have been a routine completion.

Mendoza was very poor in this game. He looks frazzled and unsure of himself.

As mentioned, Cousins played two drives. He forced a throw to Brock Bowers that was broken up, but completed the next pass to Bowers for about seven yards.

Overall, Cousins' performance wasn't noteworthy. However, he was much better than Mendoza.

Here were Cousins' targets:

Jack Bech: 1
Brock Bowers: 2
Michael Mayer: 2
Jalen Nailor: 2
Tre Tucker: 3
Mike Washington: 1

There was at least one competent player in the Raiders' backfield in this game, and that was Mike Washington, starting once again for the injured Ashton Jeanty.

Washington's first carry saw him pound over a defender for eight yards. He then had a nine-yard gain negated by Jack Bech's hold, but he bounced back with a 14-yard run in which he ran to the outside. Washington followed that up with a five-yard run in which he broke a tackle, and on his final noteworthy carry, he had an 11-yard gain where he burst through the hole and carried a defender.

Washington has been outstanding thus far, and even when Jeanty is healthy, it's hard to imagine him not being a factor in the offense.

Tre Tucker was the only Raiders starting receiver to see more than two targets from Kirk Cousins. Granted, it was still only three, but it was interesting how they used Tucker, as he was lined up in the backfield at one point and caught a pass near the line of scrimmage.

Tucker is the No. 1 receiver on the Raiders, and he's definitely worth a late-round pick.

The 49ers played their backups, but there was one noteworthy thing for them in this game, and that was the backup running back rotation. With Christian McCaffrey due to miss significant action this year, it's important to note who is going to be his backup.

Both Kaelon Black and Jordan James played in this game, and both looked great, albeit against the Raiders' backups. However, Black played ahead of James. It's unclear if that's going to persist, but it appears as though Black has the inside edge to be the RB2.

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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 - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 9/4 (Walt)



2026 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:



2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 PPR - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Half-PPR - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 2-QB - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Touchdown League - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/4 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 9/4 (Walt)

2026 Fantasy Football Articles:
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2026 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Tiers - 9/2 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Values - 9/1 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 8/31 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Busts - 8/31 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Preseason Games - 8/29 (Walt)
2026 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy Guide - 8/26 (Walt)






NFL Picks - Sept. 16


2027 NFL Mock Draft - Sept. 16


NFL Power Rankings - Sept. 14


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