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: What is your main takeaway from the first week of preseason games?
KEVIN ENGLISH
De'Zhaun Stribling quickly emerged as one of the stars of 49ers training camp. He carried that momentum into Week 1 of the preseason, catching 7 of 8 targets for 63 yards while showing positional versatility with 14 snaps in the slot and eight out wide. Ricky Pearsall is out for the year, so Stribling should continue getting opportunities to carve out an immediate role.
English is a Senior Analyst at DraftSharks.com and has been on staff since 2009. Draft Sharks launched in 1999 as one of the web’s first fantasy football content sites and has evolved to help fantasy managers win with cutting-edge tools for drafting and in-season management.
JASON WOOD
The thing that stands out the most is how Jaxson Dart gave us a microcosm of his rookie season in a few drives. He was highly productive and led a touchdown drive, while also facing pressure and having to be evaluated for a concussion. I don’t see him lasting a full season under any circumstances.
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.
SAM HENDRICKS
The Tennessee running back situation is cringe worthy and this week's 50/50 share of carries for Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears is noteworthy in a bad way. So far Tony Pollard (only he and Derrick Henry were 1,000+ yard rushers in the last two seasons) has not secured the starting role successfully. This has opened the door for Tyjae Spears. Spears looks to be in a true RBBC with Pollard. Yuck! Spears looks better and Pollard looks older than his 29 years. Nick Singleton is a good pass catcher and might be the man in 2027 so the rookie could see more late-season work too. What a mess.
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.
IAN ALLAN
I like the look of Jack Bech. He looks a lot better now than he did as a rookie, when he wasn't much of a factor. He pulled down 3 passes in his preseason debut, and they were all impressive in different ways. Kirk Cousins went to him for 10 yards on the first third down of the game, with Bech showing strong hands while going high to pull down a contested ball. On the next series, he also went high to pull down Fernando Mendoza's first third down throw, moving the sticks again. And there was a neat little touchdown at the goal line, with Mendoza and Bech having the necessary timing and execution to get the ball in the end zone. I expect we'll see that one again in the real games. Bech came into the league as a late pick in the second round, and he's starting to look like that kind of guy now. He's presumably better and more confident, and perhaps the new coaching staff has a better feel for how to use him. He's a lot bigger and more physical than the other two receivers the Raiders have listed as starters (Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor). I'm thinking Bech will be the best of the wide receivers on that team. Right now, I'm thinking I will be picking him in the late rounds of my drafts, hoping he develops into something.
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.
MICHAEL NAZAREK
The TD catch by Giants rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields was very encouraging. I believe he can be the team's No. 2 wide receiver at worst right off the bat come Week 1. He could even become the No. 1 if Malik Nabers (knee) can't play. That said, it appears Nabers is on track to play in that game.
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 30 years online! His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its website, www.ffmastermind.com. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. He's also won more than $40K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
HOWARD BENDER
With more preseason games in the books and fantasy drafts kicking into high gear, the situation that has stood out the most to me is the running game in Carolina. While Chuba Hubbard sits on the sidelines nursing a hamstring injury, the door is now wide open for Jonathon Brooks. Is that a good thing? For Brooks-truthers, yes. But the guy hasn't taken an NFL snap in almost two years, so his ability to shine on the NFL stage is not yet known. Panthers coach Dave Canales prefers to use one guy out of the backfield, so this could be make-it-or-break-it for Brooks. He could take this job and run away with it or he could just be serviceable enough to allow Canales to take his time with Hubbard's recovery. Over the weekend, I saw Brooks go in the fifth round of a 12-team draft. Seems a little too bullish, but we'll see how things go over the next two weeks.
Bender is a highly respected veteran of the fantasy sports and sports betting industry, serving as the Head of Content for Fantasy Alarm. Bender writes a weekly sports column for the New York Post and hosts The Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (airing Monday–Friday 6:00–8:00 PM ET and Sundays 10:00–11:00 AM ET). You can connect with him on X, Instagram, and Facebook @rotobuzzguy, and on TikTok @therealrotobuzzguy.
SCOTT SACHS
The quarterback competition in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders, was on display in Chicago. Playing the first half, Watson led the Browns to two early scores. On paper, he had a great statistical outing. On closer review, his non-scoring drives showed poor throws, uncertainty in the pocket, plus his fumbling issues continued. Sanders had poor statistics, but he moved the team and pushed the ball downfield. He didn't get much help from the 2nd- and 3rd-stringers as a fourth-down run was stuffed near the goal line, he had a couple balls batted down, then threw an interception on his final throw. This week the Browns and Bills have joint practices, then square off in Cleveland on Saturday with Sanders getting the start. The practices with Buffalo will be crucial, perhaps moreso than the game, in determining which quarterback starts the season as No. 1.
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: https://x.com/ffbcoach
TONY HOLM
The rookies are always an unknown commodity and while he did get dinged, Arizona’s Jeremiyah Love’s performance in his first game should have been an eye-opener. After just one game he went from an unknown commodity in the late-second or early-third rounds, straight to a league winner to target. Suddenly, a Jeanty/Love combo at the first turn becomes a desirable way to start a draft in 2026. What a difference one game can make.
Holm works for Fantasy Sharks, whose rankings and content can be found at fantasysharks.com.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
I liked what De'Zhaun Stribling did on the field for the Niners. He's the one thing this offense desperately needs -- a young, healthy player. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Mike Evans are all in their 30s, likely Hall of Famers but picks with risk. I try to stay grounded with rookie receiver expectations, but Stribling is making me rethink that for 2026.
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.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I was going to talk about impressive Jeremiyah Love, likely Cleveland starter Deshaun Watson, and rookie wideouts like KC Concepcion and De'Zhaun Stribling. But then the last few days happened and half a dozen significant players got hurt, in practice. If even holding key guys out of exhibition games doesn't protect us from losing a lot of players to injuries of varying degrees, it's going to be a tough year for drafts and roster depth. I'm seriously wondering if a lot of teams aren't going to just scale back not only starters playing in preseason games but maybe curtailing what's done in practice. I am aware these guys need reps, but man, starters getting hurt in scrimmages isn't good for anyone.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. He is responsible for various site features, writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays.
