Preseason Week 1 Fantasy Football Recap: Immediate takeaways from every game

• Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine still lead the Denver Broncos: While some thought the two were fighting for the same roster spot, at the moment, they remain the lead early- and third-down running backs.

• Adonai Mitchell plays with the starters: Mitchell played both in the slot and out wide over the Indianapolis Colts‘ first three drives.

• Dominate fantasy football season with promo code PFF25: Unlock all of PFF's fantasy content and tools, including full access to the fantasy football mock draft simulator, for 25% off using promo code PFF25.

Estimated reading time: 46 minutes

Jump to a game:

Carolina Panthers @ New England Patriots

Patriots rookie wide receivers begin low on the depth chart: Ja’Lynn Polk didn’t play a snap with the starters while Javon Baker is currently eighth on the depth chart, at best.

The Patriots rested wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas, who are dealing with injuries. Bourne remains on the physically unable to perform list while Douglas has been dealing with a hand injury. This left K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton as the starting outside wide receivers while JuJu Smith-Schuster played in the slot. On the second drive, Polk and Jalen Reagor took over as the two outside receivers while Smith-Schuster remained in the slot. Thornton rotated back in for Reagor on the third drive.

While it would have been great to see Polk with the starters, it is fairly common for rookie wide receivers to begin the preseason further down the depth chart and not work their way up until later. Throughout the first quarter, Polk played exclusively on the outside, but once players further down the depth chart started playing, Polk began playing more snaps in the slot. Baker's concerns are a little higher considering the veterans who are fighting for a starting spot. He didn’t play his first snap until the Patriots' fourth drive in the second quarter when all of the veterans stopped playing.

The only veteran to receive good news Thursday night is Osborn. He was the only wide receiver to play one drive and would be a starter if the season began today. The veteran to be most concerned about is Smith-Schuster, who was playing in the slot in Douglas’ absence. The four other wide receivers with first-quarter snaps were all playing in two-receiver sets, but Smith-Schuster wasn’t. He might be assured a roster spot because almost all of his salary would be dead money if he’s cut, but realistically, Polk or Bourne could be a backup slot if Douglas misses regular season time.

At this point, the roster spots for Douglas, Polk, Baker and Osborn are locked in. Bourne will make it if healthy, leaving one or two spots for Thornton, Reagor and Smith-Schuster. Kayshon Boutte is too far down the depth chart to be considered at this point.

Don’t read into how late Jonathan Mingo played: The Panthers rested over one-third of the roster, but sophomore wide receiver Mingo played most of the first half.

First-round rookie Xavier Legette missed this game due to injury while Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen were among the veterans to take the night off. The Panthers only have 10 receivers on the roster, which is tied for the fewest among teams, so they only had seven wide receivers available for this game. Therefore, it made sense for everyone available to play roughly half of the game. Mingo was taken out at the end of the first quarter.

Mingo is fighting for the third wide receiver spot with Legette. Mingo probably shouldn’t be drafted in most leagues because of where he sits on the depth chart, but this game should not hurt his value.

Miscellaneous Notes

Panthers second-round rookie running back Jonathon Brooks remains on the non-football injury list. He’s expected to miss at least the start of the regular season.
Carolina rested running backs Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear.
Tight ends Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble were among the Panthers not playing due to injury. That made it impossible to get a sense of how fourth-round rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders’ playing time will look this season outside of him being among the top three on the depth chart.
Starting Patriots tight end Hunter Henry had the game off. Austin Hooper’s job as the second tight end seems secure, as he only played on the first drive.
Rhamondre Stevenson started the game for the Patriots while Antonio Gibson took over on the second drive. This only shows Stevenson is ahead of Gibson on the depth chart, which we already knew, and gave no indication of how snaps may be distributed among the two this season.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette was the Panthers' initial kick returner.

Detroit Lions @ New York Giants

Tyrone Tracy is New York’s clear RB2: Tracy played nearly all of New York's snaps with the starters over Eric Gray.

Devin Singletary is the Giants' expected starter, and he was among the starters who had the night off. The only other running backs on the roster are Tracy, Gray and two former undrafted rookies with no regular-season experience.

The Giants released their initial depth chart earlier in the week with Gray in the second spot, but Tracy took all but two snaps on the first four drives. If a veteran is playing ahead of a rookie at this point of the preseason, it’s not too noteworthy, but a rookie playing ahead of a veteran this early is.

Tracy is worth a late-round draft pick because it appears he’s an injury away from having a feature role in the Giants offense. It’s certainly possible Tracy could take over the starting job at some point this season if Singletary struggles, making him a little more valuable than some other handcuffs.

Giants wide receiver depth chart takes shape: Malik Nabers made his debut while other roster spots are on the line.

The Giants rested slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and veteran Darius Slay ton. Nabers played 11 of his 12 snaps lined up out wide, so it seems clear these three are penciled in as the starting wide receivers. It was noted in Nabers’ player profile that he played better from the slot than out wide in college, and if he’s stuck out wide, that could hurt his fantasy value a little bit.

Jalin Hyatt played 11-of-13 snaps on the first two drives. There were reports Hyatt has been playing with the first team more than Slayton in training camp, but the fact that Hyatt played and Slayton didn’t make it look like this is still a battle.

Isaiah McKenzie was the primary slot receiver for this game. Allen Robinson II and Isaiah Hodgins were the backup outside receivers. Either McKenzie or Gunner Olszewski will likely take one wide receiver spot, partially dependent on who can win the return job. Robinson and Hodgins are also likely fighting for one spot.

The Giants tight end rotation is unsettled: The tight end job is wide open after Darren Waller‘s retirement.

The Giants retained Daniel Bellinger and Lawrence Cager, drafted Theo Johnson and added free agent Chris Manhertz in an attempt to replace Waller. Cager missed this game due to a hamstring injury, but the other three played with the first unit in this game. Cager was listed second on the initial depth chart behind Bellinger.

On the first two drives, Johnson played all of the 11 personnel snaps while Bellinger and Manhertz played all of the 12 personnel snaps. It’s basically impossible for someone to be a fantasy starting tight end just playing in one personnel grouping. On the third drive, Johnson played all four 12 personnel snaps while Bellinger and Manhertz split them. Bellinger played two snaps in 11 personnel and Manhertz played one. On the fourth drive, Johnson and Bellinger played the whole drive outside of one play by Johnson in 11 personnel.

