NFL preseason action was back in action on Thursday night. The Texans traveled to New England and defeated the Patriots, and the Seahawks took care of business at home against the Vikings. Five first-round NFL draft picks made their NFL debuts on Thursday. The preseason gives us the first opportunity every year to see these rookies suit up and gives us a glimpse at how crucial position battles are looking against live contact.
Texans def. Patriots 20-9
Texans rookie WR Tank Dell stole the show from a fantasy football perspective in Foxborough. He drew eight targets for five catches and 65 yards as well as scoring a highlight reel touchdown. Dell made an acrobatic juggling catch on his back from QB Davis Mills to score before the half. Dell was the 69th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and stuffed the stat sheet in 2022 at the University of Houston, registering 109 catches on 154 targets, 1,398 yards, and 17 touchdowns in his last collegiate season. The former Cougar is diminutive at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds and is entering the NFL at nearly 24 years old, but seeing him perform as the top producer in his first taste of NFL action comes as no surprise. His big night could bode well for his NFL future.
No. 2 overall pick QB C.J. Stroud made his NFL debut as well, but there are few conclusions we can make off of just two offensive series. The Texans’ quarterback of the future completed just two passes for 13 yards on 4 attempts and scrambled twice for six yards. First, Stroud failed to escape a sack on the opening series. Then, he threw an interception, which is far from ideal. But it’s way too early to be overreacting off of a shaky debut. Let’s wait to see how Stroud fares in the regular season before we start to worry.
Receivers John Metchie III, Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, Tre Nixon, and others all saw action in the passing game. QB Bailey Zappe got the start for the Patriots as presumed starting QB Mac Jones had the night off. The longest passing play of the game for either team came as Zappe connected with Thornton deep down the field for 27 yards. Free agent acquisition JuJu Smith-Schuster was inactive. He’ll likely lead the Patriots’ receiving corps if healthy.
Patriots RBs Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris split carries, with Harris registering only 10 yards on eight attempts. Strong Jr., however, had 21 yards on just six carries and caught all three of his targets for 12 yards. Strong Jr. appears to be the more intriguing of the two backs at this point with Rhamondre Stevenson the unquestioned starter.
Seahawks def. Vikings 24-13
The backfields of both teams dominated the attention from a fantasy perspective in this NFC preseason matchup. 2022 breakout RB Kenneth Walker III hasn’t practiced since the first day of Seahawks training camp and was inactive, opening the door for rookie RB Zach Charbonnet to showcase his skills. Veteran RB DeeJay Dallas took the first carry but was then a non-factor. Charbonnet had four carries for 14 yards and added two catches for 14 yards on two targets. Charbonnet has clearly bounced back from the shoulder injury he suffered early in camp. The 2023 second-round pick could be establishing himself in Walker III’s absence. He’s a very interesting target in all fantasy football formats.
Vikings RBs Ty Chandler, Abram Smith, and rookie DeWayne McBride are all competing for roles behind Alexander Mattison, and all three handled a workload against the Seahawks while Mattison was inactive. Chandler was by far the most productive of the three on Thursday. He looks like a big winner coming out of his team’s first preseason game, carrying the ball 11 times for 41 yards and catching all four of his targets for 29 more yards. Smith and McBride saw seven and six carries, respectively, and Smith saw one target but did not record a catch. Chandler looks like he has a clear lead currently for the team’s top backup role.
First-round WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jordan Addison both made their NFL debuts and both were involved. Smith-Njigba had three catches on four targets for 25 yards. Addison had one catch on three targets for 22 yards. I expect both players to be quality receivers in the league. Hopefully, Thursday night is just the first step of long careers for the two rookies.
Fantasy stars Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins, T.J. Hockenson, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Geno Smith all did not play.
Elijah Southwick
Elijah Southwick is a professional writer, editor and content creator covering sports news and fantasy football. He is a contributing writer for The League Winners and Lead Sports Content Writer at Degen Magazine.