Immediate fantasy football takeaways from every game

The Jets moved on from their former starting tight end, Tyler Conklin, this offseason and drafted Taylor in the second round to be his replacement. He and Jeremy Ruckert were the primary tight ends with the starters. They shared the field in 12 personnel, which the Jets used frequently on the two drives with the starters. They were close to splitting snaps in single-tight-end sets. Ruckert tended to play more on early downs and Taylor more on passing downs.

While this wasn’t the ideal case for Taylor, it was a strong first game. He is already the Jets tight end who is running the most routes and is ahead of a few other tight ends in the league based on how New York used its tight ends. This is also a starting point, as rookies tend to play more snaps as the season progresses. There is a chance that Taylor could be playing closer to 80% of the snaps by Week 1. At the very least, he is well ahead of other Day 2 and 3 tight ends, including Elijah Arroyo, Oronde Gadsden, Terrance Ferguson and Harold Fannin Jr.

Taylor is a fine late-round dart throw in deeper leagues and will be someone to monitor closely if he’s on the waiver wire.

Beaux Collins emerges out of the Giants’ wide receiver room: The undrafted rookie caught an 80-yard pass on the Giants’ first drive, leading to a New York touchdown.

The Giants’ wide receiver room didn’t seem to change much this offseason, with Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt at the top of the depth chart. Nabers is dealing with another minor injury, which led him to miss the game. However, rather than Hyatt starting the game, it was the undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame.

Collins has received significant buzz from Giants camp in recent days, especially after he missed a week of practice, including the first preseason game. Collins was in a rotation with Hyatt throughout the first half. Hyatt wasn’t able to play in the Giants’ first preseason game for an undisclosed injury, and that injury may have impacted his playing time in this game. Regardless, the battle for the Giants’ fifth wide receiver spot seemed wide open, and after making an 80-yard catch, it wouldn’t be surprising if Collins has that job locked up. The fact that other wide receivers weren’t part of the first half rotation also suggests Collins will be the guy.

While this isn’t enough to draft Collins in most leagues, there is a chance Collins can surpass Hyatt on the depth chart. Both Nabers and Slayton have a history of injury, so there is a chance Collins will start games for New York this season. He is one of the top undrafted free agents to consider in any deep dynasty league.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Jets backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor recently underwent knee surgery. There is hope he will be ready for Week 1, but he will be out for the rest of the preseason.
• Wide receiver Xavier Gipson missed last week due to a shoulder injury, but he’s been practicing this week and was available to play.
• Wide receiver Allen Lazard will miss two weeks due to a shoulder injury. He was third on the Jets depth chart last week, but Tyler Johnson and Arian Smith also mixed in early on.
• Josh Reynolds established himself as the Jets’ second wide receiver last week. That remained true this week, while Johnson filled the void with Lazard out. It’s at least possible that Johnson can win the third receiver spot while Lazard is out.
• Wide receiver Irvin Charles remains on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury. It seems unlikely he will make the 53-man roster.
• Wide receiver Irvin Charles remains on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury. It seems unlikely he will make the 53-man roster.
• Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo remains out with a hamstring injury. The longer Skattebo is out, the more people can trust Tyrone Tracy Jr. earlier in the season, and the later Skattebo will fall down the draft board.
• Eric Gray remains on the physically unable to perform list. He might not make the roster, unless the Giants choose to keep four running backs.
• Last week, Wan’Dale Robinson was playing as an outside wide receiver, at times in two-receiver sets. This made it seem like he might be in store for a larger role this season. However, in this game, he was back to only playing in three-receiver sets.
• The Giants were also without backup tight ends Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz due to apparent injuries.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Monitor Jalen McMillan’s health: McMillan left the game early after landing on his head after making a catch.

Luckily, he was able to walk off the field and was talking with trainers afterwards, as there was concern it could be a serious neck injury.

McMillan started the game with rookie Emeka Egbuka, while Sterling Shepard played in three-receiver sets, similar to last week. Egbuka continued to play the X-receiver role, which is typically Mike Evans‘ spot, while McMillan played his usual Z role and Shepard played in the slot.

