We now have a full week of preseason action in the books, and today we’re breaking down all the fantasy relevant rookies in the AFC Conference and how they performed in their first game day in NFL threads.
Some of these guys will be immediately relevant to fantasy football, while others might be on the verge of having an impact should you decide to draft them. These are the rookie preseason performances worth noting. Let’s start with the quarterbacks…
The Quarterbacks
C.J. Stroud
Quarterback – Houston Texans
Week 1 Preseason Grade: D
The expectation is that C.J. Stroud will start for the Texans in Week 1, and came out with the starters for an early series or two against the Patriots in the first preseason game.
It’s fair to say that Stroud really struggled. It all seemed to be happening too quickly for him, and the adjustment to the pace of the NFL was evident.
The second overall pick completed his first pass on a short out route towards the sideline, but after that things started to look a little messy. He drifted backwards on a first down that resulted in a 15 yard loss on a sack, and then on third down of that same drive threw an easy interception to Jalen Mills after staring down the route he wanted for far too long.
Stroud will face many learning curves this season as a day one starter, but will want to heavily improve on his decisiveness and snap to release timing if he wants to be successful early. Stroud’s preseason performance was underwhelming, and he’ll certainly want a confidence boost in the remaining two games before regular season football gets underway.
Dynasty owners won’t feel any pressure here, and in redraft leagues he should be a third string QB for those owners until he starts to put up some impressive numbers for Houston.
Anthony Richardson
Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts
Week 1 Preseason Grade : C-
Anthony Richardson was a little better than Stroud, but still threw a poor interception and came out of the game without a touchdown.
The Florida Gator turned Colt has already been named the starter for the upcoming season, with Jim Irsay making comments a long time ago that the best way to learn was to play.
It’s going to be a learning year for Richardson, who only made 13 starts in college before declaring for the draft, and perhaps that’s why the Colts are going to put him out there and let him learn on the job this year.
The Colts QB threw a couple of easy completions before facing pressure up the middle that led to him trying to force a throw out to the right sideline. It sailed past the intended receiver and was picked off, resulting in a turnover for the rookie QB in the preseason.
Richardson needs to slow everything down, relax in the pocket and avoid trying to force unnecessary throws. He’s a very intriguing rookie in fantasy because of the upside with both his ground game and powerful arm, but will have to polish up his game before you can consider starting him.
Will Levis
Quarterback – Tennessee Titans
Week 1 Preseason Grade: C-
Will Levis has quite the uphill battle on his hands, currently splitting time in the preseason with Malik Willis. The two are competing for the backup role behind Ryan Tannehill, a role that could turn into a starting job if the Titans struggle this year and turn their attention to the future.
Willis has more experience in the offense and is understandably playing better so far, but Levis did make a few decent throws. His first pass was a nice completion, but his second was late and very nearly jumped by a Chicago corner.
In the second quarter he rolled out to the right and fired a nice ball downfield for a completion in what was a really tidy play. He followed that out with a nice ball out to his right for a first down on 3rd and 13, and a couple more completions throughout the rest of the game.
His mistake came with less than 20 seconds on the clock, floating a pass over his intended receiver for an interception that iced the game.
While he threw a pick, Will Levis looked calm and composed in his debut. He didn’t panic, evaded pressure a couple of times and created a couple of completions while on the move. The issue with Levis is a tough path to seeing the field, but stashing him away on your dynasty roster might not be a bad idea.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Quarterback – Cleveland Browns
Week 1 Preseason Grade: A-
Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been one of the biggest standouts, if not the biggest, in the NFL preseason so far. His performance for the Browns in the Hall of Fame game was great, and he replicated it against the Washington Commanders in Week 1 of the preseason.
DTR was an impressive dual threat quarterback at UCLA who has five years worth of experience at the college level. It looks as though he’s already leapfrogged Kellen Mond for the QB3 spot on the roster in Cleveland, and he’s been a ton of fun to watch so far in a Browns uniform.
The electric QB is making some great throws, showing very strong decisiveness when it comes to taking off and running or evading pressure in the pocket.
Of course, DTR isn’t expected to play for the Browns this season, and he’d have his work cut out to become a reliable source of fantasy points, but everybody loves a success story all the same.
Aidan O’Connell
Quarterback – Las Vegas Raiders
Week 1 Preseason Grade: A-
We have to take a moment to recognize Aidan O’Connel with the Raiders too, who has actually had one of the best performances we’ve seen from rookie quarterbacks in the preseason so far.
The Raiders selected him in the fourth round, and he’s certainly got the potential to outplay his draft position if the first preseason game was anything to go by.
I’ve not seen a rookie QB as calm and poised as O’Connell was, and apparently nobody in the Raiders building was surprised. The former Boilermaker went 15/18 for 141 yards and a touchdown, carving up the defense as he led the Raiders down the field.
The Running Backs
Tank Bigsby
Running Back – Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 1 Preseason Grade: B+
Tank Bigsby could see plenty of work for the Jags this year in support of Travis Etienne, and as a result he’s been on the radar for a while for those of us closely watching those dynasty rankings.