There is still plenty of time for Johnson to emerge as an every-down tight end, but at the moment, it is clearly a battle. The fact that Manhertz is very involved in the competition will make it unlikely Johnson plays enough snaps to be a fantasy starter this season unless he plays well.

Craig Reynolds is currently holding onto the RB3 job: Reynolds played every snap for the Lions on the first three drives.

Reynolds has been part of the Lions running back rotation over the last three seasons. The Lions have three other veterans below him on the depth chart, including Jermar Jefferson, Zonovan Knight and Jake Funk, but they didn't rotate with Reynolds. Jefferson took most of the second quarter until fourth-round rookie Sione Vaki started playing.

This means Vaki is the only threat to Reynolds, as we typically see rookies start low on the depth chart. Vaki had some nice runs, but he needs to surpass Jefferson on the depth chart before he has a chance to pass Reynolds. The third spot is important because if either lead running back suffers an injury, the third running back would likely play more snaps. We may see the Lions keep four running backs on the depth chart.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Lions rested running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond, and tight ends Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.
Daurice Fountain and Antoine Green continued as the primary wide receivers throughout the first half. Either one could be the Lions' fourth wide receiver, which means they are another injury away from significant playing time.
There have been reports Donovan Peoples-Jones has fallen down the depth chart and is in danger of getting cut, and his playing time in this game reflected that. He didn’t see his first offensive snap until the end of the first half, with four wide receivers seeing significant playing time before him. That places him eighth on the depth chart.
Isaiah McKenzie was the Giants' primary kick returner while Isaiah Williams was the Lions' primary kick returner.

Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers

First look at the Texans wide receiver rotation: Tank Dell was the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but he was the one to score a touchdown.

The Texans only ran six plays with the starters. Two of those plays were two-receiver sets that included Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs while Dell joined them for the other four plays in 11 personnel. This tells us that Dell is currently third on the depth chart, but it’s fair to assume that Dell could see some playing time in 12 personnel this season.

The presumed fourth wide receiver, Noah Brown, didn't play in this game, so we also don’t have a great sense of how much he or others could rotate in.

The biggest piece of information we gained is in the slot. Diggs was the slot receiver for three of the four plays out of 11 personnel, and Dell was the slot receiver for the others. All three wide receivers have more yards per route run lined up out wide compared to in the slot in recent seasons, so if anything, this was good news for Collins. None of the players should see a significant change in ADP in any direction after this game.

Concerning rotation of Steelers tight ends: Arthur Smith is the Steelers' new offensive coordinator, and he brought a rotation at tight end with him.

The Steelers' top three tight ends are Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt has been part of Smith’s tight end rotation with both the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. While Freiermuth played the most snaps and ran the most routes with the starters, he was never on the field in two tight end sets. All three were on the field for three plays out of 13 personnel while Washington and Pruitt took three snaps out of 12 personnel. This left Freiermuth with all but two snaps from 11 or 21 personnel; Washington played in the other two.

The Steelers only used 12 personnel on 18% of the snaps in this game, but Smith’s Falcons used 12 personnel more than any team last year at 41.5%. Going back to his time with the Tennessee Titans, they’ve consistently been among the top-12 teams in 12 personnel usage. It is near-impossible for someone to be a consistent fantasy starter without being one of the two primary tight ends in 12 personnel.

Chances are Freiermuth would play some snaps in that group at some point, but this situation seems very similar to Jonnu Smith when he was with the Titans. He’s a promising enough tight end who won’t play enough snaps to get enough volume.

One piece to the Steelers wide receiver rotation seems set: Van Jefferson has clearly emerged as a starting wide receiver for Pittsburgh.

The Steelers ran three drives with the starters, and the only time Jefferson was off the field was two plays out of 13 personnel where George Pickens was the only wide receiver. When the Steelers switched to using backups, some first-teamers kept playing, including the wide receivers below Jefferson on the depth chart, but not Jefferson. It seems unlikely that Brandon Aiyuk will be traded to the Steelers, so Jefferson could start the entire season. He’s only worth a very late-round draft pick in deeper leagues, as any wide receiver who plays the vast majority of snaps is worth something.

How snaps are distributed in the slot is still up for grabs. Steelers rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson missed this game due to a left ankle sprain and is considered week to week. He was reportedly fighting for the slot spot. Calvin Austin III was listed ahead of him on the initial depth chart and played the slot snaps out of 11 personnel with the starters tonight.

Miscellaneous Notes

Steelers projected third-string running back Cordarrelle Patterson was removed from the non-football injury list Friday but didn’t play in this game. That is a good sign he will be ready for the regular season.
The rotation between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren was remarkably similar to last season.
The Steelers rested a few key veterans, but they were mostly defensive players.
The Texans that did not play due to injury included starting running back Joe Mixon, backup wide receiver Noah Brown, and backup tight ends Brevin Jordan and Teagan Quitoriano.
Dameon Pierce played every snap with the starters, showing he is still the clear backup running back. Pierce continued playing after other starters left the game.
Dare Ogunbowale remains third on the depth chart. The Texans listed Jawhar Jordan fourth, Cam Akers fifth and J.J. Taylor sixth, but for the second straight preseason game, Taylor was the first of the three to play a snap.
Dalton Schultz played every snap with the starters and continued playing with the backups, which shouldn’t be alarming because the Texans had very few healthy tight ends.
Steelers backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was the team’s primary kick returner for this game.

Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins

Don’t panic about Jaylen Wright: Wright is currently fifth on the Dolphins depth chart, the same spot De’Von Achane was one year ago.

Three of the four running backs ahead of him didn’t play Friday night while Jeff Wilson Jr. played every snap on the Dolphins' first four drives. Wright came in on the fifth drive. It’s not uncommon for a mid-round rookie running back to be low on the depth chart in their first preseason game before working their way up from there. Achane was the prime example of this last season.

At least one of Wilson and Salvon Ahmed won’t make the roster this year, and there is plenty of time for Wright to surpass both players on the depth chart.

A new look to the Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons rested everyone relevant to fantasy football, but we still caught a glimpse of what the Falcons offense will look like.

The Falcons ran 24 plays with Michael Penix Jr. on the field over the course of five drives, and they lined up in 11 personnel for 23 of the 24 plays. Last season, they ran, at most, 12 plays out of 11 personnel on the first five drives of games and an average of 4.5. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson came from the Los Angeles Rams, who used 11 personnel on 94.7% of their offensive snaps last season, and Friday night was a 95.6% rate. The Falcons used it the least last season at a 17.1% rate.

