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:

Tyler Scott (WR - Chicago Bears) - vs HOU, 8:00 PM on ESPN

Scott never truly got his chance to shine last year as a rookie despite playing all 17 games, drawing 32 targets the entire season (5th on Chicago, 3rd among Chicago WRs) as he worked his way into the WR3 role on an incredibly lackluster Chicago receiving corps that got very little work given the underwhelming QB situation.

The former 4th rounder out of Cincinnati won't have the role he did as a rookie with the Bears' bolstering of the WR corps (trading for Keenan Allen, drafting Rome Odunze) but he will be the beneficiary of a likely more appealing QB situation (at least for the WRs' sake) with rookie Caleb Williams stepping in as the starter.

Scott slots in as the Bears' WR4 on paper but will have to retain that role in a preseason battle with 2022 3rd rounder Velus Jones Jr. and veteran Dante Pettis. With the stacked trio of Allen, Moore, and Oduzne unlikely to see any action tonight, Scott will likely draw at least a few series of work with backup Tyson Bagent.

After not seeing much last year of him, seeing less will mean more for him tonight in regards to his role behind the 'Big 3' for the 2024 season.

John Metchie III (WR - Houston Texans) - vs CHI, 8:00 PM on ESPN

After the worst possible start to a career (torn ACL in his final collegiate game, missing his entire rookie season to cancer), Metchie finally returned and was active nearly the entire 2024 season, registering 16 catches (30 targets) in as many games played.

Metchie simply fell behind in what emerged as arguably one of the deepest WR rooms in the NFL last year with the likes of Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, and Noah Brown earning work ahead of him. Unfortunately for him, that situation doesn't get any easier in 2024 with the Texans retaining all of those WRs plus adding star WR Stefon Diggs this offseason, turning the competition for the WR3 role into the competition for the WR4 role (and possibly a roster spot) alongside Woods and Brown.

The former 2nd-rounder was extremely talented coming out of Alabama and has shown flashes of that potential dating back to the start of last offseason and has made some noteworthy plays in camp so far. I've always been a fan of Metchie and this preseason will be crucial for whether he ends up as the next-man-up in the event of an injury to any of Collins/Diggs/Dell or if he finds himself on the roster bubble. If it's the former, he could be a sneaky stash in very deep leagues given the potential he would bring in the event of injury in such a high-powered offense.

Cade Stover (TE - Houston Texans) - vs CHI, 8:00 PM on ESPN

Stover was an intriguing selection by the Texans in the 4th round of the 2024 NFL Draft this spring, slotting into a competition for the TE2 role with Brevin Jordan behind Dalton Schultz.

The former Buckeye started all but one game over the last two years for Ohio State, registering 77 catches for 982 yards and 10 TDs, and ultimately finished as a finalist for the Mackey Award (nation's top TE) in 2023.

It'll definitely be worth keeping an eye on Stover to see the split between he and Jordan to give an idea on how close Stover is to making an impact. A split between the two would indicate Stover has a shot at the backup role and potential injury-dependent fantasy relevance as a rookie. Jordan not getting any time and/or Stover playing late into the Hall of Fame Game would suggest Stover doesn't have a realistic shot at any notable role in 2024 outside multiple injuries and his relevance would be limited to the middle rounds of rookie-only drafts.