The NFL preseason is officially entering its final stretch, and Thursday night provided exactly what the final exhibition games are supposed to provide: answers for coaches, opportunities for players on the roster bubble, and a few developments fantasy football managers should actually pay attention to.
This is also where preseason results become much less important than who played, who didn't, who earned another opportunity and who may have played himself onto—or off—the 53-man roster.
With the final preseason games continuing through Saturday, teams now have essentially one last opportunity to evaluate their depth before the league's most brutal weekend of the offseason.
And this year, the timing is especially important.
Teams must be down to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET Sunday, August 30. The league is going directly from the 90-man preseason roster to the 53-man regular-season roster, making this weekend's decisions enormous.
BILLS 28, STEELERS 27: BUFFALO WINS, BUT PITTSBURGH'S REAL STORY IS UNDER CENTER
Buffalo escaped Pittsburgh 28-27 in the Steelers' preseason finale.
The final score matters considerably less than what the game revealed about the bottom half of both rosters.
Pittsburgh used the game to evaluate players fighting for jobs rather than treating it like a dress rehearsal for Week 1. Buffalo did much the same.
For fantasy managers, the biggest takeaway is simple:
Don't confuse preseason quarterback production with a regular-season fantasy projection.
Pittsburgh's quarterback situation received plenty of attention, particularly because Drew Allar is one of the young quarterbacks generating significant interest. But the bigger immediate concern Thursday was the health of Will Howard, who was being evaluated for an injury after the game.
That is important because quarterback injuries during the final preseason game can suddenly alter the depth chart, the number of quarterbacks a team keeps, and potentially the fantasy value of the surrounding skill players.
THE STEELERS' RUNNING BACK BATTLE
Pittsburgh also provided an interesting reminder about why preseason statistics can be deceptive.
Lew Nichols opened the game at running back, followed by Travis Homer, while rookie Eli Heidenreich and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson remained involved in the roster competition.
PFF's immediate Thursday-night assessment was particularly notable: Johnson appears increasingly vulnerable to being cut, while Heidenreich faces a difficult path to the 53.
That's a significant development for fantasy managers who have been watching Pittsburgh's backfield.
The preseason numbers aren't nearly as important as the roster decision.
If Johnson doesn't make the 53, the fantasy implications become much more interesting for the backs ahead of him because Pittsburgh's post-cutdown depth chart could look considerably different from the one many fantasy drafters assumed a month ago.
Fantasy lesson: Don't draft a player simply because he was drafted highly. Draft him because his projected opportunity is still intact.
BUFFALO'S KADEN WETJEN STORY IS EXACTLY WHAT PRESEASON IS FOR
One of the more interesting roster stories coming out of the game involves Kaden Wetjen, who reportedly helped secure his roster spot with his performance.
Wetjen isn't somebody fantasy managers should suddenly be drafting.
But he is precisely the type of player NFL teams care about during preseason.
Special teams.
Depth.
Reliability.
Versatility.
Those attributes can determine whether a player survives cutdown day.
And that's something fantasy managers routinely overlook.
A player doesn't have to become fantasy relevant to influence a fantasy-relevant depth chart.
If a fringe receiver wins a roster spot because of special teams value, another receiver could disappear from the depth chart. If a running back gets cut because he doesn't contribute outside the offensive backfield, suddenly the players ahead of him receive a larger percentage of the available touches.
Cutdown day is where those dominoes fall.
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BROWNS 37, PATRIOTS 13: CLEVELAND'S DEPTH SHOWS UP
Cleveland finished the preseason with a convincing 37-13 victory over New England.
The Patriots rested several of their primary players, including Drake Maye, and the game became much more about evaluating depth than preparing starters.
New England did get an intriguing performance from Kyle Williams, who caught a 45-yard touchdown from Tommy DeVito.
That type of play can matter enormously for a receiver fighting for a roster spot.
It doesn't automatically make Williams a fantasy draft target.
