Friday Fantasy Football Preseason Roundup: Rhamondre Stevenson, Shedeur Sanders and More

Friday was the second proper day of the NFL preseason (not counting the Hall of Fame Game). While preseason doesn't count, there are useful nuggets of information we can find if we mine through the practice squad names and end-of-depth-chart battles.

After a mostly innocuous first day on Thursday, let's go through the three preseason games that took place on Friday and identify anything that might matter in the world of fantasy football. Mostly, we'll be looking at backups, but it could give us some clues about second-string running backs and WR3/4 types, useful information in deep leagues and when injuries start piling up.

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Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons (DET 17-10)

The Lions Sit Everyone

Detroit has their pecking order essentially laid out, so the preseason is about those lower battles on the depth chart and making sure everyone is ready for Week 1. The only thing I'm really thinking about is how involved David Montgomery will be, but that's probably not going to get answered in August.

Undrafted rookie Jackson Meeks led the team with three catches, 78 yards, and a touchdown. He is fighting for one of the last spots on the roster, and his performance on special teams will probably matter more than this line. Isaac TeSlaa, a third-round pick last year, also caught a touchdown, but he's another guy who probably won't make any fantasy impact.

Easton Stick Locked in as QB3?

Michael Penix is set to start for the Falcons, and Kirk Cousins will be the backup if he isn't traded (let's see what injuries occur before the season starts). That leaves the practice squad/QB3 spot up for grabs, and Stick put together a good performance, going 15-18 for 149 yards and a touchdown (with no interceptions and just one sack).

Like the Lions, Atlanta didn't play anyone of note. Two undrafted receivers, Dylan Drummond and Chris Blair, stood out, as Drummond had an 8-63-0 line and Blair 3-54-1. Neither player is likely to make the roster, let alone a fantasy impact in 2025, but they put their names on the national radar by finding some success.

Game Ends Early

This game only went three quarters in essence because Detroit backup safety Morice Norris was taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering a scary injury to his head/neck while making a tackle at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Being it's a preseason game and doesn't matter, no actual play took place after that, as the teams let the clock run until referees called the game.

Cleveland Browns @ Carolina Panthers (CLE 30-10)

Shedeur Sanders Makes His Mark

This is maybe the most noteworthy debut of Week 1 of the preseason, as Sanders fell from potential top-five pick to actual fifth-round pick despite his famous name and hype. Sanders had some positive numbers, going 14-23 for 138 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

On top of the below-average completion percentage (60.9%), Sanders averaged just 6.0 yards per attempt, another below-average number. He helped himself with four rush attempts for 19 yards, but Sanders didn't stand out despite his two touchdowns. Joe Flacco seems locked in as the starter, but everything after that is up for grabs, and Sanders was the only one able to make an impression this week after multiple injuries elsewhere.

Bryce Young Looks Functional

This might not seem like a compliment, but Young was unplayable for the first year and a half of his career. He looked like a different player in the second half last season, and Carolina has some quiet hype because a group of NFL fans and analysts are counting on him to continue that level of play.

Young played the first two series, going 4-6 for 58 yards (9.7 per attempt) and a touchdown. He won't always play to that level, but it's a promising first impression in 2025. While Young won't be drafted in most fantasy leagues, early success will cause a stir and some waiver-wire madness.

Tetairoa McMillan: WR1?

McMillan was the eighth overall pick in this year's draft and was expected to be a major part of Carolina's offense immediately. Well, so far so good. On their second drive, McMillan caught a 30-yard pass and a 13-yard pass, the second of which put the Panthers in the red zone.

Undrafted second-year player Jalen Coker caught the touchdown, but McMillan is the guy who can really make a difference in this offense. If Young is going to continue playing better, McMillan is likely to be the biggest beneficiary, and that makes him a worthy mid-round fantasy pick.

Washington Commanders @ New England Patriots (NE 48-18)

Commanders Show Us Nothing

Washington made a huge jump in 2024, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, coach Dan Quinn, and a bevy of veteran additions. They are at risk of falling back simply by luck (and the plexiglass principle), but we're going to have to wait to see how they react to their major growth, as the Commanders didn't play any of their starters.

Undrafted rookie receiver Ja'Corey Brooks led the team with five receptions and 59 yards, but he won't make a fantasy impact unless something crazy happens. We'll see if anyone of note takes the field in Week 2, but this is another case where we won't know much until after Labor Day.

New England Gives Us Running Back Clues?

Veteran Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson figure to be the guys fighting for work in the New England backfield, and their first few drives gave a good look at what things might look like early in the season.

Henderson took the opening kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown; he belongs. When the Patriots actually had the ball on offense, though, Stevenson was leading the charge, carrying the ball seven times for 36 yards. Henderson was the change-of-pace and passing-game guy, returning kicks, taking just one handoff (for 18 yards), and catching all three of his targets for 12 yards.

Henderson is the more exciting option and the future of the offensive backfield, but anyone thinking of the safest fantasy football pick for early in 2025 is probably taking this as Stevenson being the lead back, especially as starting quarterback Drake Maye was in the game during that time.

Following the trend, undrafted free agent wide receiver Efton Chism III led the team with six catches, 50 yards, and a touchdown. New England has a crowded group of less-than-stellar receivers, so there's room for someone to break through. It's worth keeping Chism's name in mind, though no one will draft him in fantasy.