This means Ray-Ray McCloud III will play at least 80% of Atlanta's offensive snaps most weeks. It also means the running backs will see a lot less eight-man boxes, and it should mean Kyle Pitts will be on the field a lot more. The Falcons would supposed to transition to a somewhat similar offense to the Rams, but it’s a little surprising the personnel usage was this on the nose.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Falcons rested their starters on offense, including quarterback Kirk Cousins, running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, wide receivers Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III, and tight ends Kyle Pitts and Charlie Woerner.
This makes it pretty clear McCloud III is expected to be the third wide receiver in three-receiver sets this season while Woerner is the favorite for the second tight end spot behind Pitts.
Carlos Washington Jr. started the game at running back but rotated some with Jase McClellan. That’s a good sign McClellan could take over the job eventually.
The Dolphins rested quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running backs Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane and Salvon Ahmed, wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, Erik Ezukanma and Anthony Schwartz, and tight ends Jonnu Smith, Durham Smythe and Julian Hill.
Ahmed, Waddle, Berrios, Ezukanma and Schwartz were not at joint practice two days ago, presumably due to injury.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Sixth-round rookie wide receiver Malik Washington was the Dolphins' primary kick returner.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens

Kenneth Gainwell is currently ahead of Will Shipley: Gainwell is penciled in the second spot, but his job could still be in danger.

Gainwell played all of his snaps before Shipley played his first snap. The Eagles have recently used this kind of rotation in the preseason, giving no indication of how running backs could be rotated situationally. Shipley's first positive note is he’s already third on the depth chart rather than further down. Running backs who were drafted earlier than Shipley won’t be as high this season.

It’s also somewhat surprising that Gainwell played at all. Gainwell only played eight offensive snaps in the preseason last year, all from their second preseason game. Plenty of teams who rest their starters rest both of their top players. Gainwell was taken out well before any of the other offensive players who played for the Eagles Friday night. The Eagles also had plenty of other backups who could have used the playing time. This makes it seem like his job as the second running back might not be safe.

Devontez Walker buried down the depth chart: Walker didn’t play his first offensive snap until late in the second quarter.

The Ravens rested their three starting wide receivers, but Walker wasn’t among the three who started in this game. It’s common enough for a highly drafted rookie to be fifth or sixth on the depth chart, but Walker is, at best, seventh.

The Ravens were also missing Deonte Harty, who could also presumably be ahead of Walker. Even Qadir Ismail, an undrafted rookie who is learning both wide receiver and tight end, played some snaps in the slot before Walker’s first offensive snap.

Walker played his first snap at 5:34 in the second quarter. Undrafted rookie Dayton Wade played his first offensive snap at the same time. Isaiah Washington and Sean Ryan joined on the following play, representing the bottom players on the depth chart. There is plenty of time for Walker to work his way up the depth chart, but it’s a far climb for him to find fantasy-relevant playing time.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Eagles rested quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, wide receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Parris Campbell, and tight end Dallas Goedert.
Eagles fifth-round wide receiver Ainias Smith was the team's second punt returner but returned the first two punts for only 10 yards. He also didn’t play his first offensive snap until the second half, placing him ninth on the depth chart behind sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson, who started Friday night.
Grant Calcaterra appears to be Goedert's handcuff based on his 11 personnel usage Friday night, but C.J. Uzomah or Albert Okwuegbunam may earn more playing time this season due to their run blocking.
The Ravens rested quarterback Lamar Jackson, running backs Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, wide receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor, and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
Running back Keaton Mitchell remains on the physically unable to perform list and is expected to miss at least the start of the season.
Wide receiver Deonte Harty also missed this game due to injury. He’s expected to be the Ravens' primary returner.

Washington Commanders @ New York Jets

First look at the Commanders' two-man backfield: We can expect the two running backs to rotate this season.

Brian Robinson is the incumbent starter while Washington added Austin Ekeler to replace Antonio Gibson this offseason. Robinson started the game, and Ekeler took his place on the second play of the game.

Washington only used its starters for one drive, so both players are being considered among those starters. The two continued a frequent rotation. Robinson played more snaps on early downs and Ekeler played more late-down snaps. This included both players taking snaps when the team was within five yards of the end zone. Ultimately, rookie Jayden Daniels scored a three-yard rushing touchdown to end the drive.

If this is how the split continues in the regular season, Robinson would be a borderline fantasy starter with most of the rushing attempts. Ekeler will struggle to be a consistent fantasy running back unless he ends up with a high target share or Robinson suffers an injury. Both will suffer if Daniels keeps sniping short rushing touchdowns from them.

Jahan Dotson’s role change: Dotson was the Commanders' primary slot receiver with the starters.

Dotson played 28% of his snaps from the slot as a rookie and 39% last season while Curtis Samuel was Washington's primary slot receiver. Samuel is now with the Buffalo Bills, leaving the slot role open in Washington.

The Commanders started with Terry McLaurin and Dyami Brown out wide and Dotson in the slot. Olamide Zaccheaus later replaced Brown for a few plays on the drive, and despite Zaccheaus being a primary slot receiver in recent seasons, Dotson was still in the slot with Zaccheaus out wide.

This could be huge for his fantasy value. New offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was the Arizona Cardinals‘ head coach from 2019-2022. During that time, Cardinals wide receivers in the slot caught 434 passes, which was second-most among teams in that time. Most teams in the top five had one clear slot receiver during that time while the Cardinals had Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore.

The only concern is after the first drive, multiple starters stopped playing, but Dotson continued — likely because this is a new role for him. This is also bad news for anyone who expected Luke McCaffrey to have a major role with the Commanders this season.

Braelon Allen is already the Breece Hall handcuff: The fourth-round rookie is already second on the depth chart.

The Jets rested their starters for this game, but Allen was the first running back on the field. It’s fairly common for mid-to-late-round rookie running backs to be far down the depth chart this early in the preseason. This included fellow fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright, who is currently fifth on the depth chart for the division rival Miami Dolphins.

Allen isn’t expected to have much standalone value this season, as Hall played in over 70% of New York's offensive snaps each of the last three games last season. However, if Hall suffers an injury at any point this season, Allen should be a fantasy starter.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Commanders announced before the game a number of veterans who would not be playing, which included tight end Zach Ertz.
The Jets announced before the game that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, running back Breece Hall, wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, Malik Taylor, and tight ends Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert would not play.
Third-round rookie Malachi Corley was the primary slot receiver for the Jets to start the game. He was only playing in three-receiver sets, so even if he can work his way up to the starters, he is unlikely to have consistent fantasy value. If they thought he had any chance of playing in two-receiver sets this season, they would give him opportunities there in the preseason.

