1. Rookie Quarterbacks, Act 1

It’s important not to overreact to how rookies look during preseason action. Last year, I wrote about how C.J. Stroud appeared to be struggling coming out of the gate. That said, with this being a possibly historic QB class, it was exciting to see how the freshmen would perform in real game action. For fantasy purposes, the thing I pay attention to most is whether or not the rookies are willing to push the ball down the field. For example, Caleb Williams (24 yards per completion) and J.J. McCarthy (16 yards per completion) were excellent in this regard. As for Bo Nix (8 yards per completion), the numbers told a different story as the Bronco quarterback seemed intent on getting the ball out quickly and accurately. As for Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, the sample size was small as each barely played. But, Daniels did score a rushing touchdown. All in all, these debuts were impactful in that we got a glimpse of who might be comfortable with more than just check-down throws. We’ll examine this further next week.

2. Battle Royale in New England

So, I was involved in my most personally meaningful draft of August this weekend and the draft covered fourteen rounds of selections. Of those selections, 52 of them were wide receivers. Of that 52, ZERO of them were New England receivers. Every other team had at least one receiver taken. Since the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes have likely come and gone for the Patriots, someone else is going to emerge as fantasy relevant option. Maybe two some-ones. We know it won’t be JuJu Smith-Schuster as he was released. Kayshon Boutte (3-53-0, 6 targets), now cleared of gambling charges, certainly has a chance to carve out a bigger role in Foxborough this season. Demario Douglas didn’t play which all but confirms he’s locked into a starting role. Continue to watch what’s going on in New England during these next two weeks. I know it’s not an exciting offense, but every NFL team has players worth stashing on fantasy rosters - especially teams with wide receivers often playing from behind.

3. Drumbeat for Wicks Growing Louder

They aren’t household names, but Green Bay has quietly assembled a very talented young corps of wide receivers over the past couple of seasons. Jayden Reed is getting drafted regularly in the middle rounds as is Christian Watson. Romeo Doubs is also a common late-round selection given that his fantasy floor is solid. All that said, Dontayvion Wicks and the term “breakout” are being tossed around the internet frequently. Wicks did little to silence those reports as he hauled in a 65-yard TD from Jordan Love on the opening series this weekend. Wicks may not be a PPR threat just yet, but his big-play ability should have him on your radar by now. It was interesting that the Packers took their shot with him early in the game as if to say “let’s confirm what we’re seeing in practice”. If you are looking for a guy to stash in the late rounds take a chance on this guy. At worst, he’ll put up Rashid Shaheed-like numbers. At best, he could be a fantasy starter as the season wears on.

4. Backfield in Miami Getting Crowded

Drafters continue to salivate about the vast potential of De’Von Achane which is understandable given what we saw last year. But, the drafting of Jaylen Wright and the retention of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson underscore the fact that touches may be spread out so much that all Miami running backs are being over-drafted. Wright, for his part, looked solid in his debut as he ran the ball 10 times for 5.5 yards per carry and a touchdown. Further, Wilson was targeted four times in the passing game. There’s still a chance that Wilson won’t make the final roster, but even if he doesn’t, Wright looks too good to keep off the field entirely. I am not saying Achane should be on any “do not draft” lists. Or that Mostert will fade into obscurity. What I am saying is that Dolphin RBs should be approached with some caution right now.

5. Big Ben, Part Two?

No, we aren’t referencing Justin Fields or Russell Wilson here. If you’re closely tracking the QB battle in Pittsburgh this preseason, more power to you. Instead, we noticed the play of rookie TE Ben Sinnott in Washington. It has often been said that the learning curve for tight ends is steep and that prevents rookies at the position from being relevant. Sam LaPorta changed that thinking somewhat with his performance last season making Sinnott someone to consider, especially after a solid debut that included catching all three targets for nearly 60 yards. The target tree in Washington is ripe for some new blood with no one emerging alongside Terry McLaurin in recent years. Add to that the fact that Sinnott gets to cut his teeth alongside a rookie QB, and there could be a quick chemistry that develops. If you happen to be satisfied with your starting tight end, pick up Sinnott as your backup earlier than his current ADP. There may be upside with him that doesn’t exist with his peers.

