Top preseason moves you should know in Dave Richard’s 2026 Fantasy rankings
It’s foolish, and almost reckless, to make changes to fantasy rankings after a preseason game. Especially since most of the people we really want to recruit played less than 20 snaps in a preseason outing.
But in this age of shared media and non-stop coverage, we all see what players do in almost real football games, and it’s in our nature to react, if not exaggerate.
So let’s try to keep things in perspective and not rush players up or down the rankings because of one play or one game… except when it’s clearly obvious that a change is necessary.
Moves I made in my ranking according to Week 1 of the preseason games
Moved: Michael Wilson intimately to Marvin Harrison Jr. There’s no doubt that Arizona’s offense has evolved. If you were wondering which receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, would play a specific role based on what Mike LaFleur did in Los Angeles, there’s good news: They both appear ready to run horizontal routes like Puka Nacua did. At least in this game, all but one of the routes for Wilson and two for Harrison were horizontal. Not only did Wilson look as nervous as I remembered, but there was at least one play where he quickly improvised on a broken play and tried to make himself available to Jacoby Brissett, a small sign that perhaps he learned not to sit in the same spot and wait for the ball. Wilson was at least 15 spots behind Harrison, depending on where you get your ADP. I felt like that gap should be much narrower. And neither man has a strong case to lead the Cardinals in targets while Trey McBride is on the field, which he barely was on Thursday. Both are worth playing in Round 6 of PPR leagues.
Moved: Kyle Pitts on Isaiah Probably only in full PPR. I found it funny that all of Pitts’ goals were made without Drake London on the field, but I was more intrigued that two of the three catches Pitts had were on sliding screens that Tua Tagovailoa relied on when he was pressured. Is more or less like some of the targets David Njoku would have in Cleveland when his quarterback was pressured (Kevin Stefanski coached him). I lost sight of this during offseason evaluations and it should give Pitts a boost in receptions during Tagovailoa’s time. That was enough to get him ahead of Likely, who didn’t start and played 6 of 16 snaps with what was considered the first-team offense (Dart’s 14 snaps, Winston’s two while Dart was out). Pitts by a nose over Probably around the turn of Round 7/8.
Moved: Carnell Tate below to Round 7. It was much more about my dissatisfaction with the Titans’ offense than anything Tate did. He played almost every snap with Cam Ward, but he didn’t have any catches, didn’t show that good acceleration I saw at Ohio State, and was covered firmly by a fourth-round rookie on a short route to the end zone. Those things can be cleaned. What really surprised me was Cam Ward’s tough play after the team’s first drive. He completed 3 of his last 8 passes for 23 yards with a measly average throwing depth of 3.8 yards while being pressured (by the backups) on three attempts and deflected on two attempts with one interception that should have been. Can those things be cleaned? If Ward doesn’t improve and if the offensive line doesn’t improve, then I’m not sure how high the expectations should be for Tate as a rookie, which is why I’m taking him away with a top-70 pick.
Moved: De’Zhaun Stribling above to Round 11. Stribling overloaded himself with targets as if the team wanted to rush him into the offensive. He lined up across the formation, was used on the move, had success on easy routes and masterfully followed up a deep ball for a cool 32-yard gain. There were also some welcome-to-the-NFL moments, like getting whipped by Jermaine Johnson II on a pass-blocking replay and not keeping his feet in bounds while running a route in the end zone, but those don’t matter right now. Officially with seven receptions on eight targets on 15 routes run, Stribling finished with 63 yards but, more importantly, should have a solid role in a 49ers offense loaded with older pass catchers. He has great contingency upside for a double-digit receiver.
Ja’Kobi Lane, Khalil Shakir, Caleb Douglas and Emmett Johnson above in late round territory. I thought these four guys did enough to warrant a fantasy draft pick. Rookie receivers are big guys capable of catching long balls; Shakir seemed better suited as the Bills’ No. 2 receiver and could actually benefit from Moore’s presence; Johnson made a bunch of guys miss and could be the guy who comes in late if you draft Kenneth Walker III. And I know Lane is the training camp favorite, but I think taking him higher. Keep them in mind in the later rounds.
Did you read all that and say to yourself, “That’s it?!” Well, yeah man, that’s it. I don’t want to overestimate the first week of preseason. We have two more weeks of these left, then player cuts.
I didn’t move any of these guys, but I thought about it.
