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:

Anthony Richardson (QB - Indianapolis Colts) - vs DEN, 1:00 PM on NFL Network

It sounds like Anthony Richardson will suit up and get a few series of action today in the Colts' preseason opener against the Broncos. This comes after Richardson was electric as a rookie but ultimately was only able to play two full games (granted he was the QB4 and QB2 in those weeks respectively).

After missing almost his entire rookie season, Richardson has had a very strong offseason and start to camp, looking to pick up where he left off but extrapolate his success to a full season. The Colts did help him out this offseason, bringing in 2024 2nd Rounder, WR Adonai Mitchell to add to his receiving corps.

We already know what Richardson brings to the table as a runner - it's what gives him a stable floor and the potential to be an elite weekly fantasy QB. The question remains how much has he developed as a passer: that will be the deciding factor on whether he is a Kyler Murray or a Lamar Jackson/Jalen Hurts for fantasy purposes.

That's what I'm looking for in the preseason from Richardson: him to sell me on the fact that he progressed enough as a passer to justify drafting him as a top-5 QB for fantasy.

Bo Nix (QB - Denver Broncos) - at IND, 1:00 PM on NFL Network

In the Broncos' first unofficial depth chart of the season, HC Sean Payton listed Bo Nix as the QB3 for the team, slotted behind veteran Jarrett Stidham and recently acquired Zach Wilson. The preseason opener should indicate whether that truly is the pecking order or if the veteran head coach is simply playing the 'you have to earn it' game with the 12th overall pick.

What happens (and how early Nix plays) should give a feel for whether he'll be starting early on in 2024 or will be forced to wait until a middle-of-the-year game to make his official NFL debut.

This likely won't mean much for Nix when it comes to fantasy - you're not drafting him in most redraft leagues and those in dynasty are drafting him for his prospects beyond 2024 - but his presence as a potential starter would have a greater impact on the likes of Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims, and Tim Patrick, whose value would be greatly improved by the potential of a rookie QB as opposed to the known production (or lack thereof) from the likes of Stidham/Wilson.

Rico Dowdle (RB - Dallas Cowboys) - at LAR, 4:30 PM on NFL Network

The Cowboys had a shake-up at RB this offseason, losing starting RB Tony Pollard to the Titans via free agency and ultimately opting to fill that hole by bringing back veteran Ezekiel Elliott and signing journeyman Royce Freeman.

Surely this isn't Jerry Jones' answer to the glaring hole at RB, right? Well, it looks like it is.

That's bad news for Cowboys fans but good news for Rico Dowdle, who's coming off the first season where he was truly involved in the offense (106 touches, 505 yards, 4.1 YPC, 4 TDs) even despite a limited role behind Pollard. It's almost a certainty that Dowdle sees that role greatly expanded in 2024 with Ezekiel Elliott showing major signs of slowing down at 29 years old (3.5 YPC in 2023, declining YPC in 4 of his last 5 seasons).

The question remains how the split will work. Will it be a true "starter" and "backup" situation with Elliott and Dowdle or will it be a 1A/1B split that we had seen with Elliott and Pollard in 2022? My guess would be the latter, but the Cowboys' utilization of Dowdle in the preseason should tip their hand on which way it is going. If it does end up a 1A/1B, Dowdle could be a sneaky pickup later in drafts given the likely workload (and potential) associated with the role in what should be a solid Cowboys' offense.