But it puts him on the radar.
That's the distinction fantasy managers need to make this weekend.
DILLON GABRIEL AND TAYLEN GREEN
Cleveland's quarterback competition also produced useful information.
Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green both showed positive flashes, while Cleveland's depth offense consistently found ways to move the football against New England's reserves.
For fantasy purposes, however, the more important question isn't:
"Who looked good Thursday?"
It's:
"Who is going to have the ball in his hands when the regular season begins?"
That's the question to apply to every preseason performance.
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RAIDERS 12, 49ERS 18: THE KIRK COUSINS–FERNANDO MENDOZA ANGLE
The Raiders closed their preseason against San Francisco in an 18-12 loss.
The interesting part wasn't the final score.
It was that Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza both played, giving Las Vegas another opportunity to evaluate its quarterback situation heading into the regular season.
For fantasy football, this is a situation worth monitoring because quarterback stability directly affects the players around the position.
A quarterback change can alter:
- Passing volume
- Red-zone efficiency
- Wide receiver targets
- Tight-end usage
- Check-down opportunities
- Goal-line decisions
- Offensive pace
That's why preseason quarterback battles matter even when the quarterbacks themselves aren't fantasy starters.
FANTASY MANAGERS SHOULD WATCH THE RAIDERS' WR DEPTH CHART
This is one of the areas where the preseason finale can help fantasy managers.
The question isn't simply who caught a touchdown.
It's:
Who is consistently on the field with the first-team offense?
Who gets two-minute-drill work?
Who plays in obvious passing situations?
Who is trusted on third down?
Who gets red-zone snaps?
Those are far more predictive than a 50-yard preseason touchdown against the third-string defense.
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THE BIGGEST FANTASY LESSON FROM THURSDAY NIGHT
We're now at the point where preseason statistics should carry very little weight by themselves.
Instead, fantasy managers should be looking for role confirmation.
Here's what matters now:
1. Snap distribution
If a player suddenly starts playing 70-80% of the snaps with the second team while another player is barely seeing the field, that's meaningful.
2. First-team usage
This is arguably the most important preseason indicator.
If a player consistently gets first-team reps, the coaching staff is telling you something.
3. Red-zone opportunities
Touchdowns are noisy.
Red-zone opportunities are much more useful.
4. Two-minute offense
Players trusted in hurry-up situations often have a better chance of receiving meaningful regular-season work.
5. Third-down work
Especially for running backs.
A back who can protect the quarterback and catch passes has a much better chance of staying on the field.
6. Special teams
This becomes enormously important on cutdown weekend.
A backup running back or receiver who contributes heavily on special teams may beat out a more talented player who doesn't.
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THE BETTING ANGLE: BE VERY CAREFUL
Preseason betting is about as close to gambling on incomplete information as you can get.
And this final weekend makes that even more dangerous.
The biggest problem is personnel uncertainty.
A line can move dramatically when a coach announces:
- Starting quarterback is playing
- Starting quarterback isn't playing
- First-team offensive line is sitting
- A running back is unexpectedly starting
- A player is dealing with an injury
- A roster-bubble player is suddenly inactive
That's why preseason bettors should focus much more heavily on confirmed personnel and motivation than on preseason records.
Buffalo's 3-0 preseason record, for example, tells us something about its depth and execution, but it doesn't automatically translate into regular-season betting value.
Likewise, a team losing a preseason game doesn't necessarily mean anything about its September prospects.
THE BEST PRESEASON BETTING QUESTION
Don't ask:
"Who's better?"
Ask:
"Which team actually has something to accomplish tonight?"
A team evaluating 20 bubble players is very different from a team using the game to give its second-string quarterback four quarters of work.
That's where preseason edges can exist.
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THE FINAL PRESEASON GAMES: WHAT TO WATCH
The remaining preseason schedule is essentially the final laboratory before teams have to make the difficult decisions.
The NFL's official schedule has the third preseason weekend running August 27-29.
