5 Fantasy Football Preseason Winners

Two full slates of preseason games are behind us, meaning only one more group of games are ahead before the regular season kicks off on September 5th. Snap counts over two weeks of preseason play have given us solid looks at how depth charts are shaking out for the upcoming season. Some players have surprised, earning more notable roles than expected, while others have faded in the offseason.

With that said, circling which players are benefitting in the preseason can be a big advantage for fantasy football drafts. Some of these players can be stash options while others are tracking to immediately contribute with significant snap counts.

Let's look at five preseason winners who could be enticing fantasy football values.

Fantasy Football Preseason Winners

Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos

Starting with a potential stash option, Jaleel McLaughlin -- the second-year running back who went undrafted in 2023 -- is gearing up for a solid workload with the Denver Broncos. Samaje Perine was signed to a two-year deal in the 2023 offseason, yet he's become a cut candidate.

Week 2's action further proved Perine could have one foot out of the door. According to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus (PFF), McLaughlin got his crack as the second back in Week 2. Perine was the first back to rotate with Javonte Williams in Week 1, taking mostly third-down snaps. However, McLaughlin took these snaps in Week 2, while Perine rotated with rookie Audric Estime.

With the regular season rapidly approaching, a two-man rotation between Williams and McLaughlin is looking likely, as Denver was willing to give McLaughlin most of the receiving work over Perine in Week 2 of the preseason.

In the 2023 season, Perine boasted better stats, such as 7.7 receiving yards over expectation per game (RecYOE) compared to McLaughlin's 2.2, via NFL's Next Gen Stats. Perine carried a 11.8% target share while posting a 6.0% catch rate over expectation versus McLaughlin at 7.6% and 0.5%.

By most accounts, Perine was the better receiving choice out of the backfield, but McLaughlin was still above average with a 82.0-plus receiving grade, per PFF. In fact, McLaughlin was the sixth-highest graded player at his position and was one of two tailbacks with 82.0-plus rushing and receiving grades. This other player was Christian McCaffrey; that's pretty good company.

It makes sense why the Broncos could look to give McLaughlin more work in his second season. With Williams' inefficiencies, like ranking 36th in yards created per touch in 2023, there's even potential for McLaughlin to cut into the top running back's workload. According to FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) data, McLaughlin is currently RB51 in half-point per reception (PPR) leagues. There's minimal risk here with McLaughlin climbing the depth chart in the preseason.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Taysom Hill was TE5 and TE10 over his last two seasons, and both seasons went way above his ADP of TE21 and TE22. There's been some concern for Hill's value in 2024 with the New Orleans Saints bringing in Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator. Maybe New Orleans would no longer look to use Hill all over the field.

That has not been the case during the preseason as Hill has continued to be a Swiss army knife. In Week 2, he took 14 of 22 snaps early in the game, and they came from four different positions. Hill took six snaps at tight end, four as tailback, four at fullback, and even one as a slot receiver.

It appears the Saints still have big plans for Hill's unique skills. New Orleans has over $20 million wrapped up in Hill over the next two seasons; he's probably going to remain a key piece in this offense.

Hill is still carrying an intriguing ADP as usual (TE18).

Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders' Jahan Dotson has mostly disappointed since entering the league in 2022. He had a WR60 ADP for his rookie season and finished as WR50. Many fantasy managers had Dotson circled as a potential breakout for 2023 with his WR36 ADP. Instead, his production took a step backward with a WR57 finish.

Entering the offseason, Dotson losing his starting job in the Commanders' offense was in the cards. However, his snap share in the preseason is suggesting otherwise.

Dotson played nearly every spot in his first preseason game and got 31 snaps -- 17 of which came in the slot (54.8%). In Week 2, he played in 16 of Jayden Daniels' 18 snaps, and once again, Dotson got a lot of work in the slot.

Keep in mind the third-year wideout mostly played on the outside over his last two seasons. The only change for 2024 could be where Dotson lines up, and playing in the slot could mean plenty of targets in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Dotson's preseason snap counts show now could be the time to buy on his WR59 ADP while most are fading the Commanders' wideout.

Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs

Now, let's get into some rookie receivers. After the Kansas City Chiefs selected Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the hype has been constantly building. It's hard to not be excited about the Chiefs acquiring the speedy wideout who set the combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash.

His preseason work is only providing more support for taking the rookie wideout. With starters on the field, Worthy took 15 snaps in Week 2 of the preseason. For comparison, Rashee Rice played in 17 while Justin Watson played in 16. This puts Worthy firmly in the projected starting wide receivers.

Worthy was absent for only 3 of Patrick Mahomes' 18 snaps in this game. The return of Marquise Brown is the main concern for Worthy's workload, but "Hollywood" Brown is expected to miss four to six weeks due to injury. Worthy is in a great spot to make noise early in the 2024 season, making his WR39 ADP an intriguing target.

Malik Nabers, New York Giants

We know Malik Nabers is firmly the New York Giants' top target for the upcoming season as they spent the sixth overall pick on Nabers. Of course, he's going to play a role in this offense.

FanDuel Research's season-long projections have Nabers as WR23. Wan'Dale Robinson has the next-best projection as WR70. There's not a lot of wealth to go around with the Giants holding numberFire's third-worst scheduled-adjusted passing offense.

Nabers has carried a snap rate on par of a WR1 during the preseason. He took 30 of 33 early snaps in Week 2, leading the starting group with 17 routes runs and 6 targets. Nabers was even used in the run game with one carry. This holds more weight than his 12 snaps in Week 1 of the preseason, for Daniel Jones did not play in Week 1 compared to taking 33 snaps in Week 2.

His preseason workload is yet another check for Nabers delivering on high usage in 2024, such as his projected 8.1 targets per contest.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.