KC Concepcion scores in his first NFL game: The first-round rookie has already emerged as the Cleveland Browns’ top slot receiver and could also see playing time in two-receiver sets.
Injured running backs return to the lineup:Cam Skattebo and Quinshon Judkins were unable to finish their rookie seasons due to injury, but both have recovered enough that their teams were comfortable playing them in a preseason game.
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Jonathon Brooksstarts for Carolina: Brooks played in his first NFL game since December 2024.
Carolina moved on from Rico Dowdle this offseason, knowing Brooks would return to join Chuba Hubbard and Trevor Etienne in the Panthers’ backfield. Hubbard entered training camp as the starter, but there has been plenty of speculation that Brooks could eventually take over the job if he plays well enough, particularly given that Hubbard has lost playing time to other backs in the past.
Brooks’ ADP began to skyrocket after Hubbard was declared week-to-week with a hamstring injury. The initial expectation was that Brooks could take over at some point during the season, but Hubbard’s injury has created a path for Brooks to potentially start as early as Week 1. His usage with the starters in this game was nearly ideal, as he played in every situation except third-and-long, when Etienne took over. Once Carolina turned to its backups, Brooks’ day was done and Etienne became the every-down back.
Carolina’s decision to use Brooks on early downs and in short-yardage situations offers a strong indication of how he could be deployed during the regular season. Hubbard has played in all situations throughout his career, so a two-man backfield could push more of his work toward passing downs while Brooks handles the bulk of the rushing opportunities. That type of split would likely make Brooks the more valuable fantasy back of the two.
Brooks may no longer qualify as a clear value in fantasy drafts given his rapidly rising ADP, but his potential workload gives him a legitimate chance to spend much of the season as a fantasy starter.
Bills use a four-man wide receiver rotation: The addition of DJ Moore has shaken up Buffalo’s wide receiver room.
Buffalo utilized several wide receivers last season, with injuries and inconsistent play leading to a constantly changing rotation. The Bills added Moore to bring some stability to the position. He joins Khalil Shakir as the only wide receivers with seemingly secure roles near the top of the depth chart, while Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman are competing for playing time behind them.
Buffalo experimented with several receiver combinations in this game and rotated players more frequently than we should expect during the regular season. That included some snaps in 11 personnel without Shakir, something that should be rare once the games count. The Bills also tried several combinations in 12 personnel. While Coleman primarily played X in previous seasons, he, Shakir and Palmer all saw notable snaps in the slot. The one constant was Moore lining up at X whenever he was on the field. Moore has played multiple roles throughout his career, but he was the Bears’ X receiver last season and also played there for the Carolina Panthers when Joe Brady was on the coaching staff.
The Bills pulled most of their starters after the first two drives, including Moore and Shakir, while Palmer and Coleman remained in the game. That provides another indication that neither Palmer nor Coleman has secured a full-time starting role. Ultimately, this game shouldn’t have a significant impact on the ADP of any Bills wide receiver.
The Bills consolidate their tight end rotation:Jackson Hawes played just one snap with the starters after playing 43% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps last season.
Buffalo retained its top three tight ends from last season in Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Hawes. Kincaid was typically on the field in clear passing situations, while Knox and Hawes were the primary tight ends in 12 personnel.
That rotation changed significantly in this game. Buffalo ran five plays out of 12 personnel with the starters, and Kincaid and Knox were on the field for all five. Hawes’ only snap with the starters came in 21 personnel. Kincaid and Knox also split the snaps in 11 personnel.
Kincaid still might not play as much as a typical fantasy starting tight end, but this usage suggests his playing time could increase from last season, particularly in 12 personnel. Buffalo has also been cautious with Kincaid in previous preseasons, so the fact that he played as extensively as he did is an encouraging sign for his health and role.
Kincaid is an ideal target for fantasy managers who wait at tight end.
Miscellaneous Notes
Bills backup wide receiver Tyrell Shavers remains on the PUP list as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered in the playoffs last season.
Third-down back Ty Johnson and rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell were among the other Bills players who didn’t play. Johnson suffered a knee injury in practice earlier this week. It’s unclear why Bell was held out, but several Bills beat reporters noted that he was not in uniform during warmups.
With Johnson out, both James Cook and Ray Davis took snaps in third-and-long situations with the starters.
Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker played 100% of snaps with the starters while Xavier Legette joined them in 11 personnel. This is how the Panthers used their wide receivers at the end of last season.
While it has been widely reported that the Panthers will sign veteran tight end Darren Waller, the move is not yet official, so Waller did not play.
Without Waller, Carolina used all three of their tight ends with the starters. Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans split 12 personnel snaps and early 11 personnel snaps. Ja’Tavion Sanders played on only third downs and in clear passing situations. Waller is expected to take Sanders’ snaps, and potentially other 11 personnel work.
