Mayfield played just two series and was without his top four receivers, with only Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell joining him as presumed regular starters. Even so, the offense was hardly able to showcase its upside against backup members of the Kansas City defense. Whether Mayfield and the rest of the starters play in the team’s final preseason game next week remains to be seen, but there appears to be significant room for improvement before they kick off the regular season against the Bengals in three weeks.
The starting offense played two series consisting of eight plays before giving way to the second unit, wherein Irving saw a carry on the first three plays from scrimmage before Gainwell entered the game. Gainwell received his lone carry on the following play, with neither back seeing another opportunity before departing. Previous talk surrounding this backfield hinted at more of a “1A-1B” situation than what was seen in their first preseason action, widening the range of outcomes of Irving in a fantasy setting for the coming season. That leaves potential room for upside considering Irving’s No. 55 overall aggregate ADP across all platforms, particularly considering how much the coaching staff has talked up his receiving chops this offseason. Consider Irving an interesting upside bet in the fifth round.
James missed almost a month of camp and preseason activity after suffering a fractured rib in late July, with his appearance at practice Saturday marking his first time in pads since 29 July. He returns to a backfield currently missing All-World running back Christian McCaffrey and will join Kaelon Black in a battle for primary backup duties until games begin to count in two weeks.
The Watson-led Browns were met with boos after starting the second half with consecutive three-and-out drives before an interception ended their third possession after the break. They would get the ball back one more time before the end of Watson’s time on the field, ending in a failed fourth down conversion attempt, enough to add two modest completions before giving way to Dillon Gabriel near the beginning of the fourth quarter. Watson appeared to be the frontrunner for the starting job under center when the Browns kick off the regular season in two short weeks but this showing, paired with a relatively strong showing from Shedeur Sanders during the first half, could have thrown a wrench in those plans. Head coach Todd Monken is reportedly set to make a decision on the starting quarterback in the coming days.
It has been assumed that Tua Tagovailoa would be under center when games begin to count in two weeks, largely due to the health of Penix. Recent weeks have given some pause to that expectation considering the struggles of Tagovailoa and increasing health of Penix, with the current quarterback situation now much more up in the air as the team inches closer to the regular season. Penix now gains clearance to participate in 11-on-11 practices, a massive milestone in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in November. The Falcons appear to be headed towards a situation in which they are one of the final teams to announce their Week 1 starting quarterback, although it could still fall on Tagovailoa’s shoulders out of necessity.
Stribling apparently emerged from the team’s preseason Week 2 game with a shoulder issue, with the team listing him as day-to-day Saturday. The timing could not be worse for the rookie receiver after it was speculated that he would have a significant role in the offense as early as Week 1, particularly from 11-personnel. Stribling continues to turn heads in both practice and on the preseason game-day field, with fantasy managers now left to hope that the shoulder issue is something that can be resolved in short order. The team did not provide further clarification of the ailment.
Sanders was given the entirety of the first half, starting by completing his first eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown before a tipped pass resulted in his lone interception. He would complete only one other pass, a loss of six yards, before handing the game over to Deshaun Watson in the third quarter. It was a largely uninspiring performance from the second-year signal caller amidst a quarterback battle that is said to be nearing a decision, with head coach Todd Monken indicating a decision would likely come early next week. To his credit, Sanders saw a chunk gain on the ground erased from the board after an offensive holding call. Watson appeared to take pole position for the starting job the previous week of camp - the fact that Sanders was given a full half while Watson only played for a quarter seems to reinforce that claim. Fantasy managers will want to confirm the statuses of both quarterbacks in the coming days.
Bond departed in the first half and was listed as questionable to return at the break, with the team confirming he was being evaluated for a concussion. The second-year receiver was reportedly pushing veteran Jerry Jeudy for a claim on a starting role after an impressive camp. He was quickly cleared early in the second half, meaning he can resume his push towards a starting spot for the regular season in a couple short weeks.
McCarthy’s most impressive play came on a 50-yard strike downfield to Tai Felton. McCarthy threw a good ball to Felton, who went up to make the contested catch and put the Vikings in scoring position, but the drive would stall a few plays later, down inside the Ravens’ five-yard line. McCarthy would sail a throw high to Felton in the end zone on second and goal, and he missed Myles Price in the flat for a would-be touchdown on fourth and goal. McCarthy also faced considerable pressure from the Ravens defense and took one sack on the day. He was pulled after one quarter of play and will presumably draw the start in next week’s preseason finale against the Broncos next Friday.
The knee injury Bobo suffered in Friday’s practice is indeed a season-ender, as the fourth-year receiver and special teams contributor will now head to the IR and eye a return in 2027. Bobo has caught 34 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns in his career and was expected to serve as added depth for the Seahawks this season.
Dobbins said he was unsure if he would play in the preseason, but it’s safe to assume the Broncos’ RB1 won’t be taking the field until the regular season. Dobbins exited camp with a soft tissue injury back on August 10th, but didn’t miss any significant time, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to hear he’s feel good with less than a month to go before the start of the season. Dobbins is expected to serve as the Broncos’ primary back on early downs and will be on the RB2/RB3 radar for fantasy this season.
In addition to Daniels, the Commanders are also expected to play Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, giving us the first look at the team’s revamped passing game under new offensive coordinator David Blough, with most of its starters on the field. We wouldn’t expect Daniels and company to play more than a series or two, but this will be Daniels’ first game since Week 14 of last season.
After a good week of joint practices against the Browns, the Bills are expected to sit most of their starters while giving their depth players a chance to show what they have. Veteran QB Kyle Allen will draw the start on Saturday, with backup Shane Buechele also expected to see work. The Bills’ decision to sit their starters should come as good news for Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, who are still battling for the QB1 job, with Sanders in line to start with the first-team offense.