After McMillan’s injury, seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson joined the starting lineup after missing last week’s preseason game. It was notable that Johnson was already ahead of other veterans, like Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller, on the depth chart.

If McMillan were to miss time, it would ensure Egbuka had a spot in the Buccaneers’ starting lineup. The fact that neither Egbuka nor McMillan has played in the slot in the preseason could be a sign that the Buccaneers are optimistic about Chris Godwin playing in Week 1. Ideally, Egbuka would play some snaps out of the slot in the preseason if he were to play there in Week 1.

Kenneth Gainwell remains ahead of Kaleb Johnson: All five of Gainwell’s snaps occurred before Johnson played his first snap.

For the second straight week, Jaylen Warren sat out with the rest of the clear starters. Gainwell played the first four snaps, followed by Johnson playing well into the third quarter, with players like Trey Sermon. There are times when rookie running backs start lower on the depth charts than people expect, so this wasn’t too concerning for Week 1.

However, the Steelers did something very similar this week. Gainwell played all five snaps on the first two drives, and then his day was done earlier than all other Steelers who started this game. Johnson took over after that point. It’s one thing if the two running backs are rotating with Gainwell having a lead at this point, or if Gainwell played significantly before Johnson joined the game. However, when a running back only takes a few snaps to start preseason games and then their day is done, that typically indicates a significant role this season. If Warren and Gainwell both have significant roles, there isn’t much room for Johnson.

While it’s possible Johnson can surpass Gainwell on the depth chart as early as next week, we might also never see a clear passing on the depth chart. Johnson is expected to be an early-down back, while Gainwell is more well-rounded, so the two might be stuck in roles that don’t end up leading to fantasy value.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Buccaneers rested quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Bucky Irving, wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Cade Otton last week.
• Chris Godwin remains on the physically unable to perform list. There has been no recent update on his injury, and there is an expectation that he will miss the start of the season.
• Rachaad White suffered a groin injury in the Buccaneers’ first preseason game and was considered day-to-day.
• Bucky Irving played 18 of 19 snaps with the starters, including several plays on third and long. While we can’t read too much into that with White out, it’s good to know the Buccaneers trust him to play close to 100% of the snaps if they want.
• Buccaneers backup wide receiver Trey Palmer didn’t play in this game but was back on the field Friday, giving him a chance of playing in next week’s preseason game.
• The Steelers held out quarterback Aaron Rodgers, running back Jaylen Warren, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and tight ends Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth in both last week’s and this week’s games.
• Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III was described as day-to-day but has missed the last two weeks of practice. This opens the door for another wide receiver to take the second wide receiver spot.

Arizona Cardinals @ Denver Broncos

Evan Engram continues his rotational role: The Broncos played both of their starting tight ends, giving us a better look at how their tight ends will rotate this season.

Payton has a long history of rotating his skill players, so it should be no surprise that the Broncos are rotating Engram and Adam Trautman. Last week, the starters played over three drives. Engram and Trautman perfectly split snaps in 11 personnel on early downs. In 12 personnel, Trautman played in all six, while Engram played five of six, and Lucas Krull took the other snap. Engram played all four snaps out of 11 personnel on third downs.

This week, the rotation was a little more positive for Engram. He played seven of 11 snaps out of 11 personnel on early downs. He played the only snap out of 11 personnel on third down and played one of the two snaps out of 12 personnel. This has given him a snap rate of 75% over the last two weeks, which is a little lower than his average when healthy.

It’s worth noting the Broncos have stayed in 11 personnel more often than usual. They’ve used 11 personnel for 75% of the snaps with the starters last season, compared to 61% last year. They’ve been missing their fullback, Michael Burton, due to a hamstring injury, which means they haven’t run 21 personnel. Broncos backup tight end/fullback Nate Adkins is expected to miss regular-season time after going through surgery. The Broncos haven’t run as much 12 personnel, likely because of Adkins’ injury. Once he’s back, we can expect more plays out of 12 personnel and more plays without Engram.

This won’t matter if Engram continues to make 58-yard catches, like he did in this game, but a lot will depend on his target rate. The Broncos didn’t play any of their starting three wide receivers in this game, and Engram only had one target in the preseason. While this game was good news for Engram, he remains a tight end to avoid.