Chicago Bears @ Buffalo Bills

Gerald Everett is the Bears' new lead tight end: Everett appears to be ahead of Cole Kmet in the Bears' tight end rotation.

Shane Waldron is the Bears' new offensive coordinator. From 2017-2020, he was the Los Angeles Rams‘ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator and then in 2021, he went to the Seattle Seahawks to be their offensive coordinator. For all five of those seasons, Everett was one of his tight ends.

Everett started the game with Kmet but then played each of the next two snaps out of 11 personnel. The Bears continued to rotate the tight ends, at times with both on the field or at times with just one, with Everett taking more snaps and running more routes than Kmet. This included Everett playing all of the passing plays on third down. The only third down Kmet was in for was a third-and-1 where the Bears used 13 personnel and ran the ball.

This situation is similar to the Seahawks over the last three seasons where no one was draftable. Last season, Noah Fant was TE32 and Colby Parkinson was TE38. Neither tight end missed a game, and there were no weeks where either was a top-10 fantasy tight end. You could argue these tight ends are more talented, but the Bears also have more depth at wide receiver. Even if you are just looking for a backup tight end in a 12-team league, you should look elsewhere.

Initial look at the Bears' wide receiver rotation: The Bears utilized a predictable rotation at wide receiver with one clear concern.

The Bears used their starting wide receivers for the first two drives — 20 plays. D.J. Moore was the lead receiver, only leaving the field for a few plays late on the second drive to get some rest rather than being part of a rotation. Keenan Allen also played 17 snaps, leaving twice for 13 personnel snaps and once to take a play off.

Rome Odunze served as the third wide receiver, playing on the outside in three-receiver sets. His day was finished onnce the starters were done playing. Sometimes we see first-round rookie receivers have to work their way up to third on the depth chart, so it was good to see Odunze this high. The one concern is when D.J. Moore left the field, Nsimba Webster was his replacement instead of Odunze. Ideally, Odunze would see at least some snaps in two-receiver sets this season. He may be Allen’s replacement in two-receiver sets if he needs a play off.

This shouldn’t have any impact on any of their ADPs.

Bears' bizarre running back utilization: D’Andre Swift only played two offensive snaps.

Swift took the first play of the game for a three-yard gain. Khalil Herbert replaced him on the second play. The fact that Swift was taken out immediately suggests this could be a heavy running back rotation.

Two plays later, Travis Homer was in on third down. Roschon Johnson missed this game likely due to injury, and presumably, he would have been the third down player if he was healthy. Homer has a history with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, so it’s also possible Homer will have a role on offense this season. Presumably, if Swift was going to play on third downs this season, he would have been in for this play.

Swift was in on the following play, made a 42-yard reception and then his day was done. Herbert played the rest of the early-down snaps while Homer played the rest of the third downs. Waldron used a clear third-down back throughout his time in Seattle.

It appears Swift and Herbert will be competing for snaps on early downs, and Johnson could mix in there as well, while Johnson and Homer will take the third-down snaps. Swift made one big play, but the fact that Waldron has brought his philosophy to the Bears means Swift won’t see third downs, won’t see a lot of two-minute drill snaps, and might lose a decent number of early-down snaps to Herbert. The early-down split is hard to predict because Swift only played two snaps.

Bills wide receiver is more complicated than anticipated: Marquez Valdes-Scantling was more involved than most would have thought.

Khalil Shakir was the Bills' top wide receiver to end last season. They drafted Keon Coleman in addition to adding Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Valdes-Stantling in free agency. Coleman, Hollins and Valdes-Scantling are all taller deep threats while Shakir and Samuel are both more underneath wide receivers.

I thought the Bills would typically have one tall receiver in on every play, and then both Shakir and Samuel on two-receiver sets. The Bills didn’t have Hollins Saturday due to injury, but in both two-receiver sets, either Shakir or Samuel was on the field. There was only one play with both on the field.

It will be difficult for Shakir or Samuel to be consistent this season if they are both of their playing time adds up to 100%. One of them may emerge, but they would need to play at least 75% of Buffalo's offensive snaps to be comfortable starting them, and that means the other only plays 25% or less. It’s also too early to get excited about Coleman’s playing time because Hollins wasn’t playing. Presumably, Hollins would have taken time away from Coleman and Valdes-Scantling.

Bills wide receivers are still worth taking in late rounds because they have Josh Allen at quarterback, but a different wide receiver may put up numbers each week, and it won’t be predictable which one it will be.

Miscellaneous Notes

James Cook played each of the Bills' first 12 snaps, and then Ray Davis replaced him. Cook is, unsurprisingly, the top running back on the depth chart, but this doesn’t give a great indication of how the backs might be rotated. Ty Johnson will presumably take some of the third-down snaps as well.
The Bills similarly played their tight ends until the middle of the second drive. Dalton Kincaid played in eight of a possible nine snaps before leaving the game while Dawson Knox played six during that time. It was a small sample size but generally a positive sign for Kincaid’s playing time this season with Knox.
Velus Jones is trying out the running back position this week. His only first-half snaps with the first-team offense were at running back, and he scored a rushing touchdown in the second half from the running back position.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings

The Raiders have a plan for Brock Bowers: Bowers lined up all over the place in his one drive with the Raiders offense.

Bowers played 11 of a possible 14 snaps in his one drive. He lined up in a traditional tight end spot on six plays, as an outside wide receiver twice, in the slot once and in the backfield twice. Typically, teams don’t want to show a lot in the preseason, but they had no problem showing that Bowers will be all over the field.

Nine of his 14 snaps were in 12 personnel. While Bowers was all over the field, Mayer stayed in a more traditional tight end spot. Mayer did out-snap Bowers in two tight end sets, but if they play this much 12 personnel in the regular season, that won’t be much of a problem. On a larger sample, we can expect Mayer to play more in run situations while Bowers plays more in pass.

We knew that Bowers wouldn’t be playing 90% of his snaps with Mayer as another option, but this was as promising a look we could get from Bowers outside of potentially scoring a touchdown.

As for Mayer, he should play a high percentage of snaps this season and could end up with more fantasy points than a few other teams' top tight ends, but it will be hard for him to have top-12 upside when it’s always Bowers getting put in the optimal receiving situations.