It sounds like Saturday’s game against the Bills is set up to be the final dress rehearsal for Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders before Monken decides who will start in Week 1 against the Jaguars. Sanders is expected to start on Saturday against the Bills, with Watson expected to take the field in the second half of Saturday’s game. Neither quarterback looked particularly impressive in the first preseason game against the Bears, with both committing turnovers in their respective halves. Whoever gets the nod as the starter will likely sit in the team’s preseason finale against the Patriots next week.
Allar struggled more in his second taste of preseason action, taking three sacks while completing only 47.8 percent of his passes, but were it not for three dropped passes and some garbage time heaves on the game’s final drive, his box score would have looked a little better. Allar’s most impressive throw came on his second drive of the game, when he evaded pressure and ran left to throw a 38-yard ball down the sideline that was placed neatly between two defenders to receiver Lake McRee for a big gain. In the fourth quarter, he would connect with Isaiah Winstead on a 17-yard gain, again on a tight pass near the sideline for his second-longest completion of the night. Allar fared better than second-year QB Will Howard, who completed 10-of-15 passes for 74 yards but was picked off twice in the first half. We would expect both quarterbacks to get extended opportunities in next week’s preseason finale against the Bills on Thursday.
Nix looked mobile and eager to chuck it downfield. He even had a few overthrows, which we suppose is a good thing for a quarterback who spent the offseason rehabbing an ankle injury. The Broncos quarterback linked up with new WR Jaylen Waddle for a 35-yard gain down the seam and targeted WR Courtland Sutton a couple of times along the sideline. He found tonight’s starting RB RJ Harvey speeding down the right side of the field on a wheel route, and linked up with the second-year running back for a 21-yard touchdown to conclude the first drive. New OC Davis Webb regularly dialed up play action, which is great for fantasy purposes. Nix looks like a low-end QB1.
Coleman’s physicality jumps off the screen. The sturdy rookie running back effectively wielded a spin move to shed defenders on multiple plays after he took the field for the Broncos’ second drive. The Broncos could end up using a three-player rotation, but Coleman’s three-down skill set and consistent coaching praise make him a must-stash player in 12-team leagues.
One of the best rushers of the modern era, Chubb retires with four Pro Bowl appearances and one second-team All-Pro nod on his resumé. The Browns drafted Chubb with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons with them, clearing 1,000 yards on the ground four times, and spent his final NFL season with the Texans. Chubb retires with 7,349 rushing yards, 54 rushing touchdowns, 141 receptions, 1,109 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Broncos CB Pat Surtain appeared to force a fumble from Packers WR Christian Watson moments after Watson hauled in the pass. Moss dove on it, injuring himself in the process, but Watson was eventually ruled down by contact. Bummer. Moss was grabbing at the right side of his rib cage on the right side of his body as he entered the blue medical tent. If Moss misses time, the Broncos have CB Jahdae Barron waiting in the wings.
Lloyd played on 5-of-7 snaps during the first drive, giving way to RB Chris Brooks for third- and fourth-and-inches. Lloyd looks fast and powerful and can be treated as a high-end bench stash with potential standalone value. His touchdown occurred on a nifty catch-and-run play over the middle. Starting RB Josh Jacobs (groin) did not play.
What exactly does this mean? It probably means that Stribling is a clear-cut starter in three-wide receiver sets, but Barrows did not expand on the matter. Barrows recently reported that WR Deebo Samuel will take over “a portion” of the Z-receiver role, while also contributing as a “wide back.” The remaining portion of the Z-receiver role in two-wide receiver sets could end up going to Stribling. He’s certainly made a strong case with his preseason play, but coach Kyle Shahanah is sometimes hesitant to feature rookies right away. Regardless, Stribling can be viewed as a FLEX starter with easy WR3 upside in the season opener.
Warren played 3-of-3 snaps on the first drive. Steelers RB Rico Dowdle played 4-of-4 snaps on the second. The two backs then rotated on the third. Dowdle rushed five times for 18 yards, adding one reception for two yards. This is about what we expected, though a recent report did indicate that Dowdle would be the Steelers’ “workhorse.” For now, treat both players as reliable FLEX starters with RB2 upside in what should be a split backfield, at least early on.
Cooper played extensively in the Jets’ first preseason game, prompting The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt to write that WR Isaiah Williams appeared to have overtaken Cooper for the starting slot receiver job. This week, Cooper out-snapped WR Isaiah Williams six to one on the first drive. Williams continued playing on the second drive before rotating with Cooper on the third. PFF’s Nathan Jahnke notes that when Cooper returned, he lined up out wide while Williams manned the slot. Williams caught 3-of-5 targets for 17 yards and one fumble, though it was recovered by the Jets. It appears as though Cooper may have regained his spot as the Jets’ WR3 behind WR1 Garrett Wilson and WR2 Adonai Mitchell. Cooper still makes for a risky late-round dart throw, but he will get more chances to contribute.
Brooks played 11-of-13 plays over the Panthers’ first two drives, giving way to RB Trevor Etienne on a 3rd-and-4 play. Brooks subbed right back in after that and punched in a one-yard touchdown two plays later. With RB Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) currently sidelined, it’s tough to draw a complete conclusion, but as things currently stand, Brooks looks like the featured running back in Carolina. Hopefully, he can refine his pass protection and remain on the field for third downs at some point.
When asked what issue is currently ailing Horton, Macdonald reportedly smiled and said, “sorry, I just don’t want to tell you.” It is unclear whether Horton experienced a setback in his return from a 2025 shin injury or if this is a new issue. The team does not have to release any information until Week 1 injury reports come out. At this point, Horton does not need to be drafted in 12-team leagues.