As always, the Broncos’ preseason usage hasn’t always been indicative of what they’ll do in the regular season, as their preseason plans are unique compared to the rest of the league. The Broncos’ takeaways in the preseason should be taken with a grain of salt relative to all other takeaways.

Tip Reiman rests for the Cardinals: The Cardinals’ third-round pick out of the 2024 draft was among the several Arizona players who had the night off. 

The Cardinals have one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Trey McBride, which made it surprising when Arizona invested an early draft pick on Reiman a year ago. He ended up playing 451 snaps while Elijah Higgins played 412. The team ran 176 plays out of 13 personnel, which was the most in the league. The three tight ends rotated significantly in two-receiver sets, which is typically when McBride would get a break.

This season, Reiman might expand his lead over Higgins. All three tight ends played last week. McBride left the game late in the first quarter, Reiman left early in the second, and Higgins left after halftime. This week, Reiman was among the several players who had the night off. Despite this, Higgins would probably be the primary receiving tight end if McBride were to suffer an injury, as Reiman specializes in blocking, while Higgins is more well-rounded.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Cardinals backup wide receiver Simi Fehoko was the only skill player to miss the Cardinals’ first preseason game due to a quad injury. He was back to practice on Tuesday. He was part of the Cardinals’ wide receiver rotation in this game. He is competing with Xavier Weaver for the fifth receiver spot on the roster, although both will probably make the roster.
• This week, the Cardinals rested quarterback Kyler Murray, running backs James Conner and Trey Benson, wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Zay Jones and Greg Dortch, and tight ends Trey McBride and Tip Reiman.
• The Cardinals started Michael Carter, while Emari Demercado played on third downs. This means it’s unlikely Demercado will have fantasy value this season, even if Conner and Benson suffer injuries.
• The Broncos rested quarterback Bo Nix, running back J.K. Dobbins and wide receivers Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Devaughn Vele after playing their starters last week.
• Broncos backup tight end/fullback Nate Adkins is expected to miss regular-season time after going through surgery. Fullback Michael Burton also missed his second-straight preseason game with a hamstring injury.
• The Broncos took their tight ends and Harvey out of the game after two drives, while the backup wide receivers kept playing. This presumably shows there is a gap between Mims and Vele compared to Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.
• Broncos wide receiver A.T. Perry was recently activated from the PUP list. There is a chance Perry can make the roster if the Broncos opt to keep seven wide receivers, and he can beat Michael Bandy for the seventh spot.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New Orleans Saints

Tank Bigsby starts for the Jaguars: Travis Etienne Jr. started in the first preseason game.

The Jaguars used a relatively basic running back rotation in their first game. Etienne took the first drive, Bigsby played the second and third, Bhayshul Tuten took the fourth drive to the eighth drive, and LeQuint Allen played the ninth and 10th drive, and just four plays were exceptions when drives ran long and the Jaguars wanted to give the current running back a break. These kinds of rotations are common in the preseason and give us a look at the current order of the depth chart, but they do little to help us understand how running backs might rotate during the season.

This week, the backfield better resembled how it might look in the regular season. On the first drive, Bigsby played on first and second downs, while Etienne played on third down. This makes sense, given the two running backs’ strengths. On the second drive, Etienne started, played two snaps, followed by Bigsby’s two, and another four for Etienne. This put the two running backs in basically a 50/50 split. They surprisingly were near-even in routes, targets and carries. We can expect this to shift at least a little bit in the regular season with Etienne catching more passes and Bigsby running more, but we shouldn’t expect these tendencies to be as strong as last season, given how Liam Coen used his running backs in Tampa Bay last season.

Currently, Etienne has a consensus ADP two rounds earlier than Bigsby, ranging from one round or less on ESPN and Yahoo! to four rounds on Sleeper. These should be closer together, and if anything, Bigsby should be the one drafted earlier.

For the second straight game, Tuten did not play a snap with the starters. He missed some time during training camp, so it’s understandable that he hasn’t worked his way to the starters yet. He may mix in more frequently as the season progresses, hurting both Bigsby and Etienne’s fantasy value. The only way any of these players will become a consistent fantasy starter this season is if one starts to clearly outperform the other two.