That means the games still remaining are less about finding out whether a superstar can play and much more about determining who deserves to remain employed.
WATCH THE RUNNING BACK BATTLES
This is probably the most important position group for fantasy managers.
Pay attention to:
Who starts.
Who finishes games.
Who catches passes.
Who gets goal-line opportunities.
Who plays on third down.
And most importantly:
Who survives Sunday.
A running back currently being drafted in the 12th round can become substantially more valuable if the player ahead of him gets released or injured.
Conversely, a player whose ADP has climbed because of preseason hype can become a trap if his team keeps another back who eats into his workload.
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WATCH THE WR RECEIVER CUTS
Wide receiver is where cutdown day could create some of the biggest fantasy surprises.
Teams have to determine whether they're carrying five, six or potentially seven receivers.
That means a single roster decision can completely change the fantasy outlook of several players.
Watch for:
- Slot receivers
- Red-zone specialists
- Return specialists
- Special-teams contributors
- Players who consistently play with the second unit
- Young receivers receiving first-team reps
And don't ignore the veterans.
A veteran receiver who gets released this weekend could become one of the biggest waiver-wire stories of Week 1 if he lands with an offense desperate for help.
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TIGHT ENDS: THE QUIET FANTASY OPPORTUNITY
Tight end is another position where preseason depth-chart movement can create hidden value.
If a team suddenly loses its No. 2 tight end, the replacement could inherit significant snaps without the fantasy community immediately noticing.
That can produce a very cheap late-round target.
Watch especially for tight ends who:
- Stay on the field in passing situations
- Play from the slot
- Run routes instead of blocking
- Work with the first-team quarterback
- Receive red-zone targets
Those are the clues that matter.
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CUTDOWN DAY IS SUNDAY — AND THIS YEAR IT'S DIFFERENT
This is a major change fantasy managers need to understand.
NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET Sunday, August 30.
The league is not using the traditional staggered preseason cutdowns this year.
Teams go from the 90-man roster to 53.
That's potentially more than 1,100 players suddenly entering the transaction cycle.
And that creates an enormous fantasy opportunity.
Because once the cuts begin, the fantasy landscape can change rapidly.
A veteran gets released.
A backup running back suddenly becomes No. 2.
A receiver gets traded.
A quarterback loses his job.
A player lands on injured reserve.
A surprise rookie makes the roster.
A player who was supposedly fighting for a practice-squad position suddenly becomes the starter because somebody ahead of him is gone.
That is where fantasy managers need to be paying attention.
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WHAT FANTASY MANAGERS SHOULD DO THIS WEEKEND
Don't finalize your fantasy rankings based solely on preseason box scores.
Instead, build a cutdown-day watch list.
Tier 1 — Players who could gain immediate fantasy value
Look for backups sitting behind questionable starters.
Tier 2 — Players whose value depends on roster decisions
These are the players fighting for WR3/WR4, RB2/RB3 and TE2 roles.
Tier 3 — Players who could become waiver-wire targets
These are veterans who could be released and immediately land somewhere with a better opportunity.
Tier 4 — Players whose ADP should fall
Anybody whose preseason hype is based on touchdowns rather than workload needs to be reevaluated.
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THE MOST IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY
Thursday night's games didn't give us many reasons to suddenly rewrite fantasy rankings.
They gave us something more valuable:
information about opportunity.
And opportunity is what wins fantasy football.
The next 72 hours are going to be more important than most of the preseason.
The games are almost over.
The roster decisions are beginning.
And once those 53-man rosters are finalized Sunday evening, the fantasy landscape will become much clearer.
Don't chase preseason touchdowns.
Don't chase preseason box scores.
Watch the depth charts.
Watch the cuts.
Watch the injuries.
Watch the trades.
And most importantly, watch which players suddenly go from "fighting for a roster spot" to "one injury away from being the guy."
Those are the players who can win you a fantasy league before Week 1 even begins.
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