6. Rookie Running Backs Look Sharp

This was supposed to be a weak rookie RB class as far as real-world and fantasy production is concerned and maybe it still will be. But, the debut of Jaylen Wright was not the only debut that impressed this past weekend. Braelon Allen looked particularly good in his first game as a Jet netting 9 yards a carry on 6 attempts. Allen won’t be pushing Breece Hall for playing time as Hall is one of the few workhorse backs that still exist in the league. But any missed time by Hall could bring Allen into prominence and if I were drafting Hall, I would make absolutely certain that I pick up Allen later in the process. Elsewhere, Bucky Irving is making a similar play to be Rachaad White’s primary understudy and 28 yards and a TD in his first game with Tampa is something to consider. Again, no one is suggesting Irving as a guy who will overtake White anytime soon, but as a handcuff, he’s ideal.

7. Tank Appears Fully Operational

Few rookie players in 2023 impressed like Tank Dell as he racked up four weeks totaling 91.6 fantasy points in Weeks 9-12 only to see an injury wipe out the rest of his season in Houston. This year, the addition of veteran Stefon Diggs and continued emergence of Nico Collins has Dell flying under the radar a bit. But, in Houston’s game against Pittsburgh, the Stroud to Dell connection was rekindled with a 34-yard TD strike that served as a reminder that Dell is once again healthy. I know the tendency when a big name like Diggs comes to a new team is to get excited about his pairing with a young QB of promise, but Dell’s surge in 2023 should not be forgotten. It’s possible Tank is being under-drafted by a round.

8. The Cincinnati Shuffle

While the Bengals were able to retain the services of Tee Higgins for at least one more season, there were other changes on the roster to pay attention to. For starters, Tyler Boyd has moved on to Tennessee making the WR3 spot an open competition which has been a valuable position in the Bengals offense. For one week at least, Jermaine Burton (3-81-1, 4 targets) enjoyed a solid audition as he totaled over 80 yards through the air on just three catches -- one of which was a touchdown in the second half against Tampa Bay. It should be noted that Burton only had 5 snaps through three quarters as the Bengals remain high on Andrei Iosivas (1-23-0, 1 target) also. As for who is going to replace Joe Mixon, Zack Moss missed the first preseason game with an illness and Chase Brown (5-10-0, 1-0-0) did little to impress. Nothing much to see here for the two backs expected to split time.

9. Taking a Long View of Dak in Dallas

This notation will have no real impact on redraft leagues this season, but it might be of some interest to dynasty players. Why did Trey Lance throw the ball 41 times in a preseason game for the Cowboys? The answer to that isn’t hard. Dallas wants to see what they have in Lance because they’re not sure they want to pay Dak the money he wants to continue being a Cowboy beyond this year. Lance (25 of 41, 188-0-0; 6-44-0) was uneven in his performance while Cooper Rush started and had a better overall game in limited playing time. Still, it was unusual to see in what is often a vanilla preseason game, the barrage of throws from Lance. Add in the need for Dallas to lock in CeeDee Lamb (who is holding out) and you’ve got an interesting under current taking place in Big-D.

10. Committed To the Run

Yes, preseason can mean little in terms of deciphering what scheme an NFL team is going to employ when the regular season starts, but four teams this weekend ran the ball 38 times or more which is something to pay attention to. One of those teams was Tennessee, and the high rushing volume alongside the offseason decision to bring in Tony Pollard (4-35-0, 2-11-0), has me wondering if this won’t be formula the Titans. After all, they aren’t going to win a lot of shoot-out games with Will Levis at the helm and their defense is middling at best. Heavy doses of Pollard and Tyjae Spears at the onset of games seems to make sense to me. As for the other teams with heaving rushing loads this week…that would be Seattle (39), Philadelphia (38), and Denver (38). Again, something to watch as the preseason rolls on.

Next week, we’ll break down everything related to Preseason Week No.2. Until then…