Preseason Week 1 Fantasy Football Takeaways: What's Real and What's Overhyped?
Preseason Matters.
Anyone who says otherwise simply isn’t trying hard enough to win at fantasy football.
Yes, the preseason will sometimes steer us wrong. But if you focus on usage over production, there’s a lot to gain.
That’s what we’re doing here. Digging into a lot of usage and a little tape to sharpen our fantasy football rankings heading into peak draft season.
Here are the most important takeaways from the first week of preseason action.
Note: All snap and route rates are from Pro Football Focus.
NFL Preseason Takeaways - Week 1
Chase Brown Still Has a Samaje Perine Problem
| With Joe Burrow | Chase Brown | Samaje Perine | |
| Snaps | 9 | 4 | |
| Routes | 3 | 3 | |
| Carries | 5 | 1 | |
| Targets | 0 | 2 |
The Bengals deployed a backfield rotation in the preseason opener very similar to what we saw when Perine was healthy last year. Brown controlled early-down work but ceded most of the obvious passing downs to Perine.
Brown was still busy and productive in 14 games with Perine last year, ranking seventh among RBs in expected PPR points per game (15.6) and ninth in actual points per game (16.3).
But it was the three outings without Perine when Brown really teed off, averaging 17.6 points per game on 21.6 expected.
That upside is exciting, but it looks like we’ll need another Perine injury for Brown to realize it. It’s why we’re behind the market on Brown, ranking him 21st overall vs. an ADP of 14th.
Our 3d Value System shows you exactly what Brown is worth in your league.
Condensed Packers WR Corps Presents Upside
Playing time has been a nagging problem for Packers WRs, with HC Matt LaFleur rotating four and even five guys. That doesn’t look like it'll be the case this year.
Green Bay looks ready to use a more traditional WR group featuring Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed, now that Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are gone.
All three ran a route on all five Jordan Love dropbacks in the preseason opener. Reed still notably came off the field for both 2-WR snaps (both runs), as he has throughout his career.
Reed still figures to rank third among this trio in routes, but a more condensed group could still push him to a career high in that category.
Reed and Watson check in as values according to our ADP Market Index. Golden has yet to show strong target-earning ability and looks a bit overvalued.
TIP
Check Shark Bites for even more preseason reactions.
De’Zhaun Stribling Pops Off the Tape
The 49ers rookie was one of the most impressive players I saw in Thursday night’s action. He caught 7 of 8 targets for 63 yards, lining up in the slot (14 snaps) and out wide (eight), working all levels of the field, and even getting a jet sweep.
Stribling made an impressive contested grab for 32 yards and had a bulldozing 11-yard catch and run to convert a third-and-6.
Here are all of his targets:
Every target to De'Zhaun Stribling vs the Titans.
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 14, 2026
Big fan of what I saw. Deployed him all over the formation and targeted him on in-breakers, out-breakers, and tried a jet sweep too. Plucky hands pic.twitter.com/qxhRFxMVNg
Stribling still needs work as a route runner, but his ball skills and after-catch ability might be enough for a productive rookie season in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Thursday night was enough to bump Stribling up our WR rankings. He’s an exciting target late in fantasy drafts.
What's Stribling worth in YOUR fantasy league?
Titans Heading for a Split Backfield?
| With Cam Ward | Tony Pollard | Tyjae Spears | |
| Snaps | 9 | 13 | |
| Routes | 5 | 7 | |
| Carries | 4 | 4 | |
| Targets | 0 | 1 |
Pollard and Spears worked in a near-even timeshare in Thursday night’s preseason opener vs. the 49ers. Pollard got the start and scored from 5 yards out on the opening possession. But Spears worked in early, saw the only target among the two, and got a carry from San Francisco’s 12-yard line.
Spears also had this impressive run for 25 yards:
2 shifty
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 14, 2026
NFL Network pic.twitter.com/yujTzD0w92
We’ll see if we get any more clues on this backfield over the final two preseason games, but it would certainly make sense for the Titans to lighten the 29-year-old Pollard’s load in favor of the explosive Spears.
In an offense that won’t be very good, a split backfield would leave both guys without much fantasy value.
Preseason Takeaways Matter: Updated Rankings
If you're not altering your rankings based on preseason action, you're doing it wrong.
Our fantasy football rankings are updated every single day from now until the start of the regular season.
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It's the most powerful drafting tool in the game.
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Frequently Asked Questions About NFL Preseason
When does NFL preseason start?
The 2026 NFL preseason started on August 6 with the Hall of Fame game between the Cardinals and Panthers. The first full week of preseason started on August 13.
How many preseason games are in the NFL in 2026?
The majority of teams will play three preseason games in 2025. The Cardinals and Panthers, who played in the Hall of Fame Game, will have four preseason games.
Are any NFL preseason games televised?
Many preseason games are televised on local channels. NFL Network also shows preseason games, both live and taped.
