• Tony Pollard leads the Tennessee Titans running backs: Pollard played the entire first drive but Tyjae Spears received plenty of snaps with the starters.

• Juwan Johnson returns to action: The New Orleans Saints tight end recently returned to practice and played a few snaps despite the rest of their starters sitting.

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Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints

Tony Pollard starts for the Titans: Pollard played every snap on the Titans’ first drive.

Tyjae Spears entered the game for the second drive. Pollard returned for a fourth-and-1 passing play out of an unbalanced formation. Spears also played the first three plays with the backups before exiting the game.

All this means is Pollard is the starter, but this could remain a 50/50 split, or something close to that. In the first preseason game, Pollard played eight snaps with the starters to Spears’ six. In that game, the two rotated more often. It’s possible the Titans just wanted to give them a chance to play a longer stretch in this game. Most teams play one running back for one drive and then put in another running back for another drive, regardless of what the rotation will be like in the season.

Pollard should be ranked ahead of Spears in most fantasy rankings, but this game shouldn’t move either player up or down.

Juwan Johnson starts for the Saints: Johnson returned from injury and showed he’s ready to play in Week 1.

Johnson had foot surgery in June, which put his ability to play at the start of the season in doubt, but he recently returned to practice. The Saints generally rested their starters for this game, but Johnson was likely an exception to give him some playing time before the regular season began. This probably doesn’t mean Johnson is now a backup to Foster Moreau, but weirder things have happened.

Johnson played nine-of-11 snaps on the first two drives and then left before the rest of the offensive players in the game. It’s unclear how the new coaching staff will distribute snaps between him and Moreau, but in two of the last three seasons, Kubiak’s offense has featured a top-six fantasy tight end in fantasy points per game. If you’re looking for a backup fantasy tight end, Johnson is someone worth considering.

Miscellaneous Notes

Arizona Cardinals @ Denver Broncos

Audric Estime plays except for third downs: Estime led the Broncos down the field for a touchdown on the first drive but was taken off the field on third and fourth down.

The Broncos rested their starters and most of their top backups, but Estime played. He only played for one drive, running five times for 17 yards and a touchdown while catching a 14-yard pass. The fact that he left the game before some other players is generally a good thing.

The concern is that the fifth and sixth plays of the drive were only third and fourth downs during his time, and Estime was taken off the field for Tyler Badie. The Broncos reportedly see Estime as a three-down back and say his improvements need to be in pass protection and as a receiver. He only played in three of a possible 20 snaps on third-and-medium or long in the first two preseason games. Samaje Perine and Badie played most of those snaps. It would have been nice to see Estime play a three-down role in this game rather than an early-down role.

This likely means that if Perine is released, Jaleel McLaughlin will be the third-down back more often than not.

Cardinals competition for the backup receiver spots: The top backup job will be particularly important early in the season with Zay Jones’ suspension.

Jones was recently suspended for the first five games of the season. He was expected to be the top backup, even though he hasn’t played in the preseason yet. Veterans Zach Pascal and Chris Moore will both make the roster, but it’s unclear who will be higher on the depth chart. Both have started each preseason game, but neither has produced much — both averaged a catch per game over the preseason.

Despite the lack of production, no one below them has done enough to surpass them, and the only young investment the Cardinals have made is in sixth-round rookie Tejhaun Palmer. The Cardinals rested both Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch all preseason, so both players will play a lot early in the season. Both starters can be considered sleepers heading into fantasy drafts.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Cardinals rested quarterback Kyler Murray, running backs James Conner, Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas, wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Zay Jones, and tight ends Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins and Tip Reiman.
• The Broncos rested quarterback Bo Nix, running backs Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Samaje Perine, wide receivers Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Josh Reynolds, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Marvin Mims Jr., and tight ends Adam Trautman and Greg Dulcich.
• Mims’ playing time wasn’t ideal in the first two preseason games, but the fact that he rested this game while David Sills played is generally a good sign he’s at least top-five on the receiver depth chart.

New England Patriots @ Washington Commanders

Coming soon!

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.