Quinshon Judkinstakes 80% of the snaps with the starters: The Browns’ backfield has gone from a three-man rotation to a two-man committee.
Last season, Judkins handled the early-down, short-yardage and goal-line work, while Jerome Ford served as the third-down and two-minute-drill back. Dylan Sampson was the primary backup in most situations. Ford departed in free agency, and Cleveland didn’t make any substantial additions at running back, condensing the rotation to Judkins and Sampson.
The Browns played two drives with all of their starters before beginning to mix in backups on the third. Judkins played eight snaps, handling 100% of the early-down and short-yardage situations, while Sampson took both third-and-medium or third-and-long snaps. The smaller rotation should lead to a substantial increase in playing time for both backs. The starters didn’t have any goal-line snaps in this game, but Judkins handled only 60% of those snaps last season. That rate could approach 100% this year. The biggest remaining question is how Cleveland will divide the two-minute-drill work, as both backs saw snaps in those situations last season.
Judkins ended last season with a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula. While he has been practicing, it was reassuring to see Cleveland comfortable enough with his recovery to play him in a preseason game. Judkins is being drafted as a low-end RB2, but his expected volume gives him a strong chance to finish as a mid-range RB2.
The Browns had the lowest-graded wide receiver unit last season, prompting the team to spend two early draft picks at the position. Boston was already named a starter earlier in the week, while Concepcion was also listed with the first team on Cleveland’s unofficial depth chart. They joined Jerry Jeudy on the first two drives. As expected, Boston lined up at X, Jeudy at Z and Concepcion in the slot.
Concepcion primarily played in 11 personnel, but he also took one snap in place of Jeudy in 12 personnel with the starters. Jeudy left after two drives, while Boston and Concepcion remained in the game. Isaiah Bond replaced Jeudy, and the three receivers rotated in 12 personnel. Cleveland’s willingness to use Concepcion in two-receiver sets is encouraging, as it gives him a path to more playing time than a typical slot receiver. If he plays well enough, he could eventually take a larger share of those snaps from Jeudy.
The later rotation also reinforced Bond’s standing as the top backup. He primarily played in the slot as a rookie but lined up outside throughout this game. If any of Cleveland’s top three wide receivers misses time this season, Bond appears most likely to see a significant increase in snaps.
Boston and Concepcion are both intriguing mid-round fantasy picks. Their ADPs are unlikely to move much based on this game, however, as their usage largely confirmed expectations entering the preseason.
Bears begin in 14 personnel: While most teams keep their personnel groupings relatively vanilla in the preseason, Chicago gave opponents something extra to think about.
Chicago shifted toward more 12 personnel last season after adding Colston Loveland, using the grouping on 34.4% of its plays. After seeing the Los Angeles Rams succeed out of 13 personnel last season, Chicago spent a third-round pick on Sam Roush, suggesting we could see Loveland, Cole Kmet and Roush share the field frequently. The loss of D.J. Moore provides another reason for Chicago to lean further into multiple-tight end sets.
Roush was the most notable Bears skill-position player to appear in this game. While he is unlikely to carry much fantasy value himself, his usage provided another indication that Chicago could lean even more heavily into multiple-tight end formations. The Bears opened the game with four tight ends on the field, a personnel grouping they didn’t use at all last season. That could point toward Chicago keeping a fourth tight end on the roster while rarely taking Loveland or Kmet off the field. From a usage standpoint, it may be useful to think of Loveland as closer to one of Chicago’s wide receivers, with Kmet operating as the more traditional tight end.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. played nine of 10 snaps with the starters, and left the game at the same time as Quinshon Judkins and Jerry Jeudy. The one play he was off the field was a short-yardage situation.
Bears lead wide receiver Luther Burden III suffered a groin injury a week ago, which will likely keep him out of the entire preseason. There is optimism he will be ready for the start of the season.
Last season, Justin Jefferson served as the Vikings’ X receiver, with Addison at Z and Jalen Nailor joining them in the slot in three-receiver sets. Nailor left for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, leading Minnesota to eventually sign Jennings. While Jennings most recently played X for the San Francisco 49ers, he began his career in the slot, making him a logical candidate to replace Nailor there.
Jefferson had the day off, and Felton replaced him at X in both two- and three-receiver sets. The 2025 third-round pick caught only three passes as a rookie, so seeing him play ahead of Jennings was somewhat surprising. That doesn’t necessarily mean Felton is ahead of Jennings on the depth chart, as Felton continued playing with the backups while Jennings’ day was done. It does, however, suggest Felton is Jefferson’s direct backup, meaning Jennings might not see a significant increase in playing time if Jefferson misses time.
