RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWe're officially into Week 2 of the preseason — one of the more important markers leading up to the 2026 NFL season. We should see a fair amount of starters getting snaps this week (we saw some on Thursday already) — plus plenty of players vying for prominent roles on offense. Oh yeah, and the injury bug never stops biting.
We've rounded up all the most important news below so you don't have to, information you'll want to know for fantasy football in 2026.
Preseason roundup from Thursday night
We had a few preseason matchups on Thursday with the Raiders facing the Texans and Chargers taking on the Niners. Rookie QB Fernando Mendoza got his second taste of NFL action and struggled, completing eight of 15 passes for 86 yards and one interception (a pick six in Texans territory). We knew the likely starting QB would be Kirk Cousins for Week 1, and there's still a chance we see Mendoza later in the season, but it's clear the No. 1 pick may not be ready right away .
You know who didn't struggle? RB Mike Washington Jr., who continues to impress. Hayden Winks has a full breakdown of last night's action with fantasy football takeaways right here .
Higgins, Warren, LaPorta latest players on injury report
Tracking all the latest injuries throughout camp and preseason may be the most important prep for your fantasy draft. For all the latest news and updates, be sure to head here and bookmark this page , as we'll be adding updates leading up to Week 1 of the regular season.
Texans second-year WR Jayden Higgins was ruled out for the 2026 season due to a torn ACL. There's always the possibility Houston explores a trade, but for now Nico Collins will lead the way with Jaylin Noel, Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson filling out the WR depth chart. TE Dalton Schultz also becomes more of a late-round TE option after a sneaky-good 2025.
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Colts TE Tyler Warren is out with a groin injury but is expected back next week. Just something to keep an eye on. For Lions TE Sam LaPorta, things could be more serious. He's out with a hip injury ; LaPorta missed most of 2025 and needed surgery on his back for a herniated disc. These two injuries don't appear to be linked and the hip flared up this week, forcing Detroit to hold the tight end out. Head coach Dan Campbell said they don't know about LaPorta's status for Week 1, but did feel as though LaPorta will be ready. We'll see.
Your approach to Warren in drafts shouldn't change. As for LaPorta, his risk at cost goes up some with this development. If his ADP starts to fall, he could become a value so long as he can get cleared for the opener. Just be sure to have a backup plan at TE.
Those are just the latest names, we've also gotten updates on Breece Hall, Emeka Egbuka, Puka Nacua, Jordyn Tyson and more .
Eagles teammate expecting bounce back for Saquon
We never want to take stories like this literally, but Eagles OL Lane Johnson believes RB Saquon Barkley will look more like 2024 than 2025 . Here's a quote from Johnson via Zach Berman of The Athletic :
"The more productive we are in the run game and stuff feeds off that, we'll see the Saquon from two years ago. We'll see the big plays, we'll see him flex wide at wide receiver, we'll see him in the screen game."
Again, you take quotes like this with a grain of salt, but players talking about other players like this is a positive. We know the Eagles brought in Sean Mannion as the new OC. But we also know that A.J. Brown is no longer in town and that could impact the passing game and Jalen Hurts. Barkley is being drafted as the RB6 on Yahoo but has RB1 overall upside. We're not saying go up and reach for the Philly back in the first round, but feel confident if you grab him at cost knowing he could pay off in a big way.
ICYMI: Keenan Allen to the Colts
At the beginning of the week, the Colts brought in the veteran wideout to add depth at the position . Alec Pierce is still recovering from ankle surgery and it's unclear when he'll be back. Behind him, it was going to be Josh Downs and mostly unproven players (plus TE Tyler Warren of course).
Allen showed he can still be a factor last season at the age of 33 with the Chargers, catching 81 of 122 targets for 777 yards and four touchdowns. That was good for 8.4 fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats. Allen debuted at practice on Thursday and is being drafted around the 140-range on Yahoo. For analysis on Allen's impact on Downs, head here for more from Hayden and Josh Norris .
Mayfield believes Bucs will 'shock a lot of people '
Bold words from the veteran QB but, as we mentioned above, it's important to note some of these quotes during camp. Other than Emeka Egbuka, who is dealing with a toe injury at the moment, no one else on the Bucs' offense is getting much fantasy hype. Mayfield is also seeking a new contract from the franchise, playing out the final year of a three-year, $100 million deal he signed a few seasons ago.
Aside from Egbuka, RBs Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell, as well as receivers Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan and TE Cade Otton are pretty easy targets in the mid-to-late range of your fantasy drafts. It wasn't too long ago in 2024 that Tampa Bay finished fourth in the NFL with nearly 30 points per game. If Mayfield can stay healthy and the Bucs' offense rebounds, some of those names mentioned above could become great fantasy values.
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