Two weeks of the NFL Preseason down, one more to go before we buckle in for the real thing in early September. Let’s dig into some of the noteworthy fantasy football developments from the second round of exhibition games. We’ll keep it to the stuff that’s actionable — or at least serious food for thought — for fantasy.
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Takeaways & Advice
Chubb Starts for the Texans
Joe Mixon’s mysterious foot injury has left his Week 1 availability in doubt. Mixon is on the non-football injury list after reportedly hurting himself during offseason workouts. The Texans say they’ll re-evaluate him closer to the season. What if Mixon lands on the PUP list or (yikes) IR?
With Mixon’s status up in the air, Nick Chubb took most of the snaps at running back while QB C.J. Stroud and Houston’s offensive starters were in the game. Chubb had 5-25-0 rushing and had a 4-yard catch on his only target.
Chubb has to be considered the leading candidate for early-down work while Mixon is out. Dameon Pierce might be in the mix too, but Pierce sat against the Panthers on Saturday while recovering from a quad injury. Veteran RB Dare Ogunbowale played with the starters on passing downs, and rookie RB Woody Marks ran with the reserves.
Burden a Backup
Fans of second-round rookie WR Luther Burden have to reckon with the reality that veteran Olamide Zaccheaus has been the Bears’ first-team slot receiver in training camp and also played that role in the team’s second preseason game. Zaccheaus caught one of his two targets vs. the Bills on Sunday and turned it into a 36-yard touchdown.
Playing with the reserves, Burden had 3-49-0 on three targets.
Burden is still a worthwhile target in the late rounds of drafts. He’s electrifying with the ball in his hands, and the slot role has historically been valuable in Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s offenses. Just realize it might take time for Burden to muscle his way past Zaccheaus on the depth chart.
Bits and pieces
- Was anyone worried about Ashton Jeanty rushing for minus-1 yard in his first preseason game? He had seven carries for 33 yards and a touchdown in his second preseason contest and looked sensational. Nothing to see here. Jeanty is a worthy top-15 pick.
- Speaking of rookie RBs, Omarion Hampton played all eight snaps with the Chargers’ starters Saturday vs. the Rams and had two carries for 12 yards. Hampton’s snap shares and rushing load could be massive early in the season is Najee Harris (eye) isn’t ready to play.
- It’s strange that veteran RB Kenneth Gainwell has played ahead of third-round Kaleb Johnson in each of the Steelers’ first two preseason games. Should we worry about Johnson’s chance of being a worthwhile fantasy asset in his first NFL season? Not yet. But it’s possible this turns into a messy three-way backfield with Gainwell, Johnson and Jaylen Warren (who was rested on Saturday).
- The Panthers have been using Chuba Hubbard on early downs and Rico Dowdle on passing downs during the preseason. That isn’t necessarily bad news for Hubbard, but he might be hard-pressed to match the 43 receptions he had last season.
- Rookie D.J. Giddens looks like the primary handcuff to Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. Giddens was the first RB to enter Saturday’s game against the Packers after Taylor left, and veteran RB Tyler Goodson injured his elbow later in the game. Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has been praising Giddens’ work in pass protections, which suggests that the Indy coaching staff trusts the rookie.
- It’s interesting that the Browns held rookie TE Harold Fannin out of their second preseason game even though Fannin is healthy. It’s a sign that the team views Fannin as an important cog. He’s an interesting late-round flyer in deeper leagues.
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