Jakobi Meyers moves back to the slot: Meyers played in the slot during his time with the New England Patriots.

The Raiders' primary slot receiver last season was Hunter Renfrow, who was not retained. Meyers ran the second-most routes from the slot at 154 while Davante Adams ran the third-most at 102.

Adams didn’t play in this game. Meyers and Tre Tucker served as the every-down wide receivers with Kristian Wilkerson playing in three-receiver sets. Half the time when Meyers was on the field, he lined up in the slot. He was the primary slot receiver anytime the Raiders used a three-receiver set and also was in the slot for two plays from 12 personnel.

There is certainly a chance Adams would line up in the slot when active, but for now, Meyers appears to be the primary slot receiver this season while Tucker also has a strong hold on the third wide receiver spot.

Zamir White’s new role: White played a role very similar to the end of last season.

White played on the Raiders' first drive, where he played everything except two third downs in addition to a second-and-10. This is fairly similar to the role he had last season. The main concern is the Raiders had only one play in second-and-long on the first drive. He will most likely be taken out some of the time on second-and-long but not all the time.

White returned to the game on the Raiders' third drive late in the second quarter for two plays to close out the drive. It was odd to see him return when Jakobi Meyers and both lead tight ends were done playing. Those plays were in goal-to-go situations, so it’s possible they just wanted White to play there. It’s also possible the coaching staff isn’t as sold on White as it is their top wide receivers and tight ends.

Alexander Mattison played in the passing situations over both Ameer Abdullah and Dylan Laube. On the following drive, Mattison became an every-down player. This isn’t a great sign for Abdullah’s chances of making the roster. Laube has received plenty of praise during training camp, and there is still time for him to win the lead job there.

Jalen Nailor makes his case to be Minnesota's WR3: Nailor caught three passes in the first quarter for 63 yards.

The Vikings didn’t have Justin Jefferson in this game, so their wide receivers were Jordan Addison and Nailor in two-receiver sets while Brandon Powell took over in the slot in 11 personnel. With K.J. Osborn on the New England Patriots, Nailor and Powell are fighting for the third receiver job.

If usage or performance is any indication, Nailor is the clear favorite for the No. 3 gig.

The only concern is Nailor played 25% of his snaps in the slot last season. Jefferson posted 24% snap share in the slot while Addison landed at 26%. In comparison, Powell played 65% of his snaps from the slot last season. If the Vikings are OK with not having a clear slot receiver, Nailor appears to be the clear choice. There is still a chance the Vikings will want a clear slot receiver, in which case Powell will play significant snaps.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Vikings rested their clear stars — running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Ty Chandler is the Vikings' clear RB2, and no one is likely to overtake him. It’s unclear how snaps will be distributed between Jones and Chandler.
Tight end T.J. Hockenson remains on the physically unable to perform list and might not be ready for the start of the season.
Johnny Mundt is the Vikings' receiving tight end while Hockenson is out. His role on the Vikings' first drive was identical to Hockenson’s last season, playing in 11 and 12 personnel while Josh Oliver played in 12 and 21 personnel.
Davante Adams was the only notable Raiders skill player to not play in this game.

Green Bay Packers @ Cleveland Browns

A very short look at the Packers wide receiver rotation: The Packers starters only played three snaps, including a different group of receivers on all three plays.

The Packers started the game with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed, which is the expected initial trio in 11 personnel. On the second play, they switched to 12 personnel and took Reed off the field. On the third play, Dontayvion Wicks replaced Watson, Reed re-joined the lineup, and Wicks caught a 65-yard touchdown pass. That was all the Packers needed to see from their first team unit.

This is far too small of a sample size to make any meaningful conclusions. It would have been noteworthy if Wicks started over Watson or Doubs, and it would have been noteworthy if Reed played a snap in a two-receiver set. If anything, this is good news for Wicks because it only took three plays for him to play his first snap and he caught a deep touchdown, but that only complicates the Packers wide receiver room.

Cedric Tillman is the potential WR3 for Cleveland: Tillman played the first two drives before calling it a day.

The Browns were without three of their top four wide receivers for this game. Tillman is the presumed No. 3 wide receiver in three-receiver sets over Elijah Moore. While most of the Browns that missed Saturday's game were starters, Moore recently returned to practice after suffering a concussion and likely didn’t play after a lack of practice.

The team traded for Jerry Jeudy this offseason, so Jeudy is expected to take Moore’s role in the slot with Tillman being the third receiver out wide. Tillman was ahead of both Michael Woods II and David Bell based on their usage in this game, so this was another sign pointing to Tillman being fourth on the depth chart at worst.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Browns announced before the game they would not be playing quarterback Deshaun Watson, running backs Nick Chubb, D’Onta Foreman, Nyheim Hines, wide receivers Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and tight end David Njoku.
Jerome Ford was clearly ahead of Pierre Strong Jr. on the depth chart. Considering all of the running backs who weren’t playing, it was good to see Ford only play one drive.
The Packers ruled out backup wide receiver Dimitri Stanley, tight ends Tucker Kraft and Tyler Davis, as well as several offensive linemen.
The Packers rotated running backs by drive rather than by situation, which is unlikely to be the case in the regular season. Josh Jacobs took the first drive, A.J. Dillon played in the second while MarShawn Lloyd took the third and Emanuel Wilson the fourth. There is still time for Lloyd to surpass Dillon.
Lloyd suffered a hamstring injury during the game. It’s unclear how severe it is or how much time he could miss.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals

Chase Brown plays on third and long: The Bengals typically have a specific third-down back, but that might not be the case this season.

One of the biggest running back battles this offseason is between Brown and Zack Moss. It’s unclear if Moss was resting with the veterans or if he’s dealing with an injury, but I would assume with how many starters were playing that he’s dealing with something rather than this being a positive sign for Moss.

Just because Moss didn’t play didn’t mean this game was meaningless for the backfield competition. There was a worry this could be a three-back committee because both Moss and Brown have predominately played on early downs in their careers while Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans are receiving backs who could take the third-down snaps.

Brown played all of the snaps on the first drive, including a third-and-12 pre-snap penalty as well as the following third-and-17. Mixon had only taken 10% of those snaps over the last five seasons. This increases the chances it will only be a two-man backfield.

Buccaneers' battle for WR3 is close: Both Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan have a chance of playing in three-receiver sets.

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the top two wide receivers on the depth chart. Last season, Godwin didn’t play as much in the slot as usual to prevent injury, leading Palmer to be the Bucs' primary slot receiver last year.

