For all of the well-deserved ire that social media manages to catch, I will say one thing — it is one of the easiest ways for me to stay up to date with friends and family who don’t live particularly close to me (or play fantasy football).
I still have plenty of friends in high school and college who live in New England, and it isn’t the easiest thing in the world to make time to catch up with everyone. Seeing pictures of kids growing up, job changes, vacation trips — I’ve always enjoyed that aspect of Facebook.
One thing that always tugs at my heartstrings is the “Remember this day, 10 years ago?” pictures that pop up in my feed. Time is a thief, and in the blink of an eye, I’m somehow a decade older. My children went from being in strollers and car seats to learning to drive. How on Earth did that happen?
Time somehow seems to speed up the older I get — perhaps it is my faulty memory or a cramped schedule blending; who knows. The other day, I was convinced it was still early August, rather than the end of the month. Days fly by.
- Fantasy Football Research & Advice
- Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- 2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
Fantasy Football Preseason Duds
Just like that, the NFL preseason has nearly concluded. Training camps are behind us, Labor Day is right around the corner, and so is the official start of the 2026 NFL season.
The NFL preseason gives coaches time to evaluate where their team stands. It lets them hash out positional battles and evaluate roster deficiencies before the season gets underway. Most superstars generally sit out the entirety of it — there is no reason for them to be placed in a situation of unnecessary risk, especially now that there are only three preseason games instead of four.
Time is limited, and reps are precious. Thus, the list of who fell flat this preseason will consist of lesser-known options, rather than top-tier talent. Baltimore’s Joe Fagnano leads all quarterbacks with 509 passing yards. Arizona’s Evan Hull leads the league in rushing yards with 189. I seriously doubt either makes an impact this season. At least, I hope not, since that would mean the injury bug was hungry.
Which players failed to take advantage of their opportunity to shine? Here are a few options that I was hoping to see more from in August.
Quarterback
Fernando Mendoza (QB – LV)
The odds that Fernando Mendoza would immediately seize the job from veteran Kirk Cousins were always low, but when given the limelight, Mendoza’s luster seemed to fade. In three preseason appearances, Mendoza completed just 55.6% of his pass attempts, throwing one touchdown with two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 59.5.
It is hardly fair to view this as a failure — most rookie quarterbacks need to adjust to the speed of the NFL, and it takes time to adapt to more complex blitz schemes, defenders barreling down on you and progressing through reads in a new system. Still, Mendoza was the first overall selection for a reason, and expectations are high that he will contribute in short order.
A traditional pocket passer whose calling card was picking apart defenses with precision passing, Mendoza drew comparisons to Matt Ryan early on in the draft process. It is clear he needs more time to develop, and Las Vegas needs to keep surrounding him with weapons, especially in the passing game.
A healthy Ashton Jeanty behind him will do wonders, but Mendoza will need to speed up his mental process and deliver more accurate passes in order to usurp Kirk Cousins on the depth chart any time soon.
Tua Tagovailoa (QB – ATL)
Tua Tagovailoa was signed by Atlanta as a seasoned mentor to Michael Penix Jr., giving him additional time to recover from his left ACL tear sustained in November.
With Penix still working his way back from the injury and unable to take the field this preseason, Tagovailoa was given an opportunity to shine. Instead, he fell flat on his face. Tagovailoa was simply an extension of what we saw previously in Miami — a quarterback who is afraid to push the ball downfield and relies on short throws to move the ball downfield instead.
Backup Jack Strand performed much better, with a higher completion rate (66.7)% and quarterback rating (90.7). There was also a striking difference in average depth of target (aDOT) — 9.3 vs. 2.3. Yes, you read that right: Tagovailoa’s aDOT was 2.3.
Tagovailoa fumbled an exchange with the center in the team’s final preseason game and seems gun-shy of contact, not allowing plays to develop downfield and instead immediately getting the ball out of his hands.
Borrowing a statistic from Warren Sharp, Tagovailoa had zero pass attempts this preseason that traveled more than six air yards. Of his 95 passing yards in Week 3 of the preseason, 68 came after the catch. I’ve rarely seen a quarterback who plays things so conservatively.
