RADIO
Pat Freiermuth Catches One Pass in Preseason Opener
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth had a quiet preseason opener in Thursday night's win over the Green Bay Packers, catching his only target for a two-yard gain in the 28-9 victory. Freiermuth didn't do much on offense on a night in which the Steelers rested veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers and top wide receivers DK Metcalf (undisclosed) and Michael Pittman Jr. (leg). His lone reception came near the goal line on a fourth-down pass from backup QB Mason Rudolph. The 27-year-old was a sleeper target at the TE position last year, but he never panned out, catching 41 of his 54 targets for 486 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in his fifth year in the NFL. Jonnu Smith and pass-catching running back Kenny Gainwell left town in the offseason, but the addition of Pittman to new head coach Mike McCarthy's offense will most likely continue to keep Freiermuth's fantasy ceiling pretty low. With Rodgers running Pittsburgh's offense for one more year, fantasy managers should treat Freiermuth as a low-end TE2 option who is dependent on finding the end zone.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Dominic Lovett Leads Lions in Targets in First Preseason Game
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett was heavily featured in his team's passing game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, recording three catches for 28 yards on a team-high eight targets. A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Lovett appeared in 12 games for Detroit in 2025 but did not see a single target. Entering 2026, the Lions appear to have a clear top three at the wide receiver position in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Isaac TeSlaa. However, the team lost veteran slot receiver Kalif Raymond in free agency, opening the door for Lovett to potentially slide into Detroit's WR4 role. Lovett is likely competing with veterans Greg Dortch and Cedrick Wilson Jr. for playing time and potentially a role on the 53-man roster. While Lovett likely remains an injury or two away from fantasy-relevant target volume, his stock is trending up after Detroit's first preseason game.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Fernando Mendoza Called an "Ascending Player" by Head Coach
Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza took over on the second drive of the team's preseason opening loss to the Cardinals, and in almost three full quarters of action, he completed 10-of-16 attempts for 97 yards and a touchdown pass to second-year receiver Jack Bech. After the game, he drew the praise of his head coach. "I see an ascending player," Klint Kubiak told reporters on Thursday night. "We just got to keep getting better." While the first overall pick of the 2026 Draft showed promise in his first NFL action, he was quick to look for areas of improvement, reflecting on his night by saying, "It showed me that I need to grow a lot... I'm definitely [watching the game film] after this. I have nothing else to do tonight." Veteran Kirk Cousins looked sharp in his first start with the team, completing 5-of-6 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown of his own, but recent reports out of Raiders camp have suggested that Mendoza could see regular-season work earlier than initially expected. At RotoBaller's QB29, the rookie is not worthy of selection in single-quarterback leagues, but he's an ideal upside swing as a third quarterback in superflex formats.
Source: Ian Rapoport
Source: Ian Rapoport
Jacob Saylors Leads Lions' Rushing Attack on Thursday
Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors led his team's ground attack in preseason action against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, rushing for 55 yards on eight carries while also logging three catches for 28 yards on five targets. Saylors appeared in 16 games for the Lions in 2025, but his impact mostly came on special teams, as he recorded just two carries for 11 yards. Entering 2026, Detroit has running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and Isiah Pacheco locked in at the top of their depth chart. However, Saylors could be leading the team's RB3 competition, which also features Sione Vaki (nose), Kye Robichaux, and Raheem Blackshear. As long as Gibbs and Pacheco are healthy, Saylors is highly unlikely to play a fantasy-relevant role in Detroit. Still, he could be a name to know in deeper leagues in case one of the two top Lions backs suffers an injury.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Kyren Williams Still Boasts RB1 Upside Despite Falling Draft Cost
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams has been a top nine fantasy finisher in each of the past three seasons, but even with the Rams having the league's highest projected scoring total for 2026, he is currently being drafted as the RB12, routinely falling out of the second round. Concerns of Blake Corum's late-season emergence have created a worst-case timeshare scenario in many drafters' minds, seemingly overlooking the fact that as Corum came on as the RB17 over the final six weeks of 2025, Williams still saw featured back usage and finished as the RB10 over the same stretch. Williams could see a dip in total touches, but as the superior receiver and more efficient goal-line back, he should retain his most valuable work, and he remains one of the league's safest bets to reach a double-digit touchdown floor. Yet to turn 26, Williams still has obvious RB1 upside but is often available closer to an RB2 price point.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Luke Altmyer Sees Heavy Playing Time in Rocky Preseason Debut
Detroit Lions undrafted rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer had an up-and-down performance in his preseason debut on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. Altmyer completed 13 of 22 pass attempts for 130 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Across 13 games at the University of Illinois in 2025, Altmyer completed 67.4% of his pass attempts for 3,007 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Lions do not have any questions at the top of their quarterback depth chart, where Jared Goff is firmly entrenched as the team's starter. However, the surprise retirement of veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater has left Detroit searching for its QB2. The Lions signed experienced NFL journeyman Joshua Dobbs shortly after Bridgewater's retirement. Dobbs has appeared in 27 NFL games (15 starts) across six NFL seasons and likely has the upper hand on Altmyer coming out of the first week of the preseason.