Bigsby carried the ball nine times against Dallas, and while the first few touches were stuffed close to the line, he did show great burst and acceleration following the hand off. He brought one out of the endzone well to create space for the offense, but the majority of his 52 yards came on a run to the right that he bounced outside very nicely for a hefty gain down the sideline. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the game, a decent return for a rookie’s first outing.
Bigsby should see the field for the Jags this year, but I’m not sure it’ll be enough to warrant playing him in your lineup. In best ball, and if you have a deep roster, he could be a sneaky addition, and will likely see more playing time than most depth running backs this year.
Tyjae Spears
Running Back – Tennessee Titans
Week 1 Preseason Grade: B
Tyjae Spears has got some real burst. The Titans selected him in the third round of the draft after a big year at Tulane, and the expectation is that he’ll play behind Derrick Henry this season.
He brings a very different skillset to Henry’s to the Titans offense, with speed, lateral quickness and some impressive cuts to his game.
The Titans rookie running back impressed on his debut. He redirected one run from left to right and cut back inside on an incoming corner for a decent gain, and looks to be the type of player that could explode on any given play.
Tennessee’s offensive line is a concern, but Spears is a real player. The only problem with him is just how much work he’s going to get behind Derrick Henry.
Israel Abanikanda
Running Back – New York Jets
Week 1 Preseason Grade: B-
Izzy Abanikanda is a superb straight line runner, but he does lack a little extra sauce in his game when it comes to making a man miss in space.
He had a couple of decent runs against the Panthers in a game where he carried the football 12 times for 56 yards and a 4.7 average, including a burst up the middle that saw him dragged down inches from the goal line.
I liked Abanikanda as a potential rotational back behind Breece Hall, but there’s still a lot of traffic there before he sees significant playing time. Now, with the addition of Breece Hall, I’m left a little lost on him.
He’s been solid in the Hall of Fame game and Week 1 preseason matchup, and should he continue to produce, maybe he gets 50 carries during the season this year? For that final running back you’re going to have on your fantasy roster, I think there are just better options this year.
The Best of the Rest at Running Back
Shoutout to free agent running back Elijah Dotson, who the Chargers picked up out of Northern Colorado.
Dotson was one of the most impressive running backs we’ve seen in the preseason so far, managing six carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns. If he plays like he did in the opener, Dotson could emerge as one of the best rookie running backs in the preseason.
His speed was evident, breaking two big runs down the left hand side for scores. He came into the game late, and really took his opportunity to impress the coaches both on his own team, and any other team watching.
The other name worth a quick mention is former Aggies star De’Von Achane, who picked up 10 carries for 25 yards in Week 1. The Dolphins rookie running back will have to fight his way up the depth chart this year and was struggling behind a very poor offensive line display, but his speed and pass catching ability could be something Miami utilizes in bunches this season.
The Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Tank Dell
Wide Receiver – Houston Texans
Week 1 Preseason Draft Grade: B+
Tank Dell could be a real sleeper this season. Houston will have some new playmakers on display including wideout John Metchie who has now completely recovered from Leukemia and is ready to go in the regular season.
They added Dalton Schultz at tight end, Robert Woods as a veteran leader and Nic Collins could have a breakout year too. That said, the speed guy is Tank Dell, who showed how dangerous he could be with a few really nice catches over the middle of the field on slants and in-breaking routes.
Dell caught a juggled ball in the endzone as he came down on his back, resulting in a touchdown, and could just be a really explosive addition to Houston’s offense. He’s building a relationship with C.J. Stroud, and at the ADP right now, he could be some of the best rookie value you’ll find this year.
Cedric Tillman
Wide Receiver – Cleveland Browns
Week 1 Preseason Draft Grade: C+
Cedric Tillman went under the radar in the draft because of a lack of those high ends numbers we like to see in college. While he might not have padded the stats, he’s an excellent football player. Tillman is big and strong and can win in one on one coverage, and there’s an opportunity for him in Cleveland this year.
Cleveland’s group of wide receivers, barring Amari Cooper, is largely unproven. Donovan Peoples-Jones will be the two this year, but Tillman is expected to feature as well, and he could quickly become a piece of the starting offense if he produces.
Tillman was quiet in Week 1 of the preseason, but he did manage two receptions for 35 yards in the Hall of Fame game.
He’s another to consider as your final receiver in dynasty leagues or even best ball, with the upside to become a starter for the Browns.
The Best of the Rest at Wide Receiver and Tight End
Both Rashee Rice of the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts had a couple of nice catches in their preseason debuts, with Rice picking up 30 yards while Downs managed 29.
Miami Dolphins athletic tight end Elijah Higgins was one of the best performing rookie tight ends in the AFC, with two receptions for 36 yards in their season opener. Miami may be looking to utilize his pass catching abilities this season after letting Mike Gesicki go in the offseason, meaning he might be one to monitor as the year gets underway.