There have been reports that Godwin would play in the slot more this season, but Palmer was primarily in the slot last year and McMillan played the vast majority of his snaps in the slot at Washington. In this game with Evans and Godwin resting, both Palmer and McMillian played the vast majority of their snaps on the outside. They both played in the first quarter and then stopped playing while other starters kept going. Neither pulled ahead of the other in this game, but it’s clear the Buccaneers were being truthful when saying Godwin would play in the slot this season, as the winner of this competition will be playing out wide.

Miscellaneous Notes

Mike Gesicki only played 62% of the snaps with the first-team offense. Drew Sample played five-of-11 snaps in 11 personnel on the first drive while Gesicki took six. Gesicki tended to play in passing situations, but his snap rate won’t be high enough to be trusted in 12-team leagues that only start one tight end, even as a backup. Sample had a similar role last season.
Ja’Marr Chase had the night off, so Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas played with the starters. Irwin played on the outside while Iosivas manned the slot. They are the two primary contenders for the third wide receiver job.
Jermaine Burton was picked in the third round and was expected to be in the mix for the Bengals' third wide receiver spot, but he didn’t play until late in the second quarter behind six other receivers. There is plenty of time to move up, but he’s currently eighth on the depth chart.
The Buccaneers rested quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Rachaad White, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and tight end Cade Otton.
Bucky Irving is clearly ahead of Sean Tucker on the depth chart at this point. Chase Edmonds was listed ahead of Irving on their initial depth chart, but Edmonds has not practiced recently, so he didn’t play in this game.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Let the Xavier Worthy hype continue: Worthy played in four-of-six snaps with the starters, playing ahead of multiple Chiefs veterans.

The Chiefs started the game with Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown and Worthy. Brown caught the first pass and suffered a shoulder injury. It was a little surprising to see both deep threats in the starting lineup. Worthy played all of the 11 personnel snaps on the first drive while Skyy Moore took Brown’s place.

The Chiefs switched to backups for the second drive. Worthy played the first snap of that drive, which was in 12 personnel, before his day was done. The fact that he stopped playing basically at the same time as other starters shows that the Chiefs already view him as one of their more important players. Mecole Hardman and Justyn Ross didn’t start playing until the second drive while Justin Watson and Kadarius Toney didn’t play in this game.

We witnessed Rice get eased into action all of last season and Moore stay a backup throughout his rookie season, so it’s a pleasant surprise that Worthy is already a clear third on the depth chart. If the Brown injury ends up being serious, Worthy could be second. Other fantasy analysts have been higher on Worthy this season because of Andy Reid’s history with rookie receivers and the receiver rotation, but it looks like Worthy will be different, and he will be moving up my fantasy rankings.

Christian Kirk doesn’t play in 12 personnel again: For the second straight preseason, Kirk isn’t playing in 12 personnel.

One year ago, the Jaguars used their starters on the first three drives of the preseason with Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones taking all three snaps out of 12 personnel while Kirk only joined for the six 11 personnel snaps. The Jaguars didn’t use their starters in the second game while Jones and Kirk split snaps in the third game. In the first game of the regular season, Kirk only played in five of 20 snaps out of 12 personnel before injuries de-railed Jones' season.

This year, Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis have replaced Ridley and Jones. The two are already every-down receivers. In the first two plays of the Jaguars' first drive, they ran 12 personnel with Thomas and Davis. It’s certainly possible that Kirk will share time with someone on a larger sample, but Kirk should play less this year than last on a per-game basis assuming the outside wide receivers stay healthy.

As mentioned in his player profile, Kirk is also in danger of losing touchdowns to the outside receivers. He is a player to avoid in drafts at his current ADP.

Miscellaneous Notes

The only skill player the Jaguars announced wouldn’t be playing before the game is fifth-round rookie running back Keilan Robinson.
Both the Chiefs and the Jaguars used their lead running backs Isiah Pacheco and Travis Etienne Jr. on 100% of the team's snaps with the starters, giving no indication of how they might be rotated out during the regular season.
While Clyde Edwards-Helaire took the second drive for the Chiefs, Deneric Prince was in later in the first quarter. There has been talk Prince could win the backup job, and while he’s still behind, this appears close.
Evan Engram only played six-of-nine snaps with the starters. Luke Farrell played three of the five snaps out of 11 personnel on first and second downs. Engram played 78.6% of 11 personnel snaps on first and second downs last season. This is a fairly small sample size of plays in a specific position where we know both players will play some, but Engram will be turning 30 years old in less than a month, so it’s possible he could play fewer snaps in these situations.

San Francisco 49ers @ Tennessee Titans

First look at the Titans two-man backfield: The Titans retained Tyjae Spears and signed Tony Pollard, and both played significantly with the starters.

Pollard started the game, but Spears came in on the very next play. The two continued to rotate every two to three plays. The Titans had several snaps within five yards of the end zone, and both players played in that situation. They similarly both played on third downs.

It’s not common to see this kind of rotation in the regular season, but it’s at least possible. For now, both players can play in any situation, and whichever running back is playing better will likely be the one playing the most snaps. Both players are worth drafting because of their talent, but this is currently one of the least predictable backfields.

Concerning usage from Chigoziem Okonkwo: The Titans' lead tight end only played in eight-of-14 snaps with the starters.

The Titans ran 11-of-14 plays out of 11 personnel, and Okonkwo only played in six. They played two snaps out of 12 personnel, and Okonkwo was in for one. All three tight ends played in the single snap out of 13 personnel.

Okonkwo played 67% of the 11 personnel and 64% of the 12 personnel snaps last season, so this would be a downgrade if those rates continued. If anything, we expected a higher snap rate out of Okonkwo this season with Trevon Wesco no longer on the roster.

New head coach Brian Callahan used a four tight end rotation with the Cincinnati Bengals last season, so maybe this shouldn’t have been so surprising.

49ers backup tight end battle: The 49ers released Logan Thomas earlier in the week, opening the door for someone else to be George Kittle’s backup.

The 49ers rested Kittle Saturday night, leading Eric Saubert and Brayden Willis to be the primary tight ends. Over the first two drives, Saubert played 15 snaps and Willis played 13 — 12 of those were out of 12 personnel. Saubert led the way (three to one) in 11 personnel. Cameron Latu played all of the snaps on the third drive, and all three played on the fourth drive.