Wide Receiver
Darius Slayton (WR – NYG)
Giants general manager Joe Schoen was rightly given plenty of criticism for his curious decision to reward Darius Slayton with a three-year, $36 million contract in March of 2025.
Though he had occasionally provided spurts of fantasy relevance as New York’s primary receiving threat in the wake of Malik Nabers‘ injury, Slayton’s propensity for drops in key situations and inability to ever expand his route tree were notable.
Initially, I thought Slayton’s bloated contract would save him from being cut, even after New York inked Darnell Mooney to a deal in the offseason and drafted Malachi Fields from Notre Dame.
Now? That might not be the case. Slayton started the third preseason game opposite Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday and failed to register one look in his direction all game from either Jameis Winston, Brandon Allen or Jake Haener.
New York Post beat reporter Paul Schwartz made the point that “financial considerations are not going to save Slayton” at this point. If he can’t fit into this new offensive scheme, he will be cut as New York attempts to reach the 53-man roster limit. The longest-tenured player on the team could be shown the door.
Makai Lemon (WR – PHI)
I’ve mentioned it several times in earlier articles, but it is worth reiterating — fantasy managers were incredibly spoiled by the offensive-rich class from 2025, and should seriously temper their expectations this season for the incoming rookie class. I’ve listed Makai Lemon’s name here, but I could have just as easily gone with Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson.
Lemon finally managed to take the field for Philadelphia’s third preseason game after nursing a hamstring injury for the last several weeks, and his first start was underwhelming, to say the least. Primarily playing out of the slot and “Z” position, Lemon saw five targets, securing three passes for three yards, including a dropped pass that led to an interception.
I’m willing to admit that this was Lemon shaking off the rust. Still, he looked tentative and appears to be listed behind Dontayvion Wicks and Marquise Brown on the Eagles’ depth chart.
Pivoting to Tate, he failed to register a reception in the first two preseason games, despite being healthy. Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has already come under criticism for the team’s inept downfield passing attack and quarterback Cam Ward‘s shaky preseason. The hope is that Tate can move around the formation to become a focal point, but there is cause for concern early.
New Orleans chose Tyson as the second receiver off the board in April, with the eighth overall selection. A mix of tantalizing upside and lengthy injury history, Tyson is expected to miss a large part of the regular season while nursing a lingering hamstring strain. The hope was that he would provide a stable complementary piece opposite Chris Olave in the passing game — who knows if that will ever come to fruition.
Running Back
Kaleb Johnson (RB – GB)
I’ll fully admit I was very high on Kaleb Johnson coming out of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he has been one of the more disappointing running backs in recent memory.
After a career season in 2024 with the University of Iowa, Johnson was a mid-third-round selection by Pittsburgh, which had a clear hole to fill opposite Jaylen Warren, following the departure of Najee Harris. Rather than seize the opportunity, Johnson was immediately placed into Mike Tomlin’s doghouse and hardly saw the light of day last season, handling just 28 carries total.
My hope was that Johnson would be given another shot following Tomlin’s departure, but that never came to fruition. Instead, seventh-round selection Eli Heidenreich played ahead of Johnson in the preseason and claimed the team’s RB3 role.
Perhaps Johnson will ultimately find greener pastures in Green Bay following his trade to the Packers, but it was disheartening to see this once-promising player derailed before he ever got a real chance.
Trevor Etienne (RB – CAR)
Trevor Etienne was a depth piece I had an eye on entering 2026 as a potential contributor, given the struggles we saw from Chuba Hubbard last season. The younger brother of New Orleans’ Travis Etienne Jr., Trevor was selected by Carolina in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he caught my eye as a featured local player out of Georgia.
In college, Etienne was incredibly elusive in the open field, an adept receiver and dangerous on screen passes. Listed at a diminutive 5-foot-9 and 198 pounds., Etienne’s calling card was burst and acceleration, rather than a power-running style. Sadly, he was rolled up by another player during Carolina’s recent preseason game and had to be helped off the field.
Head coach Dave Canales said Etienne is being evaluated and will undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury — not the news I was hoping to read about his prospects this season. He might return in short order and assuage my fears, but I was hoping Etienne would shine this preseason for a team in desperate need of playmakers.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