Minnesota spent most of its time in two-receiver sets, with Jennings joining Felton and Addison when the Vikings went to three receivers. Surprisingly, Addison moved into the slot more often than not, while Jennings lined up outside. Addison has averaged 1.19 yards per route run from the slot in his career compared to 1.66 out wide. Jennings has averaged 1.86 yards per route run from the slot over the past three seasons compared to 1.55 out wide. However, this came over a sample of only four plays, and the Vikings weren’t entirely consistent with their alignments during those snaps.
This will be a situation worth monitoring throughout the preseason, as a shift into less familiar roles could impact the fantasy production of both Addison and Jennings.
New York retained the same top three running backs from last season despite bringing in a new coaching staff. While many expected Skattebo to emerge as the clear lead back, head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy have long histories of utilizing committees at the position. That uncertainty was reflected on the Giants’ first unofficial depth chart, where both Skattebo and Tracy were listed as starters.
Skattebo started the game and played the first two snaps before Tracy took over on third down and remained on the field for the final four plays of the drive. Singletary opened the second drive with the starters, followed by Tracy and then Skattebo, with all three rotating heavily for the remainder of the drive. The one consistent trend was Skattebo coming off the field on third downs, but he still played only five of 12 early-down snaps.
Skattebo is returning from a season-ending injury, and a new coaching staff has reason to give all three backs opportunities during the preseason. There is still plenty of time for him to establish himself as the clear lead option on early downs. However, there is also a chance Skattebo won’t be fully back to form this season, and this rotation raises the possibility that none of the three backs will consistently play more than 50% of the offensive snaps. That uncertainty makes Skattebo difficult to justify at his current ADP, particularly when other players in the same range have more secure roles in their offenses.
The Giants’ wide receiver room is wide open: New York made several changes at wide receiver this offseason, but it remains unclear who will be in the starting lineup in Week 1.
The Giants were without Nabers (knee), Smith-Schuster (knee) and Jalin Hyatt (leg) for this game. Of those three, Nabers is the only one assured of a starting role when healthy.
New York used a consistent four-man rotation of Slayton, Fields, Mooney and Austin with the starters. Austin played exclusively in 11 personnel and typically lined up in the slot. The other three receivers all saw snaps at X, while Mooney also played five snaps from the slot. That leaves several possibilities once Nabers returns. Any of Slayton, Fields or Mooney could start at X, while Austin or Mooney could handle the slot role. If Nabers isn’t ready for Week 1, any of the four could also line up at Z.
All four receivers remained in the game for the third drive, when Beckham and Berrios began to mix in. That suggests Beckham and Berrios are no higher than sixth on the depth chart at this point. Smith-Schuster and Hyatt appear to face an uphill battle to make the roster, as their injuries have prevented them from competing for spots during the preseason.
Until the rotation becomes clearer, Nabers is the only Giants wide receiver worth drafting in most fantasy leagues.
Isaiah Likely’s troubling playing time: Likely played only six snaps with the starters, all in 11 personnel.
Likely spent the first four seasons of his career in a tight end rotation with the Baltimore Ravens — where Mark Andrews was typically the primary receiving tight end, and Charlie Kolar handled much of the blocking work. Likely followed John Harbaugh to the New York Giants, where he was expected to emerge as the primary tight end. However, New York retained Theo Johnson, its top receiving tight end from last season, as well as its top blocking tight end in Chris Manhertz.
The Giants ran 10 plays out of 11 personnel, with Likely playing six and Johnson playing four. All six of Likely’s snaps were pass plays, while three of Johnson’s four were runs. Johnson and Manhertz handled both snaps with two tight ends on the field, while Manhertz was the primary tight end in 21 personnel. That usage suggests Likely could remain in a rotation similar to the one he experienced in Baltimore, except he would now occupy the Andrews role, with Johnson filling something closer to Likely’s old role.
It’s worth noting that the Giants ran only one play out of 12 personnel, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about Likely’s role in that grouping. New York also rotated heavily at running back and wide receiver, so plenty could change between now and the start of the regular season. One encouraging sign was that Likely’s day ended after two drives alongside several other starters, while Johnson and Manhertz remained in for the third. Still, this is a situation worth monitoring, and it would have been more encouraging to see Likely on the field more frequently with the starters.
Jaxson Dart exited the game for two plays after taking a big hit, but he was able to return to the game and complete the Giants’ second drive.
The Vikings rotated Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason every one or two plays, regardless of situation. We occasionally see this kind of rotation in the preseason, but rarely in regular-season practice. We can generally expect Jones to play more in passing situations and Mason more in rushing situations once the regular season starts, with this game giving us minimal indication how close to 50-50 that split will be.
Minnesota’s tight end rotation largely resembled last season, with T.J. Hockenson playing in 11 personnel, Josh Oliver playing in 21 personnel, and the two sharing the field for 12 personnel. There was one exception with Oliver playing in 11 personnel on a run play.
• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, such as offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats exclude these plays.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy is a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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