Source: ESPN.com
Source: ESPN.com
Colby Parkinson's Fantasy Ceiling Capped by a Deep Tight End Room
Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson finished third on the team in most major receiving categories in 2025, topped only by the electric wide receiver tandem of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. With the Rams deploying 13 personnel at a historic rate, he was often the second read on any given pass play, and while more heavy personnel usage is expected in 2026, increased competition from his own position group will make it difficult for Parkinson to repeat his TE15 finish from a year ago. The team spent a second-round pick on Ohio State's Max Klare, and veteran Tyler Higbee is healthy after playing in only 10 games in 2025, but Parkinson's stiffest competition will come from second-year player Terrance Ferguson, who by all accounts is having an outstanding training camp after a strong finish to his rookie season. Ferguson led all NFL tight ends with an unfathomable 21.0 yards per reception in 2025, and with the most obvious upside among his own team's position room, he has emerged as the Rams tight end to roster in 2026, pushing Parkinson to RotoBaller's TE31.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jam Miller Could Have Inside Track to Patriots' Third Running Back Spot
New England Patriots seventh-round rookie running back Jam Miller has had a relatively quiet summer, but a piece of under-the-radar news from before the Patriots' first preseason game could have him positioned to seize the team's third running back spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. Third-year player Terrell Jennings, who by most accounts was the leading candidate to win the job, was placed on season-ending injured reserve before the Patriots' 13-13 tie with the Colts, and in starting the game and earning 55 hard yards on 14 carries, ESPN's Mike Reiss believes Miller may have shown enough to give him the inside track to the RB3 role. Second-year player Lan Larison, now the clearest competition for the job, gained only one yard on seven carries, but caught a team-leading six passes and also returned kicks, staying in the battle for what could be one of New England's final roster spots.
Source: Mike Reiss
Source: Mike Reiss
Caleb Williams in "Complete Control" of Bears Offense
After entering his second training camp down 10-15 pounds, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was one of the team's best players through the opening days of summer practices, routinely making the type of highlight plays that defined his 2025 season. As practices began to stack, however, he hit a lull that head coach Ben Johnson has shouldered responsibility for, recently telling reporters, "Those first four practices I thought were really, really good, and then as the volume has continued to go up -- and it's my fault as much as anything, just because I think I've put in more this year on offense than I did a year ago by design." In recounting Williams' electric finish to one of the team's most recent practices, ESPN's Courtney Cronin points to evidence that the lull has been snapped, and Johnson would seem to agree, also saying of his 24-year-old quarterback, "He's taken complete control of what we're trying to do, and so we're on the right track." Williams is RotoBaller's QB8, but with one of the league's most dynamic surrounding casts, he is fully capable of cracking the top five after a QB6 finish in his second season.