Saubert is the veteran, so it’s not surprising he’s ahead of the pack at the moment. Latu was a third-round pick last season but missed the entire year due to injury. In recent seasons, the 49ers had two backups who both played in a rotation, so there might not be a clear winner. If Kittle suffers an injury this season, it’s completely unclear if one player would take Kittle’s spot, which player that would be, or if it would just be a committee approach.

Miscellaneous Notes

The 49ers didn’t play quarterback Brock Purdy, running backs Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Isaac Guerendo, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing and Danny Gray, and tight end George Kittle.
All of the running backs were out due to injury. There has been talk of Jordan Mason taking over as the RB2. He only played on the first drive while the rest of the 49ers offense played beyond that.
DeAndre Hopkins was the only noteworthy Titans player not to play, as he’s currently battling an injury.
There is no reason to be concerned about Calvin Ridley only playing in nine-of-14 snaps with the starters. He played the first nine snaps and caught a 22-yard pass, so the Titans decided to end his night early.

Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston is far down the depth chart: The Chargers rested two wide receivers and Johnson still wasn’t among the starters.

The former first-round pick is reportedly fighting for the X receiver job with free agent addition D.J. Chark Jr., but Chark played all six snaps with the starters. After the first two drives, Chark’s night was done and Johnston took over. Johnston was listed as a starter with Chark on the first official depth chart, but this preseason game made it clear that’s not the case.

The Chargers may be being strict with their wide receiver positions with Simi Fehoko being Ladd McConkey’s backup in the slot while Rice is Joshua Palmer’s backup at the Z, but this still means Johnston is losing the battle for the X receiving job. Johnston probably won't have fantasy value this season.

First look at the Chargers tight end rotation: The Chargers tight end room had a makeover this offseason.

Gerald Everett was the Chargers' primary receiving tight end last season while Donald Parham Jr. and Stone Smartt were the primary backups. Everett left for the Chicago Bears while the Chargers brought in Hayden Hurst and Will Dissly in free agency.

Hurst and Dissly were the starters and played the first four drives. Hurst played in four of the six 11 personnel snaps while Dissly played the other two. In 12 personnel, Dissley played all four snaps, Hurst took two, and Parham and undrafted rookie Luke Benson played one each.

This makes Hurst the team's most likely fantasy-relevant tight end, but 67% of 11 personnel snaps and 50% of 12 personnel snaps don’t usually cut it for a fantasy starting tight end. Hurst will need those to increase as well as a career year in efficiency to be a fantasy starter.

Smartt was the primary 11 personnel tight end once Hurst stopped playing while Parham was a primary blocker.

Good news and bad news for Jaxon Smith-Njigba: He played while the other starting wide receivers sat, but his utilization was interesting.

The Seahawks rested the other skill players expected to play in 11 personnel this season, so it was a little surprising to see Smith-Njigba play. Fellow second-year player Zach Charbonnet only played in one drive, so it was also surprising that Smith-Njigba played three.

The one piece of good news is the Seahawks played six snaps out of 12 personnel on the first three drives, and Smith-Njigba was in for all six. He only played two snaps out of 12 personnel all last preseason, which were run plays, and only 16 all regular season. If the Seahawks end up using Smith-Njigba more in 12 personnel this season, that would be a huge boost to his fantasy value.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Chargers rested quarterback Justin Herbert, running backs Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Kimani Vidal, and wide receivers Joshua Palmer and Ladd McConkey.
The Seahawks rested quarterback Geno Smith, running back Kenneth Walker III, wide receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and tight end Noah Fant.
Zach Charbonnet played in five of the first six snaps, only taking a play off after running the ball. His status as the RB2 seems pretty secure, so he could be considered the team's most trusted backup skill player considering how long others played.

New Orleans Saints @ Arizona Cardinals

Cedrick Wilson Jr. the favorite for the WR3 job: Wilson played all of the snaps with the starters in this game.

The Saints need a new outside wide receiver in 11 personnel with Michael Thomas off the roster. A.T. Perry seemed to be the favorite for that job after holding it the second half of last season, but Perry only played one snap with the starters.

Cedrick Wilson Jr. played for the Dallas Cowboys for three years, signed a big contract with the Miami Dolphins shortly before they traded for Tyreek Hill, and recorded only 34 receptions over two seasons before landing with the Saints in free agency.

Wilson joined Olave for all seven snaps in 12 personnel. Rashid Shaheed is expected to join Olave in the regular season, but he is currently out due to injury. In 11 personnel, Kevin Austin Jr. came on the field. Perry’s only snap was in Olave's place. Most starters stopped playing after two drives, but Wilson kept playing, but Austin joined Wilson in two-receiver sets initially. By the fourth drive, Wilson stopped playing so much.

This means Wilson could have some fantasy significance this season, particularly if Shaheed continues to struggle with injuries.

Taysom Hill will still be part of the Saints offense: Hill no longer has Sean Payton or Pete Carmichael as his coaches, but the new coaching staff still values Hill.

Hill only played the first six offensive snaps of the game before his night was done, ending his night before all other Saints offensive players. Hill continued to line up all over the place — two snaps out wide, one in the slot, two at tight end and one in the backfield. Hill didn’t run the ball or receive a target, but it was interesting to see him on the field so much.

The Saints didn’t have Rashid Shaheed or Juwan Johnson, and once they are healthy, that could impact things, but with several potential backup tight ends in rotations, Hill could be one of the better options when looking for a backup tight end.

A normal running back rotation for the Cardinals: Arizona didn’t have its lead running back, but the rotation was the same as always.

Last season, the Cardinals used James Conner as an early-down back while either Emari Demercado or Michael Carter was the receiving back. In this game, rookie Trey Benson was the early-down back, playing 18-of-20 snaps on first and second downs in the first half. Carter was the third-down back, playing all nine snaps on third and fourth downs.

This means we shouldn’t expect to see Benson be anything other than Conner’s backup this season. If they thought Benson would take passing down snaps, they would let him try that in the preseason. Benson should still be considered a high-upside handcuff due to how much time Conner misses each season. Demercado wasn’t playing Saturday night, but we can expect either him or Carter to win the third-down job again.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Cardinals didn’t play quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner and Emari Demercado, wide receivers Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, and tight end Trey McBride.
Presumably, Demercado and Jones didn’t play because they are both returning from injuries. Demercado was at least in uniform before the game.
Marvin Harrison Jr. started but only played on the first drive while most offensive players played much longer. It’s common enough for a team to rest their starters outside of rookies who are expected to start, so this shouldn’t concern anyone.
Third-round rookie Tip Reiman played significantly in the game. The 265-pound rookie is expected to be more of a run blocker and not a threat to McBride. He was mostly used as a blocker, and although he played some snaps in 11 personnel, he wasn’t typically in on third and medium or long.
The Saints were without running back Kendre Miller, wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and tight end Juwan Johnson due to injury.

Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts

A familiar Broncos backfield: The Broncos running back rotation was similar to their three-man committee from last season.

Javonte Williams started the game for Denver and played all of the snaps on the first two drives outside of clear passing situations, when Samaje Perine took over. This is the role both players had last season. On the Broncos’ third drive, they kept most starters in but switched to Bo Nix with Jaleel McLaughlin taking over for Williams. Audric Estime joined for the fourth drive while McLaughlin still rotated in at times and Perine still played on passing downs.

Perine’s job on the team appears safe. If the Broncos were considering letting him go, then someone else would have taken any of the third-and-medium to long snaps in the first half. Perine also took their only snap in a two-minute drill. Williams is at the top of the depth chart followed by McLaughlin and Estime, but they weren’t rotating running backs when Williams was in, so we don’t know what that rotation will look like in season. It’s possible but unlikely Williams will take all of those snaps.

There is still plenty of time for this backfield to change, but at the moment, it appears all four running backs will make the roster.

The Broncos wide receiver room is a little clearer: The Broncos spent most of the first-team offense with a clear wide receiver pecking order and one glaring exception.

Courtland Sutton was the Broncos' top wide receiver, which should surprise no one. Tim Patrick took every snap on the first two drives outside of one play in 22 personnel, so he appears to be the clear second wide receiver on the team. Josh Reynolds spent most of the first two drives playing in 11 personnel, and on the third drive, he took over for Patrick as an every-down player.

Marvin Mims Jr. took the first snap of the game and then didn’t play again until the fourth drive. Lil’Jordan Humphrey and seventh-round rookie Devaughn Vele both played before Mims returned to the game. Mims continued to play late into the third quarter with players much further down the depth chart. This suggests Mims isn’t high on the depth chart, but his presence on the first play makes the situation mysterious and one to monitor. It’s also worth noting that fourth-round rookie Troy Franklin is reportedly even further down the depth chart. He played late in the second quarter after six other wide receivers.

The biggest takeaway here is Patrick, who missed the last two seasons due to injury, should see significant playing time this season, and is worth a late-round dart throw.

Greg Dulcich returns to the Broncos: The Broncos’ receiving tight end missed most of last season.

Adam Trautman started this game for Denver, but Dulcich rotated in and out. There was a general tendency for Dulcich to play in passing situations and Trautman on early downs, but those trends weren’t as strong as last season. Lucas Krull also received one snap on the first two drives and joined the rotation more on the third drive while both Dulcich and Trautman kept playing.

The situation seems fluid enough that Dulcich could still emerge as a fantasy sleeper if he starts taking more playing time from Tratuman, but if his playing time is anywhere close to what it was today, it’s a situation to avoid.

Adonai Mitchell is playing with the starters: Mitchell was the slot receiver for most of the first-team snaps.

Mitchell began training camp in a competition for the outside receiver spot with Alec Pierce. Earlier in the week, slot receiver Josh Downs suffered a high ankle sprain, likely costing him the start of the regular season. The Colts moved Mitchell to the slot, where he oddly played on first and second downs, while fellow rookie Anthony Gould played on third downs.

On the Colts’ third drive, they took Michael Pittman Jr. and all other starters out except for Mitchell and Pierce. The two played on the outside that drive with Gould in the slot. The Colts moved further down the depth chart at wide receiver for the fourth drive.

This doesn’t give us a great indication of how a Pierce and Mitchell rotation might work during the season, but it at least made it clear Mitchell will be part of the Colts’ offensive plans early in the season.

Miscellaneous Notes

Jonathan Taylor played all of the snaps with the starters while Trey Sermon was the initial backup before suffering a hamstring injury, so Tyler Goodson quickly replaced him. If the Sermon injury ends up being serious, the Colts may be in the market for a new backup.
Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson remained the primary tight ends, with Andrew Ogletree also taking snaps with the starters and Jelani Woods not joining until the first drive with the backups. Granson was the best fantasy tight end last season at TE33. Even if Woods emerges to play more, we can expect a rotation where no one plays more than 65% of Indianapolis' offensive snaps. Avoid them all in fantasy football.

Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Rams

Don’t overreact to Rico Dowdle playing: Dowdle is competing for the starting job and had to play while Elliott didn’t, but that shouldn’t be a big deal.

The Cowboys' other primary backups are Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn, who are both dealing with injuries. This left the team with limited options at the position for this game.

Dowdle also only played one drive with six total snaps, which was reminiscent of the Cowboys' first preseason game three years ago when Garrett Gilbert started at quarterback and Tony Pollard played the first six snaps before calling it a day. Pollard finished RB28 that season. This game didn’t give any indication of how snaps will be split between Elliott and Dowdle.

Rams compete for backup tight end spot: The Rams rested their starters and most top backups like they do every season, but there is an interesting competition at tight end.

Rams longtime starting tight end Tyler Higbee remains on the physically unable-to-perform list. He tore his ACL in the playoffs. There hasn’t been much recent talk about when he’ll return. The general speculation is that he will return mid-to-late season.

Los Angeles acquired Hunter Long in the Jalen Ramsey trade a year ago, but he spent the start of his season on injured reserve. In Week 12, he started cutting into Higbee’s playing time, taking 20-35% of the Rams' offensive snaps. He landed back on injured reserve after three games. Fifth-round rookie Davis Allen then started to take 25-35% of his snaps.

The Rams spent $22 million over three years on free agent Colby Parkinson, who was among the starters resting for this game. Allen started, but Long rotated in on the first drive, and the two continued rotating. Presumably, one will be Parkinson's primary backup.

Miscellaneous Notes

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was placed on the did not report list as he’s looking for a new contract.
The Cowboys also rested quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert, and tight end Jake Ferguson.
The Rams rested quarterback Matthew Stafford, running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, wide receivers Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell, and tight end Colby Parkinson.
While the Rams wide receivers who played in this game aren’t big names, Nacua and Robinson both started in the first preseason game last year. Nacua ended up not playing the rest of the preseason, so if we see the same thing out of someone like sixth-round rookie Jordan Whittington next week, that’s worth monitoring.

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.