We’d normally skip right past this, but it’s a notable quote given the open competition for the starting quarterback job. It would seem to imply that Watson is in the lead. “It was so cool to watch him play. I get all of the frustration by fans, himself (with the past), but for him to come back and work like he did is an unbelievable credit to him,” Monken said. It sounds like Monken will continue the competition through the second week of the preseason, but there’s already a lean here.
Johnson had 12 carries for 59 yards and three catches for 10 yards against the Rams. While we’ve seen a little camp buzz about Johnson, The Athletic’s Jesse Newell presents this as a step forward for Johnson who “has been running with the fourth-string offense most of training camp.” He’s still probably the best back to have rostered in the event of a Kenneth Walker injury, but this isn’t such an important role that the backup necessarily needs to be rostered in standard redraft leagues.
The good news is that Allen worked with the starters in the slot. The bad news is that he worked well into the second half in the first preseason game while leading the team in targets. He’s clearly the highest-upside stash receiver of the group, but playing deep into the first preseason game isn’t a great sign for his chances of early playing time.
It was his first game action in 20 months. The Panthers’ offense, playing their starters three series, looked dead on arrival against the Bills on Saturday. But Brooks did start with Chuba Hubbard sidelined, validating the training camp drumbeat that he’d be in the mix early. He’s at least an interesting bench option in standard leagues at this point, and could perhaps turn into more.
It’s a game that The Athletic’s Dan Duggan says “strengthened his push for the No. 2 receiver job.” His touchdown pass was from Jaxson Dart, but he was one of several receivers getting first-team snaps. It’s hard to believe Fields will be relevant early in 12-team redraft leagues unless Malik Nabers suffers a setback, but he’s squarely on the fantasy radar after a big camp.
It certainly looks like Gordon will hit reserve/PUP or injured reserve before the start of the season while he deals with this long-term calf injury. This makes both the Bears coach and GM telling you they’re frustrated with the situation.
He tore his MCL against the Raiders on Thursday night in the team’s first preseason game. "(Chase) will be out for a good amount of time, if not the whole year,” Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said. “Sucks for him. Always think about the player first. Sucks for the Cardinals too, He’s a good player but more importantly you hate it for the player.” The second-round pick will rehab and get ready for a return in 2027.
It doesn’t sound like Conner has a great chance of being available for Week 1, and if he’s not yet able to fully practice it’s certainly on the table for Conner to start the year on injured reserve or the reserve/PUP list. Conner took a paycut this offseason and is due $2.35 million guaranteed in 2026 after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3 last year.
Milroe and Drew Lock split time in the first game of the preseason, and Lock was much more effective with a touchdown and 40 yards on 9-of-13 passing. That’s more insult to Milroe than compliment to Lock, to be fair. The second-year signal-caller showed off his upper-echelon speed, but held onto the ball too long, and struggled to get the ball down field. Milroe would be a tantalizing fantasy play because of his ability to scramble, but just isn’t a good enough passer to believe that’s going to come to fruition.
Brown made an impact in his exhibition debut, and he connected with Sam Howell on a 39-year touchdown in the second quarter. His second score was far shorter but even more impressive; a one-handed stab in the back of the end zone. There’s a long way to go and Brown is anything but a lock to make the roster, but he’s been one of the stars of training camp, and he showed why Saturday evening. At the very least, he’s worth monitoring.
Lane has impressed in camp, and he snagged a 16-yard touchdown from fellow rookie Joe Fagnano for his first score of the season. The 80th pick of last year’s draft, Lane’s 6-foot-4 frame makes him a potential threat inside the 20, and it appears he’s going to get a chance to win the No. 3 receiving job. At the very least, Lane is worth monitoring in deeper formats.
Stowers was somewhat involved in the first half but the rookie tight end had a long gain of just six yards in the first exhibition game of the season. The 23-year-old has significant long-term upside because of his athleticism, but it’s very clear — at least early on — that Stowers has work to do before he’s a fantasy option in 2026.
Wilson took over in the second quarter for Spencer Rattler, who struggled mightily in his 2026 debut. Wilson, on the other hand, looked far more comfortable running the offense and completed four of his five pass attempts on distances of 10 or more air yards. He was a perfect 2-for-2 on passes of 20-plus yards. Wilson connected with tight end Oscar Delp on a one-yard pass for his lone touchdown of the day and led the Saints on two scoring drives. Given what we saw from both Wilson and Rattler today, it wouldn’t be surprising if Wilson pushes Rattler for the QB2 spot behind Tyler Shough.
