12 Fantasy Football Takeaways from NFL Preseason Week 1 (2025)

The NFL Preseason is often an unsightly mess, but it always yields a handful of actionable nuggets that fantasy football managers should process when setting their fantasy football rankings and crafting a draft strategy.

The keyword here is actionable. Travis Hunter played with the first-team offense in the Jaguars’ debut and took some snaps on defense, too. I’m not sure how actionable any of that is. It was interesting that Hunter played some slot snaps, but I’m not sure anything we saw with Hunter’s usage should change his average draft position (ADP), which is typically somewhere in the WR3 range.

Let’s stick to the stuff that moves the needle for fantasy football. Here we go.

Fantasy Football Takeaways: NFL Preseason Week 1

Spears Goes Down

The biggest development from the first week of the preseason was the high-ankle sprain sustained by Titans running back Tyjae Spears.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan had been talking about Spears taking on a bigger role. But high-ankle sprains are typically four- to six-week injuries, and players often return from them at something less than 100%.

Tennessee is thin at running back behind Spears and starter Tony Pollard, so Pollard could get a massive workload in the early weeks of the season while Spears recovers.

The Titans’ offense could be sneaky-good this year. Tennessee’s offensive line was plagued by injuries last year. It’s a healthier unit now, and the Titans also added guard Kevin Zeitler and tackle Dan Moore in free agency.

If rookie quarterback Cam Ward can make some plays and limit mistakes, the Titans’ offense could surprise, and Pollard could be a valuable fantasy asset, at least until Spears is back to full capacity.

Spears, meanwhile, should probably go in the late rounds of drafts rather than the middle rounds.

Bucs Lose a Back

In other injury news, Buccaneers running back Rachaad White left with a groin injury. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles says White is day to day, but if White misses significant time, Bucky Irving could smash early in the season, and Sean Tucker could become rosterable.

There were seven games last season in which Irving played more than half of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps, including their one playoff game. Irving averaged 127.3 yards from scrimmage and scored six touchdowns in those seven games.

Tucker got significant playing time against the Saints in Week 6 last season and had 14-136-1 rushing and 3-56-1 receiving.

Harvey Shreds Denver Depth Chart

Days after designating rookie RJ Harvey as the fifth-string running back on their depth chart, the Broncos started Harvey in their first preseason game. He out-snapped J.K. Dobbins 12-7 when starting quarterback Bo Nix was on the field.

Harvey was the primary early-down running back for Denver early in the game, while Dobbins played mostly on passing downs.

Don’t be spooked by what the depth chart says; Harvey is going to be a useful fantasy asset and should probably be drafted as a mid-range to low-end RB2.

Three’s a Crowd for Jets

Of the 10 offensive snaps Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields played, Breece Hall was on the field for five of them. Isaiah Davis played three snaps, and Braelon Allen played two.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has said repeatedly this offseason that he wants to use all of his running backs. Glenn was true to his word in the first preseason game, which portends frustration for Hall enthusiasts.

Hall should probably be drafted as a high-end to mid-range RB2 rather than as a low-end RB1.

Thrillin’ McMillan

Tetairoa McMillan has an ADP of WR28, but he’s consistently drafted earlier than that in leagues full of fantasy analysts. The analysts have it right on this one.

McMillan played every snap of Carolina’s first two offensive series. He was targeted five times and had two catches for 41 yards, including a gorgeous, over-the-shoulder grab for 30 yards down the right sideline.

McMillan should be drafted as a WR2, not as a WR3. The eighth overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft will get a boatload of targets this season.

Henderson to the House

Speaking of impressive rookies, running back TreVeyon Henderson‘s debut for the Patriots was a humdinger.

Henderson’s first touch was a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He played seven snaps, ran routes on six of them, caught all three of his targets for 12 yards and took a pitch for a silky-smooth 18-yard run down the left sideline.

At the moment, Henderson has an ADP of RB24 and is being drafted behind RJ Harvey, Joe Mixon and D’Andre Swift. I’d draft Henderson over all of them.

Although Henderson will undoubtedly share work with Rhamondre Stevenson, Henderson will get high-value snaps on passing downs, catching a lot of passes and running against light boxes. He might not be a high-volume back, but he’s likely to be a high-efficiency back.

Etienne Still in the Mix

The Jaguars’ backfield is going to be messy, but things are looking a little brighter for Travis Etienne after Jacksonville’s first preseason game.

Etienne started for the Jaguars and played every snap on the team’s first drive. He also ran routes on seven out of 12 snaps, which seemingly bodes well for his usage on passing downs.

Training-camp buzz had suggested Tank Bigsby might sit atop the Jaguars’ running back pecking order, but that might not be the case. Bigsby played zero snaps with Jags starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Bits and Pieces

Over the Broncos’ last seven regular-season games of 2024, Marvin Mims Jr. scored six touchdowns and averaged 62 receiving yards per game, even though he played fewer than half of the Broncos’ offensive snaps in all seven of those games. In Denver’s preseason opener, Mims was on the field for 16 of the 19 snaps that Bo Nix played and left the game with the other starters. Mims could be a sleeper if he gets something close to a full-time role.
Will Shipley looks like the clear handcuff to Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia. A lot of fantasy managers were probably making that assumption anyway, but there’s been some speculation that ex-Packer A.J. Dillon might be pushing Shipley for second-string status. But the more athletic, more versatile Shipley played the Eagles’ first 14 offensive snaps. He had a 38-yard run and appears to be Philly’s No. 2 RB.
Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is draftable in Superflex leagues. He was sharp in his debut, completing 12-of-19 passes for 154 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions, along with three carries for 24 yards. Dart’s touchdown was a pretty 28-yard dime to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Dart will almost certainly get a regular-season audition, and it could come early if the Giants’ rough early-season schedule leads to a poor start.
Jack Bech is undraftable in redraft leagues despite being a second-round pick in April. Fourth-round rookie Dont’e Thornton has reportedly outplayed Bech in training camp, and Thornton played with the first team ahead of Bech in the Raiders’ first exhibition game. With a 6-foot-5 frame and 4.3 speed, Thornton might be worth a late-round flier, but Bech is not.
Shedeur Sanders probably isn’t draftable, even in Superflex leagues, but his sporty debut (14-of-23 for 138 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions) suggests he’s a good bet to make the Browns’ roster and get a regular-season audition at some point.