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed make their preseason debuts: Both wide receivers missed the second half of the 2024 season.

The first and most obvious takeaway is that it’s good to see both players are healthy. We expect both players to rarely leave the field this season and both played 100% of New Orleans’ snaps with the starters, so this game was also in line with expectations.

Brandin Cooks was among the veterans not playing in this game, so we don’t have a great view of how the wide receivers will be rotated or used this season. The general expectation is that Cooks would join Olave and Shaheed in three-receiver sets, but that might not be the case, as none of the three receivers primarily play out of the slot.

Last week, Brandon Cooks and Mason Tipton were the primary receivers on the first drive, while Cedrick Wilson Jr. played in the slot in three receiver sets. In this game, Wilson also played in three-receiver sets and was the slot receiver more often than not. Wilson had seven snaps out of the slot in 11 personnel on the first three drives, compared to Olave’s three and Shaheed’s three. This suggests Wilson could have a larger role in the offense in 11 personnel, and Cooks could end up being more of a backup to Olave and Shaheed. It’s also possible we simply see a rotation of Olave, Shaheed and Cooks playing in the slot, while all of them take between 30-40% of the snaps in 11 personnel.

It’s worth noting that Wilson’s best season was in 2021 with the Dallas Cowboys, where he caught 45 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns as the Cowboys‘ primary slot receiver, while CeeDee Lamb was playing more snaps lined up out wide. Kellen Moore was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator that season.

The slot role in New Orleans is particularly noteworthy because of Moore’s history. Over the last three seasons, Moore’s primary slot receiver has averaged between 15.3 and 21.5 PPR points per game. His six primary outside receivers in three receiver sets have largely been unrosterable in fantasy, but the major exception was A.J. Brown last season. We will likely see those tendencies change this season due to Olave and Shaheed playing significantly on the outside and their talents, but we could see Wilson receiving a few more targets than originally anticipated, while Olave and Shaheed receive a little less.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter is dealing with an upper-body injury and was announced out prior to the game. Dyami Brown was also ruled out for an undisclosed reason.
• Last week, Brian Thomas Jr. and Hunter split snaps in the slot with the starters. In this game, it was a split between Thomas and Austin Trammell, further suggesting the Jaguars won’t have a clear slot receiver and instead will move their wide receivers around more often than Liam Coen’s offense did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
• The only Jaguars skill player not to play last week was tight end Johnny Mundt, who has missed most of the last three weeks due to an upper-body injury. He and Hunter Long are listed at the same spot on the depth chart, but Mundt was the clear second tight end based on usage with the starters in this game.
• The Saints rested running back Alvin Kamara and wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed last week. This week, it was again Kamara, along with wide receiver Brandin Cooks and tight end Juwan Johnson.
• Kendre Miller played 14 snaps with the starters while Cam Akers played four, including three on third down. If Kamara were to suffer an injury, we could expect Miller to be the early down back to pick up off waivers, but Akers would also play snaps in those passing situations.
• Saints tight ends Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill remain on the physically unable to perform list. Hill is expected to miss significant time this season.
• Saints backup wide receiver Bub Means landed on injured reserve this week due to an ankle injury he suffered last week.
• Rookie running back Devin Neal is expected to miss a few weeks due to a hamstring injury.

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Buffalo Bills @ Chicago Bears

First look at Colston Loveland with Cole Kmet: Kmet holds a slight edge over Loveland as the Bears’ lead tight end.

Kmet was among the Bears starters who sat out the first preseason game, with Loveland playing briefly at the start of the game. This week was the first true look at how they might be used together.

The two were used interchangeably, both playing five snaps on first downs and three snaps on second downs, while Kmet played one more snap than Loveland on third downs. They had five plays together in 12 personnel, while Kmet played five snaps to Loveland’s four in 11 personnel. While Kmet had the lead in snaps, Loveland was targeted twice compared to one target by Kmet.

Ideally, Loveland would be playing closer to 100% of the snaps with the starters. However, this isn’t all that different from how Brock Bowers was used during the preseason last year. The important part is that the two were used interchangeably, so it would be relatively easy for playing time to change. Had Kmet been playing more on early downs and Loveland more on later downs, that would suggest the team had specific plans for the two tight ends that would make it a little more difficult for Loveland to earn more playing time.