Simpson played all but two drives for the Rams in this one, as Sean McVay gave his rookie first-rounder an extended first taste of NFL action. Simpson played about as clean of a game as one could have hoped for, avoiding sacks and turnovers while leading his team on three scoring drives. Simpson’s first touchdown pass came on a screen pass to running back Dean Conners, who took it into the end zone for the score. Later, Simpson connected with Conners on a two-yard score after he found a hole between two defenders to fit the ball into. We would expect Simpson to see another lengthy outing in next week’s game against the Saints.
Rattler’s 3.8 yards per attempt won’t turn any heads, but the two sacks he took, one of which resulted in a lost fumble, might be enough to give Zach Wilson a chance at backup duties. Rattler didn’t complete a pass for more than nine yards on Saturday and will look to have a bounce-back performance in his next game, which is set for Saturday against the Rams.
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after O’Connell sounded disappointed when discussing Adams’ injury after halftime. The 10-year vet had made a switch to linebacker last season and signed with the Vikings last month in hopes of carving out a role in Brian Flores’ defense. Adams has an MRI scheduled for tomorrow, which will reveal the extent of the damage.
This one was expected after the team said it feared Mertz suffered a torn ACL shortly after the game. Mertz joined the Texans as a rookie UDFA in 2025. He made the roster as the team’s third-string QB but did not attempt a pass. He will now be placed on injured reserve, ending his 2026 season. In a corresponding move, the Texans signed veteran QB Brett Rypien to the roster.
Concepcion did a little bit of everything in this one, with his most notable play coming on a 14-yard rushing touchdown on a jet sweep. The rookie first-rounder also had an impressive 31-yard punt return that would have gone for more if not for a shoestring tackle by Hayden Large. Concepcion played on 24 offensive snaps, with all four of his targets coming from Deshaun Watson. It was a strong debut for the explosive rookie, who is among the more intriguing sleepers in fantasy drafts this season.
Moore had his ankle rolled up on late in the fourth quarter and could be seen working with trainers on the sideline. Despite the scare, Moore told Brady after the game that he was “good to go,” suggesting there won’t be much to worry about going forward. Moore was impressive in his Bills debut, catching 3-of-4 targets for 61 yards in limited action.
Coleman took the field with the starters on Saturday and also spent some time with the second team offense. Coleman scored the first unofficial touchdown at the new Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen evaded pressure in the backfield to find Coleman in the end zone for a nine-yard score, while backup Kyle Allen connected with Coleman twice. It’s been a challenging year and a half for Coleman, who was a healthy scratch for a few games last season. The Bills remain committed to giving Coleman a chance to succeed. This decent showing in limited preseason action is an encouraging sign.
It was a non-contact injury for Adams, who is the latest player to fall victim to the MetLife Stadium turf. The veteran linebacker was seen holding his right leg after going down on the play, and head coach Kevin O’Connell said after halftime that the Vikings are “going to miss him.” O’Connell didn’t say Adams’ injury was a season-ender, but his tone suggested his 2026 season could be over. We’ll get more information on this soon, but it’s a brutal blow to Adams, who was carving out a nice role in Brian Flores’ defense.
Playing with and against backups, Sanders started the second half for the Browns and came out with two solid throws. His first attempt was a 24-yard completion to Gage Larvadain, and he connected with wide receiver Luke Floriea on a nicely thrown deep ball for a 35-yard gain to convert a third-and-13 a few plays later. Unfortunately for Sanders, he managed just 20 yards on his next eight throws, with multiple passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage and his last throw being picked off on an errant pass that sailed well beyond his receiver. Both Sanders and Deshaun Watson committed turnovers in this one. Sanders is scheduled to make the start in the Browns’ next preseason game, which comes on Saturday at home against the Bills.
Dart made a trip to the blue medical tent at the end of the first quarter after going down hard on a sack from Vikings safety Jay Ward. After clearing concussion protocol, Dart would return to the field and fire a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Malachi Fields in the end zone. It would be the final play of the day for Dart, who took two sacks on the afternoon and didn’t add anything on the ground. While it’s good news to hear Dart cleared protocol, the visit to the tent is concerning for a player who was evaluated five times in 10 games for a concussion last season.
Moore’s first reception of the day came on a shallow crossing route that he turned upfield for a 32-yard gain. The new No. 1 target for Josh Allen would later haul in passes of 11 and 18 yards, but left the game with an apparent right ankle injury after having his leg rolled up on by a defender. Moore walked off under his own power and appeared in good spirits on the sideline, but we’ll likely get a better sense of his status after the game. Moore only ran six routes in this one, but his usage was very encouraging. It wouldn’t be surprising if we saw his ADP jump up a bit as a result of this strong first showing.