Didn’t move: Jeremiyah Love below to Round 4. Yes, Love looked like the guy who barreled through college defenses at Notre Dame. But he didn’t do anything exciting until the second quarter, when the Raiders’ backup defense was in the game. And two of his longest runs (over 8 yards) were behind fellow rookie Chase Bisontis, who lost this year. And within days of the game, it was reported that he suffered a sprained ankle, an injury that has paralyzed many running backs for weeks. Love is still a late Round 3 pick, and a deal could be struck with Kyren Williams ahead of him due to the ankle injury.
Didn’t move: Cam Skattebo below to Round 5. For the purposes of this game, the Giants’ first-team offense effectively played 16 snaps (14 with Jaxson Dart, two with Jameis Winston when Dart left the game). Skattebo played five snaps, Devin Singletary played four snaps and Tyrone Tracy Jr. played seven snaps, and none of the three played with the second-team offense. Are they all first team players? Is this a gross rotation? I still can’t believe it, that’s why I’m not moving from Skattebo. But if he keeps this up through the preseason, then it might be a mistake to count on Skattebo for high volume like we did last year (16+ touches in 5 of 6 games before his horrific injury), although I doubt New York will regularly give carries inside the 5 to Tracy or Singletary. I loved Skattebo’s extreme violence when he ran. I guess I’m a little afraid of capturing Skattebo too early, but not enough to kill him yet.
Didn’t move: Jonathan Brooks below to Round 7. I’m happy to see Brooks back with the Panthers and even more excited because he played every snap with Bryce Young except two long third downs, plus he wasn’t afraid to get physical. I wish he had been a little more explosive in the (very) few times he found space, but the entire outing was hampered by the seconds on the offensive line struggling against many of the Bills’ starting defenders. I’m looking forward to seeing more and hopefully getting him past round 6/7, if ever.
He didn’t move: KC Concepción above to Round 8. He had already been a top 100 player entering the game, and his usage was in line with what was expected: a lot of short shots, a handoff, a quick pass, all aimed at taking advantage of his speed and agility. He looked good against the Bears’ backup defenders. Of course, there’s still the issue of whether there are any good quarterbacks in Cleveland, but as long as Concepción gets fined for a ton of easy short throws in addition to other targets on the field, as well as occasional passes and quick passes, I’m sure he can be a usable fantasy option at some point. Round 9 or later is excellent for Concepción.
Didn’t move: Vikings RB above. Against a mix of Giants starters and reserves, Jordan Mason had a crafty 15-yard zigzag run, but teammate Aaron Jones beat him with a patient 18-yard gain outside the zone. Jones was actually the guy who had at least four yards on every carry and didn’t seem like a guy willing to give Mason many touches. This duo could be really great for the Vikings, particularly behind what looked like a more coordinated starting offensive line that set the tone. This duo could also really bother fantasy managers looking for a late-round steal. Mason figures to still be the better running back of the two, but both deserve fantasy roster spots with Jones a potential depth RB bargain at 110th overall.
He didn’t move: Jonah Coleman above to Round 10. Oh boy, I wanted to do it though. I felt like Coleman was putting pressure on his first two runs, then after that he showed much better vision with his better than expected explosion and expected power against a mix of Falcons starters and reserves. He needed to work on his pass protection, which likely means obvious passing might not be in his future. Sean Payton has a long history of using multiple running backs, so until Coleman is clearly locked into a valuable role, he’ll be a late-round stash. I think this is a good time to remind you that Coleman converted 21 of 25 1-yard attempts at Washington, including 5 of 6 at the one-yard line. Maybe that role is available. I kept Coleman in the Round 11 range; you might be able to catch it later.
What I’m watching in the next week
Running back injuries: Christian McCaffrey, Josh Jacobs, Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, JK Dobbins, Kyle Monangai. The problem is McCaffrey, who missed a week of practice due to “tightness.” Another week of him sitting back and taking Chase Brown and James Cook over him will be a lot easier to do. Hopefully we can see all of these guys, except Love, again at practice soon.
Quarterback play: Jordan Love, Malik Willis. I liked the limited sample of these two passers and can see a world where each greatly outperforms ADP.
DJ Moore’s ankle. I’m much more worried about the 29-year-old’s ankle than anything else in the match. It was great to see Moore used as a man coverage hitter. I didn’t think Moore was faster or more explosive than he was in Chicago. His volume will increase, but we knew it, and that is why how his ankle is handled is important.
