Houston Texans rookie tight end Cade Stover led all tight ends in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with three catches for 32 yards. His performance featured a crucial 16-yard reception that helped secure a key first down and contributed to a Texans touchdown. Notably, Stover caught C.J. Stroud's first pass of the game, demonstrating Stroud's confidence in him despite Stover not being the primary read. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio have praised Stover highly, suggesting that although Dalton Schultz is the top tight end, Stover could have a significant role early in the season. This development makes Schultz a less appealing late-round fantasy option and positions Stover as a potentially valuable pickup if Schultz misses any time.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (fibula) caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud midway through the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The score followed Dell's impressive 22-yard punt return, which was extended by a late hit penalty on Pittsburgh. On the ensuing drive, Stroud connected with Dell on a perfectly executed pass to the left side, where Dell evaded several defenders to reach the end zone. Dell, who saw his season cut short last year by a broken fibula and faced further challenges this offseason after being shot in Florida, demonstrated that he has fully recovered. Despite the presence of top receivers Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Dell himself, there was no clear indication of how targets will be allocated among them. Fantasy managers were eager to assess Dell's health, and he delivered a strong performance.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods led the team with four catches for 42 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, he drew a defensive pass interference call, underscoring his impact on the game. With Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, and Noah Brown seemingly securing their roster spots, the competition for the remaining two spots is intense. Despite strong practice performances, former second-round pick John Metchie III has been underwhelming in games, with just two catches for 11 yards and a drop over two preseason games. Xavier Hutchinson, who caught five passes for 56 yards last week, had a quieter outing on Friday but added 19 rushing yards. Ben Skowronek, acquired from the Rams, brings versatility and blocking prowess but failed to catch any passes on Friday. Though the most expensive option, Woods is valued for his blocking and veteran presence, which could be crucial in determining the final roster spots.

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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with receiver Tank Dell for a 34-yard touchdown reception midway through the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stroud finished the night 2-for-4 with 41 yards and a touchdown. The scoring play showcased the explosive passing Texans fans grew accustomed to seeing from him during his rookie season. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. He led the Texans to an AFC South championship and secured a victory over Cleveland in the wild-card round. It will be hard for Stroud to live up to the unbelievable hype building this offseason, but he and Tank Dell already seem up to the task.

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Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce started the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers but struggled to make an impact, managing just four carries for four yards. The team averaged only 3.1 yards per carry against primarily the Steelers' second-team defense. Receiver Xavier Hutchinson, known for his running skills, recorded the longest carry of the night with a 19-yard run. Without that carry, Houston would have accumulated just 61 rushing yards. Dare Ogunbowale added a touchdown following a muffed punt recovery in the second quarter, but it was his only significant play. Rookie Jawhar Jordan showed improvement from the Hall of Fame game, leading the Texans with 22 rushing yards. Cam Akers made a notable impact in the second half, with nine touches for 41 yards, displaying the burst that has generated preseason excitement. With vital offensive linemen Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard, and Shaq Mason sidelined the expectations for the running game were lower. Assessing the run game's potential without starter Joe Mixon in the lineup remains challenging.

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Baltimore Ravens running back Rasheen Ali received the most touches in the backfield during the team's 16-13 loss in their preseason debut. The fifth-round pick took 10 carries for 26 yards and caught one of his three targets for four yards. He wasn't able to find much room on the ground in his first game, but he'll continue to get plenty of opportunities during the preseason while Keaton Mitchell (knee) is still on the mend. Owen Wright was the top back in this contest, but Ali will be one to watch for all of the dynasty managers out there looking for a diamond in the rough candidate.

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Devin Leary was the only one on the team to find the end zone in the 16-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. The rookie out of Kentucky completed six of his 10 passes for 37 yards and scored on a one-yard QB keeper in the fourth quarter which tied the game at 13. On the unofficial depth chart, Leary is listed as the third-string QB behind Josh Johnson, but he looked better than the tenth-year veteran. Leary will likely get some more work in the next couple of preseason games while fellow rookie Emory Jones could get a drive or two as well.

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The Los Angeles Chargers have "major plans" for wide receiver Quentin Johnston this season, and offensive coordinator Greg Roman intends to manufacture opportunities for the second-year player, according to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Specifically, the Chargers want to give him more opportunities to produce after the catch, which is an area where he's excelled in the past. Los Angeles really liked what it saw in Johnston coming out of TCU and is ready to help him elevate his game despite a frustrating rookie campaign in which he caught just 56.7 percent of his targets and also logged three drops. Given that Johnston could start alongside Josh Palmer in the Los Angeles offense, he's an intriguing investment at his current Yahoo ADP of 182.

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Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman spoke highly of J.K. Dobbins (Achilles), saying he is "as good as anybody" when healthy, according to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Dobbins has endured several major season-ending injuries before, but his offseason recovery has gone quite well and he's in the mix for the lead-back role with Gus Edwards. Both Edwards and Dobbins showed flashes of promise during their time together in Baltimore, but neither should be viewed as anything more than an RB3/FLEX option heading into the 2024 fantasy football season. As it stands, managers favor Edwards (Yahoo ADP of 100) over Dobbins (Yahoo ADP of 168) in redraft leagues.

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs "has had the most consistently good showing so far and has separated himself as Love's go-to guy in any situation," according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. It's been challenging to decipher reports about the Packers' wide receiver corps this offseason, but Graziano seems convinced that Doubs has emerged as Green Bay's top option. He even noted that Doubs should be the preferred Packers wide receiver in fantasy football leagues. That goes against the trends we've seen recently in Yahoo ADP, which has Jayden Reed being drafted as WR36, Christian Watson as WR41, and Doubs as WR56. That puts Doubs just one slot ahead of Dontayvion Wicks (WR57). Of course, the Packers' depth chart will continue to take shape over the next few weeks, so we should have more clarity on Doubs and his teammates by Week 1 of the regular season. In the meantime, though, it sounds like he might be a steal in the 11th round of fantasy drafts.

