ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who has impressed you most this preseason?
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
TreVeyon Henderson has been a walking splash play, and it's frustrating to see because it's sending his ADP to the moon. I might be priced out the rest of draft season. I expect Henderson to at minimum be the head of New England's backfield committee, and tied to fun play-designer Josh McDaniels, a special rookie season is within reach.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
JASON WOOD
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears. These days, preseason games offer much less insight as organizations have smartly realized that injury risks are far too high to expose key players. With that in mind, some coaches still play it old school and break away from the new paradigm. To that end, it’s hard not to like what we saw from Caleb Williams against the Bills this weekend. He completed 6-of-10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in two drives with the starters. While he was facing the Bills’ backup defenders, what matters is Williams’ confidence in the system, his ability to make quick reads, and his knack for hitting open receivers beyond his first or second progression. A lot is riding on Ben Johnson’s ability to unlock the Bears’ passing attack, and this could be a glimpse of a team-wide elevation.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
IAN ALLAN
Seattle's running game. The Kubiaks know how to construct running games. Gary for years with the Broncos, Texans and Ravens, and some of that know-how has rubbed off on his son Klint, who's now the offensive coordinator with the Seahawks. I made the mistake last year of not giving enough weight to what Kubiak was doing with the Saints, and they came out and ran for 170-plus yards in both of their first two games. Now I'm seeing the same kind of spark in Seattle. They've run all over the Raiders and Kansas City in their two games, with fullback Robbie Ouzts smashing people. George Holani and Zach Charbonnet are both averaging 9-plus yards per carry. I'm not sure how long Kenneth Walker can stay healthy, but I expect they'll be springing him for some huge games.
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
TOM KESSENICH
It's Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He began training camp as an unheralded rookie and just a few weeks later he's played so well the Commanders reportedly are looking to trade Brian Robinson and Croskey-Merritt could be on the verge of taking over as the team's top RB. All this from a seventh-round pick and a fantasy draft afterthought is more than impressive.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
LUKE WILSON
The answer is probably TreVeyon Henderson (as evidenced by the jetpack that has been strapped to his ADP in drafts all week), and rightfully so. I'll go with another Pats' rookie though: Efton Chism. The mystery man out of the alma mater of Cooper Kupp has gone from an undrafted borderline unknown to very likely forcing either Ja'Lynn Polk or Javon Baker off of this roster in a couple of weeks. Chism has been hard-nosed and reliable working over the middle in the Pats' first two preseason games, just relentlessly getting open and being exactly where the play needed him to be, and when. But it's his yards after the catch ability that has maybe been the most impressive -- this guy is a wide receiver before he catches the ball, and a straight up running back after. Throw the 'UDFA' label out the window here, because this guy can play.
Wilson is a frequent contributor on the Fantasy Index website, and is one of many knowledgeable voices in the Fantasy Index Discord server. He also co-hosts Drinkin' Dynasty, a new beer-themed fantasy podcast.
SCOTT SACHS
Preseason edition, here's a few impressive rookies. "Call me Bill" Jacory Croskey-Merritt is an obvious choice for many. As an out-of-nowhere preseason RB standout, he's pushing incumbent Brian Robinson out the door. However, I'm targeting TreVeyon Henderson every chance I get. He's got a 100-yard TD return, plus another 70-yard TD, picking up right where he left off in the college championship game. New England's Rhamondre Stevenson is a fumbler with an injury history. Patriots look like an up-and-comer, and it certainly looks like the Browns drafted the wrong OSU running back. At WR, give me Emeka Egbuka, another OSU standout, in every draft. Great hands, Bucs have a thin receiving corps, plus Baker loves him. At QB, Jaxson Dart has over 74 percent completion average, plus a couple of TDs. Giants wasting their time and money messing around with Russell Wilson. Tyler Warren in Indy looks like the total package, only crappy QB play will hamper his development.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: a href="https://x.com/ffbcoach" target=_new>https://x.com/ffbcoach
SAM HENDRICKS
Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He has had a great preseason and looks to be the main reason the Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson. That is impressive. He is explosive and let's face it there is not much competition in Washington's running back room. Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez do not represent a huge wall to starting.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
HOWARD BENDER
While we haven't seen a ton from him in preseason games, Trevor Lawrence is someone I'm very interested in following more. He looked strong and efficient in the last preseason game and the work he's putting in with Liam Coen is very encouraging from a fantasy standpoint. We know what Coen did for Baker Mayfield and Lawrence has strong weapons in Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter and Brenton Strange. Even as a field-stretcher, Dyami Brown could contribute making Lawrence a much more attractive option in the later rounds.
Bender is a longtime veteran of the fantasy sports industry and the 2008 runner-up for People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. He serves as the Head of Content for FantasyAlarm.com, a weekly columnist for the New York Post and is the host of the award-winning Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (M-F 6-8pm ET). You can find him on X, IG and Facebook as @rotobuzzguy and on TikTok as @therealrotobuzzguy.
KEN HOLIZNA
Jaxson Dart has made this easy for me. I have had my eye on him for a while. I liked his physical measurables coming out of college into the pros. He is a prototypical NFL quarterback who can also run. He definitely passes the eye test. At Ole Miss he broke Eli Manning's record for passing yards, and in 2024 broke the school's single season record for total offense with 4,774 yards. In high school he was the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year in 2020. He has not disappointed in the Giants OTA's, training camp and the preseason. In 2 games he is 26-35-291, 2-passing TDs, one running TD, with a completion rate of 74.3% and a passer rating of 117.7. Jaxson is making the most out of his opportunities. I don't think the Giants are going to bench Russell Wilson any time soon, but if they need to, or he suffers an unfortunate injury, Jaxson (with an x) Dart (what he throws) will be ready for the big stage.
Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper
JODY SMITH
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the fastest riser of the 2025 preseason period. He has consistently made plays throughout Washington's camp, leading to the Commanders trying to unload incumbent Brian Robinson. On Monday Night Football, the 7th-rounder sealed his sleeper status by breaking off a 27-yard touchdown run. A week ago, Croskey-Merritt was known only to dynasty football fans. Now, he's a legitimate sleeper target with a path to contributing right away.
Smith is the editor-in-chief at FullTime Fantasy who is known for compiling some of fantasy football’s most accurate rankings. He has over 15 years of experience in the industry, which includes a stint on the sidelines covering the Houston Texans.
ANDY RICHARDSON
Honestly, it's top pick Cam Ward. My expectations were low given the general talent or lack thereof in Tennessee, and the fact it was really just one college season that earned him the No. 1 overall selection. And if you look only at the preseason box scores, you might not think much of his outlook. But he looks really natural and comfortable out there running the offense, more poised than a typical rookie quarterback. The Titans open at Denver, which could be a rough debut, but in general I think he's going to play well out of the gate. The division is suspect and the overall schedule doesn't look too bad. It's early to say for sure, but I think Ward is going to work out for them.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays.