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 Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Takeaways: NFL Preseason Week 1
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.
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