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Arizona Cardinals tight end Tip Reiman "should carve out a role" this season, according to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Even though the third-round rookie is clearly a notch below Trey McBride on the depth chart, the expectation is that Reiman will still get looks within Arizona's offense. The insiders note that Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing previously spent three years in Cleveland where he supported solid production from both David Njoku and Harrison Bryant. In their analogy, Graziano and Fowler likened McBride to Njoku and Reiman to Bryant. Bryant caught 24 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2020. Perhaps we should expect similar production from Reiman in 2024.

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New York Jets wide receiver Jason Brownlee isn't a lock to make the 53-man roster but can help his cause by performing well in Week 1 of the preseason, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Cimini notes that Brownlee had a slow start to camp but has started to trend in the right direction recently. As a result, it's imperative that he continues his "positive momentum" in order to make a push for a roster spot. Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Xavier Gipson, and Malachi Corley are all locks to make the team, which means Brownlee is competing with the likes of Allen Lazard, Irvin Charles, Lance McCutcheon, and Malik Taylor. The 25-year-old played in seven games (five starts) as a rookie last year, catching just five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He's firmly on the roster bubble and can be avoided in most fantasy formats.

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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair caught two passes for 45 receiving yards in Friday's 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The 26-year-old did lead the team in receiving on only three targets. He reeled in a gorgeous 41-yard long ball from Michael Penix Jr., the first-round draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons. The 26-year-old former XFL player looks to be nothing more than a depth piece for this season, but it was a great showing from him nonetheless on Friday.

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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington caught three passes on nine targets for 27 yards in a 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins Friday night. Despite the heavy volume for the 23-year-old receiver, he wasn't able to do much with it. The rookie out of the University of Illinois was able to log an impressive 12.4 yards per reception in the limited time he received in college on 122 receptions in 55 total games. Although, he was only able to find the end zone four times during his five years in college. There are no expectations for Washington to be used on the offense as the team's fifth wideout on the depth chart, but the early heavy volume is a positive side for the rookie receiver.

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Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo kicked off his preseason on a positive note, going 2-for-2 in field goal attempts, and added one extra point in a 20-13 loss against the Miami Dolphins Friday night. He nailed his first field goal from 39 yards and followed suit with his second field goal from 53 yards out. After finishing the 2020 and 2021 seasons with more than a 90% field goal percentage, Koo took a step back in 2022 and 2023, finishing at precisely 86.5% in both seasons. Younghoe Koo should get plenty more field goal opportunities this season with a much-improved offense with Kirk Cousins at the helm. With the excellent start to the preseason and the new offense in Atlanta, fantasy managers should feel good about drafting Koo as a top-10 kicker this season.

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Atlanta Falcons running back Carlos Washington Jr. ran for 25 yards on 16 attempts and found the end zone in a 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins Friday night. The average yards per attempt at 1.6 yards was underwhelming for the second-year running back, but he made up for it by finding the end zone on a strong one-yard rush in the first quarter. With Bijan Robinson as the clear RB1 and Tyler Allgeier as the clear RB2, along with Jase McClellan and Avery Williams ahead of him on the depth chart. A lot would have to happen for the 25-year-old to get anywhere near the field this season. The fact he led the team in rushing attempts should be a positive sign moving forward for Washington.

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Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for 104 yards in his professional preseason debut Friday night in a 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Penix was efficient in tossing the pigskin, going 9-for-16 in pass attempts while completing a game-long 41-yard dime to Chris Blair in-stride. The 2024 first-rounder isn't expected to play much this season, or possibly the next few seasons, with the Falcons signing Kirk Cousins (Achilles) to a four-year $180 million deal this offseason. Penix should see a ton of playing time throughout the preseason, with Cousins not expected to suit up until Week 1.

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke was 4-for-11 in pass attempts Friday night in a 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The veteran quarterback was the second to enter the game after rookie sensation Michael Penix Jr., with 6:34 remaining in the second quarter. The veteran signal-caller was partly victimized by playing with second and third-string offensive linemen and skill players, making his poor passing line slightly more understandable. Nevertheless, Heinicke still has a clear lead in his battle with recent signee Nathan Rourke for the No. 3 quarterback job.

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Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed five times for seven yards in the Miami Dolphins' 20-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. He added three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown on four targets. Wilson was the first running back in for the Dolphins and was featured heavily over the first few drives. In the opening seconds of the second quarter, Miami was down in Atlanta's red zone. He caught a Skylar Thompson pass in the left flat and swiftly made his way to the end zone, diving for the pylon. 2024 will be the eight-year veteran's third season with Miami after spending the first five seasons of his career in a similar Kyle Shanahan-esque offense. He's been a solid contributor in this scheme before when health permits but presents as no more than a depth piece for now. The 27-year-old is a solid deep-league handcuff for now, but can be safely avoided in redraft circles unless injuries force him into action.

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III managed two receptions for 49 yards on three targets in a preseason loss to the Houston Texans. All of Austin's opportunities came with Kyle Allen at quarterback. The pair nearly connected for a touchdown in the second quarter, but the ball was poorly thrown and Austin failed to haul it in. The 25-year-old wideout was much sharper in the second half, creating plenty of separation for deep completions of 24 and 25 yards. Although veteran Van Jefferson has reportedly had an excellent training camp, Austin could carve out a role for himself in a receiver room that is highly suspect outside of George Pickens. Austin will hope to stand out again in next Saturday's contest against the Buffalo Bills.

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