How much can we learn from an NFL preseason game? The answer to that is debatable. We probably shouldn't draw huge conclusions from exhibition stats alone, but playing time patterns combined with the numbers can start to give us a sense of whether some players might be in for larger roles in 2026 than we originally anticipated.
These five players are all trending up for fantasy football purposes following their team's first preseason game.
WR KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns
Look, I know I have a problem sometimes, and that problem is that I fall in love with gadget players too often. So take this next statement with a grain of salt: I am in love with KC Concepcion from a fantasy perspective.
The Cleveland Browns worked hard to get their first-round pick involved in the offense against the Bears. He scored the team's only touchdown on a designed run and also caught three passes for 27 yards. Notably, he was targeted twice as many times as fellow rookie Denzel Boston.
If this Browns team is going to do anything offensively in 2026, the coaching staff will need to be creative, and Concepcion is the perfect player with which to do so. He is currently being drafted outside of the top 50 at the wide receiver position, but I'd be comfortable taking a shot on him around WR45 or so, and there's a chance I'm willing to go even higher depending on how the next couple of weeks play out.
RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
This is less about what Jonathon Brooks did this week and more about the fact that Brooks is back out there on an NFL field, something that on its own is notable. The former second-round pick missed all of the 2025 season and has appeared in just three games to this point in his career thanks to a pair of ACL injuries.
Statistically, it was a middling game from Brooks, who had three carries for five yards and also caught one pass for nine yards for the Carolina Panthers. But the important thing is that those touches came with the first-team offense.
The fact that Chuba Hubbard didn't play as he deals with a hamstring injury complicates this projection, as Brooks still has to contend with Hubbard for touches this season. But the Panthers feeling comfortable going with Brooks as the starter in the opening week of preseason action shows that at worst, he's the RB2 on this team, which means he'll have ample opportunities to prove he deserves to pass Hubbard on the depth chart.
WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
It is the year 2026 and I am writing about New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s fantasy value. Time doesn't exist. It's all a flat circle. Everything old is new again. Insert whatever other idioms you want here — the point is, it's wild that I'm seriously contemplating OBJ's fantasy value at this moment in time.
I mean, yes, the Giants were down multiple receivers in their preseason opener against the Vikings, with Malik Nabers the most notable absence. And even with that, Beckham wasn't playing with the starters, so we can assume that he's not one of the team's primary receivers at present. But this receiving room is weak beyond Nabers, and Beckham certainly has a chance to become a key part of it if he can play like this on a routine basis.
Yes, Beckham had just two catches for six yards, but as FanSided's Austen Bundy pointed out, Beckham consistently got open on his routes. The problem was that the ball just never arrived his way. On a roster with few standouts at the position, Beckham's route-running might be enough to get him onto the roster. If you play best ball, Beckham would be very, very interesting right now as one of your final picks.
WR De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers
I was critical of the De'Zhaun Stribling pick for the San Francisco 49ers back in the spring. Yes, wide receiver was a huge position of need, but Stribling still felt like a major reach, a raw prospect who was drafted while guys ostensibly closer to making a Week 1 impact were still on the board. Not the kind of pick that a team trying to win now would make.
Maybe I was wrong, though, because Stribling looked really, really good in his first NFL action. The second-round pick was targeted eight times against the Titans, catching seven of those for 63 yards. Maybe more importantly, the 49ers used him both inside and outside. That versatility can pay dividends, because San Francisco's current receiver room is ... well, let's just that say that I would be worried about some of these other guys missing time due to injury.
Stribling is currently being drafted outside of the top 50 wide receivers. While I wouldn't reach too much on him, I'd be willing to go a round above his current ADP if I have a roster build where I need an upside play at that spot.
QB Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
I'm a bit ashamed to say this as a Texans fan, but I picked up Deshaun Watson for super cheap this offseason in a couple of dynasty leagues, simply because the Browns seem like a franchise that is stubborn enough to say "let's just start the guy we gave a bunch of money to."
And, well, that appears to be what's going to happen in Cleveland. Was Watson "good" in the preseason opener? No, but he was serviceable, which is more than you can say for Shedeur Sanders' and Dillon Gabriel's performances in that same game. For example, Watson didn't throw an awful interception!
Do I think Watson ever reaches the level he did in Houston? No, of course not. Do I think that the man has very likely done some reprehensible things off the field? Yes, and no fantasy manager should be judged if they refuse to roster him for that reason alone. But he has some intriguing weapons around him and is currently being drafted as the QB35, and there's definitely room for him to do far better than that.
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