Source: Courtney Cronin
Source: Courtney Cronin
Calvin Ridley Makes His Presence Felt on Opening Scoring Drive
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley got the start along with the rest of the team's first-unit offense during Thursday night's preseason opener, and he connected with quarterback Cam Ward on an 18-yard pass as part of the Titans' 11-play, 95-yard opening scoring drive. Ridley missed most of the 2025 season with a hamstring injury and a broken fibula, but his 925-yard pace across his five healthy games would have led the team by a significant margin. An overhauled receiver room featuring free agent acquisition Wan'Dale Robinson and fourth overall pick Carnell Tate adds significant target competition in 2026, but often going undrafted outside of deeper leagues, Ridley is a player to watch early in the season, as his versatility could still lead to usable fantasy contributions, even as the third option in what could be an ascending offense.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Up-and-Down Night for Cam Ward in Preseason Opener
Tennessee Titans second-year quarterback Cam Ward had completions of 18 and 16 yards in an 11-play, 95-yard scoring drive to open Thursday's preseason win over the 49ers. Unfortunately, while playing well into the second quarter, the rest of his night was not without its rough patches. Ward finished the game 5-of-12 for 57 yards and missed more than one open target while also setting the team back with an intentional grounding penalty on the second drive of the game. After a promising finish to his rookie season, the Titans surrounded the 2025 first overall pick with new playmakers in the form of free agent acquisition Wan'Dale Robinson and fourth overall pick Carnell Tate, and while Ward has shown flashes throughout training camp, most reports would indicate that he's still searching for consistency in year one of Brian Daboll's offense. Ward is RotoBaller's QB25 and not a player who needs to be targeted outside of superflex leagues.
Source: Jim Wyatt
Source: Jim Wyatt
Quiet Preseason Debut for Rookie Carnell Tate
Ten different Tennessee Titans players caught a pass in the team's preseason debut against the 49ers on Thursday night, but rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate was not one of them. Playing into the second quarter with the rest of the team's starters, the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft was targeted three times, all from Cam Ward, but the two were unable to connect. With Ward having an up-and-down night and most of the team's success coming on the ground, the Titans completed only 12 total passes on 26 attempts, and Wan'Dale Robinson's 19 receiving yards were enough to lead the team, so it's not as if Tate missed out on what was otherwise a fantasy bonanza. Still, after a hype-filled training camp, more will be expected when the Titans host the defending champion Seahawks in their next preseason outing.
Source: Jim Wyatt
Source: Jim Wyatt
Nicholas Singleton Runs with Second Team on Thursday Night
With most of the Tennessee Titans' starters playing well into the second quarter of the team's preseason debut against the 49ers, rookie running back Nicholas Singleton did not see his first action until the closing minutes of the first half, but he looked good on his first carry, running up the middle for eight yards on first down. Singleton would end the night with 31 yards on a team-leading eight carries but found no involvement in the passing game on a night where the Titans completed only 12 total passes. Singleton has had a strong training camp, but with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears appearing to have well-defined roles on the depth chart ahead of him, he could be hard-pressed to carve out standalone value in 2026. In the long term, however, the rookie should only see his value rise, as both veterans are on the final year of their respective contracts, and Singleton is RotoBaller's dynasty RB42.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Tyjae Spears Impresses in Preseason Debut Amid Depth-Chart Battle
With the Tennessee Titans' rushing attack looking potent for the duration of the team's preseason debut, a 19-13 victory over the 49ers on Thursday night, fourth-year running back Tyjae Spears ran for 35 yards on only four carries, breaking off a 25-yard run on the Titans' opening scoring drive. Spears also added four receiving yards by reeling in his lone target of the night, and he figures to see a significant role in the passing game in 2026. By all accounts, he has stood out in that regard throughout training camp, and with veteran Tony Pollard still expected to see the bulk of the carries, Spears will likely need to rely on his receiving work to find and maintain fantasy relevance. With rookie Nicholas Singleton also expected to factor into the team's plans, Tennessee's running back situation remains too muddled to make Spears a must-land draft target. Still, as RotoBaller's RB50, he's a player whose usage should be watched in the opening weeks of 2026, as he could quickly reveal himself to be an early-season waiver wire priority.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Wan'Dale Robinson Draws High Target Share in Team Debut
Titans wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson signed a four-year deal with Tennessee after leading the Giants with 131 targets in 2025, his second consecutive season with at least 130 targets, and in his preseason debut with his new team, he quickly found himself in familiar territory. With many of the Titans' starters playing into the second quarter of a 19-13 win over the 49ers, Robinson caught two of his four targets for what was a team-leading 19 yards. On a night where the Titans completed only 12 passes, Calvin Ridley, Carnell Tate, Elic Ayomanor, and Chimere Dike combined for eight targets, coming away with only two total catches. While Tate has drawn most of the training camp attention after being made the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, it should come as no surprise if Robinson's jitterbug presence underneath and his familiarity with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll's system once more allow him to lead his team in targets, and he could provide plenty of late-round fantasy value as RotoBaller's WR49.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
