Throughout the preseason, we heavily emphasize identifying potential impact players throughout the season that others may not recognize as they aren't necessarily "stars". In our 'Preseason Players to Watch' series, we highlight potentially noteworthy players in each night's game(s) that may be impactful for fantasy football, both in the 2024 season and beyond.
Here are our top players to watch for in tonight's preseason action:
Jayden Daniels (QB - Washington Commanders) - at MIA, 12:00 PM
The Washington Commanders have remained hesitant to give any official indication on who the Week 1 starter will be, but HC Dan Quinn named rookie Jayden Daniels the starter for the preseason opener and specifically noted that he's "earned" the right to start in the preseason, suggesting we may have our answer.
If Daniels does end up the Week 1 starter, we are looking at a potential fantasy gold mine, comparable to Anthony Richardson of last year (which we unfortunately didn't get to see for an extended time).
I'm looking forward to seeing the highly-touted rookie's preseason debut, but more so how he fits into a potentially very friendly offensive scheme under OC Kliff Kingsbury given Daniels' versatility and how comparable the playing style is to Kyler Murray, another former top-2 pick under Kingsbury (that finished his rookie year as the QB7).
Dalton Kincaid (TE - Buffalo Bills) - vs CHI, 1:00 PM on NFL Network
According to Head Coach Sean McDermott, the Bills' starters will play around one-quarter's worth of action in the team's preseason debut vs Chicago.
This is the first time in a while that we have major questions about how the Bills' receiving corps will shake out since Stefon Diggs was acquired ahead of the 2020 season. Well, Stefon Diggs is gone (as well as Gabe Davis), opening up the question of how will the targets be distributed in Buffalo without a definitive go-to target for Josh Allen.
The Bills listed Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Mack Hollins as the starting WRs with 2nd Round rookie Keon Coleman slotted behind Hollins, suggesting Coleman won't immediately be thrown into the definitive WR1 role in Week 1. Turn the attention to TE Dalton Kincaid, who emerged as a go-to weapon for Allen in Week 7 last year and never looked back, finishing the season as the TE9 from Week 7 onward.
It sounds like Kincaid will be much more involved (as he will have to be without other notable weapons) in his sophomore season - the question is exactly how much more. We should get our first look at truly how much the departures of Diggs and Davis are going to inflate the target share for the TE and determine if a breakout season isn't just a possibility but a likelihood as Allen's potential top target.
Isiah Pacheco (RB - Kansas City Chiefs) - at JAX, 7:00 PM on NFL Network
In typical Andy Reid fashion, the Chiefs will be playing their starters in the preseason - 'roughly a quarter' for the opener against the Jaguars tonight.
After a solid 2023 season (1179 total yards, 9 TDs, RB15 in points, RB14 in PPG), Pacheco appears primed for an even bigger role in 2024 with the departure of change-of-pace and receiving RB Jerick McKinnon with a large majority of the vacated work (especially 3rd down duties) falling upon Pacheco.
We know what the role may be in theory, but seeing it in action is a different story, especially with an RB like Pacheco taking upon an expanded role in the receiving game despite never truly thriving (or being featured) in such a role throughout his career, professional or collegiate.
I'm really looking forward to getting an idea of if Pacheco's rumored receiving/3rd down role is as prominent as anticipated. If so, a top-10 (or even top-5) season is well within reach for the Chiefs' RB.