This means Loveland should have a chance to finish as a top-10 fantasy tight end if he plays well enough, but we shouldn’t expect him to be an instant sensation like Sam LaPorta, who immediately was playing all of the 11 and 12 personnel snaps in his first preseason game.

Olamide Zaccheaus was the Bears’ slot receiver: Second-round rookie Luther Burden III was restricted to playing with the second team.

The Bears also used their starting wide receivers for the first time. While Chicago has a new head coach in Ben Johnson, the wide receiver usage looked decently similar to last season. D.J. Moore was the X receiver and the least likely of the three to line up in the slot. Rome Odunze was the Z receiver, and he lined up in the slot here and there. Instead of Keenan Allen, Zaccheaus was typically in the slot in three-receiver sets. The one difference is that Odunze was consistently on the field in two-receiver sets, while Zaccheaus only played in three-receiver sets.

This should generally be good news for Moore, Odunze and Loveland, as Zaccheaus has a long career of being a solid role player but has never had a high target rate. This means more targets for those three. However, Zaccheaus is also playing in a position most similar to Amon-Ra St. Brown, which could mean Zaccheaus is in store for a career year. Zaccheaus was targeted twice, as was Moore, while Zaccheaus scored the game’s first touchdown.

It’s also worth noting that Burden didn’t play a single snap with the starters. Burden III had spent time earlier in the offseason injured, so he is a little further behind than most rookies. Still, if the team thought Burden might be in their early-season plans on offense, it could have made sense to get him two or three snaps with Caleb Williams. It’s still fine to spend a late-round pick on Burden but don’t expect immediate returns on that investment. It’s worth noting Adonai Mitchell and Ja’Lynn Polk were also rookie second-round picks a year ago and expected to be starters sooner rather than later, but that never ended up playing out as expected.

Ray Davis plays on third downs: Davis was an every-down back to begin this game.

The Bills rested all of their starters, including both early-down back James Cook and third-down back Ty Johnson. This left Davis as the clear top player on the depth chart, allowing him to play in all situations.

Last season, Johnson had a firm hold on the third-down role, playing 83% of third-and-3-plus plays. Davis had 15 plays in those situations compared to James Cook, suggesting the Bills might like Davis better in those situations. Davis had a slightly higher receiving grade last season, while Cook was the much better pass blocker.

While there are no expectations of Johnson losing the third-down role, it is good to note that Davis would likely be the third-down back if Johnson were to suffer an injury. The data from last season supports this idea, and this game certainly doesn’t hurt his case.

Miscellaneous Notes

• James Cook was one of the few Bills skill players not to play last week due to his holdout, but he was rewarded with a contract extension this past week. However, he was among the players the Bills rested this week.
• Buffalo didn’t play quarterback Josh Allen, running backs James Cook and Ty Johnson, wide receiver Keon Coleman, and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.
• Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir has been out with an ankle injury, but he has reportedly made good progress, increasing the odds he can play in Week 1.
• Bills backup wide receiver Curtis Samuel has been out due to a hamstring injury but recently returned to practice on a limited basis.
• Tyrell Shavers appeared to be the Bills’ likely sixth wide receiver based on his usage last week, but his start in this game makes it even clearer.
• The Bills have a three-man competition for the third tight end spot. Jackson Hawes, Zach Davidson and Keleki Latu rotated throughout the last three quarters last week and continued that rotation throughout this game.
• The Bears rested quarterback Caleb Williams, running back D’Andre Swift, wide receivers D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Olamide Zaccheaus, and tight end Cole Kmet last week, but all of them except Swift played tonight.
• D’Andre Swift didn’t play Sunday night for an undisclosed reason, even though there were reports earlier in the week that he would play. Roschon Johnson missed last week due to a foot injury and remained out for this game. Seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai reportedly missed practice on Friday and also didn’t play Sunday night. Travis Homer suffered a calf injury during last week’s preseason game and didn’t play.
• This left undrafted rookie Deion Hankins as the Bears’ starting running back for this game, although he limped off the field in the second quarter. Do not be surprised if the Bears sign at least one running back this week.

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Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.