The month of August is upon us. We are now entirely in the throes of fantasy football draft preparation. While it’s crucial to disregard the excessive positive training camp hype, there are valuable lessons to be learned that can inform our opinions as draft season approaches.
This article’s focus will be on the wide receiver position and which players/situations fantasy managers should pay attention to in the NFL Preseason.
Which Wide Receiver Should Fantasy Managers Be Watching This Preseason?
Deciphering what matters and what does not is the challenge we face every training camp and preseason. It’s important not to overreact to quarterbacks throwing interceptions or wide receivers not catching passes in practice. We have no idea what the intent is of a specific drill or situation.
Coaches also frequently speak overly positively about their players. It’s why praise doesn’t matter, but negative comments do.
The most important thing is that we cannot adjust our rankings daily based on players having good or bad practices. We must remain disciplined.
With all that said, the preseason does matter. There are positional battles taking place on every team, as well as players returning from injury. Although preseason playing time varies, it’s rare for a team with multiple players competing for a role to rest them. Therefore, we should see most of these guys play. Here are the wide receivers fantasy managers should care about this August.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
We know a suspension is coming for Rashee Rice. But he will still be able to play in the preseason. In addition to the off-the-field issue, Rice is returning from a torn LCL. He’s been fully cleared for several weeks now, but anytime a player is returning from surgery, it’s something we need to care about.
For better or worse, Andy Reid has his system for playing his starters in the preseason. They usually get one drive in the first game. They play the entire first quarter and sometimes into the second in the second game. Then, they sit in the third game.
We are going to see Patrick Mahomes & Co. this August. We are going to see Rice in a preseason game.
First snap of 11 on 11s goes to Rice. pic.twitter.com/QvzxF1gJRZ
— Lyle Graversen (@LyleGraversen) July 27, 2025
I don’t care at all about whether Rice catches a bunch of passes or is heavily targeted. I just want final confirmation that he’s fully healthy. That’s all we need to see from Rice in what will undoubtedly be limited preseason action.
Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s unclear what Liam Coen’s philosophy will be on playing starters in the preseason. Regardless, it’s improbable a rookie gets rested, especially given Travis Hunter’s two-way status.
We want to pay attention to a couple of things in Hunter’s preseason action. First, how does he look? Are his routes crisp? Is he getting open?
Second, and the thing everyone wants to know, is how much he plays on each side of the ball. This one is a bit trickier because Hunter could end up playing an entire series on offense so coaches get a good look at him, sitting out the whole next series on defense, and then playing the one after that.
Snap distribution in the preseason is often designed to get players reps as opposed to simulate a real game. Nevertheless, the fantasy community will react. If Hunter plays exclusively on defense in one game, even if it was purely part of the plan to have it be a defense-only game as Hunter integrates himself into the NFL, it will impact his ADP. Sometimes, that nuance is lost on the greater fantasy community. How Hunter is utilized will be one of the biggest stories of the 2025 NFL preseason.
Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, Houston Texans
After a rash of injuries decimated the Texans’ receiving corps last season, they made it a point to address the position this offseason. In addition to signing Christian Kirk, the Texans drafted Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.
Nico Collins is entrenched as C.J. Stroud’s top target. Beyond him, it’s wide open. We want to get a good look at how Higgins and Noel look. Higgins, having the higher draft capital, is the favorite for the WR3 role, but a strong performance could see him overtake Kirk as the WR2. At the very least, it could serve as evidence that even if Kirk opens as the WR2, Higgins is coming for that job later in the season.
Jayden Higgins on vertical targets pic.twitter.com/SwwqpIICDd
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) April 1, 2025
Kirk could end up being the WR2 all season. He could also fall to WR4 if Noel also performs well. This is a wide-open situation behind Collins, one we need to keep an eye on.
Tre Harris, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is probably not taking any preseason snaps. He didn’t last season, although that could’ve been due to his foot injury. However, rookie Tre Harris is going to see some action.
Ladd McConkey is a true alpha and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He’s the WR1. No one is threatening his target share. But that WR2 role is wide open.
Currently, Quentin Johnston is the incumbent, but he’s been wildly disappointing over his first two seasons. The Chargers immediately had McConkey supplant him last season, and they are hoping Harris can do the same this year. Can he? How the rookie does in the preseason will certainly matter.
Players We Care About But Likely Won’t See
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
One of the most critical players in fantasy this season, Tyreek Hill, could be a league winner with his lowest ADP since 2017, or a league loser if he’s done.
Coming off the worst season of his career that saw him average 12.8Â fantasy points per game, we are left wondering whether this was a blip caused by Hill’s wrist injury and Tua Tagovailoa’s injuries, or if it was the beginning of the end for one of the 10 best wide receivers in the history of the sport. To help answer that question, it would be cool to see Hill in an actual game.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Unfortunately, while Mike McDaniel did give Tagovailoa a singular drive last season, he did not play either of his top two receivers. Maybe he wants to get a look at Hill this year, but probably not. We will have to rely on training camp reports for this one.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin is returning from multiple surgeries on his broken ankle. Currently, the expectation is that Godwin will be ready for Week 1. Still, it’s far from a certainty.
Even if Godwin is back on the practice field by the end of August, it’s hard to envision any scenario where he plays in a preseason game. His health is a significant story this August as it impacts not only his fantasy value, but Emeka Egbuka’s as well.
Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots
Stefon Diggs has made a remarkable recovery from his midseason ACL tear. Initially projected to miss the first month of the season, Diggs is now trending toward being available for Week 1.
New head coach Mike Vrabel never played starters in the preseason when he was leading the Tennessee Titans. Even if he decides to give Drake Maye some snaps, it’s implausible that he will put a veteran like Diggs, coming off a serious injury, at risk in meaningless games. We will just have to monitor training camp reports, as the next time we see Diggs play in a real game, it will be the regular season.
