Biggest Preseason Risers to Watch for in Week 1 (Fantasy Football)
The start of the season is almost here, and as we wrap up our drafts, we are looking for any last-minute edge we can find. Every preseason brings players who rise on strong performances, glowing camp reports, or unexpected opportunities. These four players generated some of the biggest buzz this summer, but now we have to see whether it was just a preseason illusion or the start of something real.
Here are some players to keep on your radar heading into Week 1.
Ja’Kobi Lane, WR (Baltimore Ravens)
For Ja’Kobi Lane, no single event put him on this list. Lane has received a steady drumbeat of praise all offseason from the Baltimore Ravens’ camp. Beat reporter Jamison Hensley had the loudest quote, stating that he may have never seen a camp like this from a Ravens rookie.
In 27 years of covering the Ravens, I’m not sure I’ve seen a rookie have a training camp quite like wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.
Every day, Lane produces a highlight-making catch. And today, he has Derrick Henry leaping in the air in celebration. pic.twitter.com/o86oFdqfmj
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 8, 2026
Lane’s jump-ball catching ability has a chance of unlocking a side of the Ravens offense that we have never seen under Lamar Jackson. It would be tough to envision a potential fantasy MVP-level ceiling in year one for Lane due to his limited production profile and the Ravens’ passing volume historically being low under Jackson, but there could be room for another fantasy-relevant player in Baltimore’s offense.
While he is likely rostered in most competitive leagues with larger rosters, he may still be on your waiver wire, as he is rostered in 18% of ESPN leagues, 19% of Yahoo leagues, and 53% of Sleeper leagues.
Marlon Humphrey on Ravens rookie WR Ja'Kobi Lane:
"He's probably had the best training camp of anybody on the team, to be honest. He low key has really been hoopin. Very big time catch radius. A couple times I've been guarding him pretty tight and I just see Lamar look at me.… pic.twitter.com/gN1VgpJn5s
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbytrosset) August 26, 2026
Kaleb Johnson, RB (Green Bay Packers)
Why did the Green Bay Packers acquire one of the most underwhelming names from the 2025 NFL Draft? The Packers traded a 2028 sixth-round pick for an unproven RB who failed in his role as a special teams player last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Josh Jacobs’ placement on the commissioner’s exempt list and looming suspension leaves a massive void in Green Bay’s offense. Last year, Jacobs was top-5 in 10-yard and 5-yard carries across the NFL and ranked among the top-10 RBs in total rush share.
This has led the majority of the fantasy football community to immediately replace the majority of Jacobs’workload and production with Marshawn Lloyd, the Packers’ third-round selection in 2024. However, Lloyd has not proven that he can stay healthy on an NFL field in any capacity up to this point in his career. Lloyd has missed more games than he has total career carries through two seasons, with five injuries to four different parts of his lower body. While Lloyd will have the first crack at becoming the Jacobs replacement for whatever period of time he may miss, it seems wise to monitor the usage of Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks in Week 1 to see who should be next in line should Lloyd miss any time.
Two days in, Jordan Love and new RB Kaleb Johnson have their handshake figured out. pic.twitter.com/MzKA1kveXF
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 2, 2026
Unless Matt LaFleur plans on giving Lloyd the full workload Jacobs has had the past two seasons in Green Bay, Kaleb Johnson could also have standalone value as a committee RB, potentially siphoning goal-line work with the much bigger frame.
Jordan Love to Kaleb Johnson pic.twitter.com/iMWdj8BpM2
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 1, 2026
Chris Bell, WR (Miami Dolphins)
Some of the biggest traps in fantasy football are the players on bad, low-volume passing teams with bad QBs. However, Chris Bell may be worth monitoring in Week 1. Bell had been mocked as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft before tearing his ACL in late November. While the Miami Dolphins selected Bell with the 94th pick, his injury prevented him from standing out in OTAs and early training camp. In mid-August, he was removed from the NFI list, paving the way for him to be available for Week 1.
Bell has shown flashes of why he was graded as a potential day-one selection in his limited time in practice and the preseason, leading the team with five targets while playing only the first quarter of their final preseason game vs. the Atlanta Falcons.
Chris Bell 5 targets in 10 minutes of play is like an out of body experience right now.
Still 38-1 to lead rookies in receiving. pic.twitter.com/h2mftmhkma
— Joel (@JG4President) August 28, 2026
The biggest reason for Bell’s inclusion on this list is target competition. While the majority of play calls in Miami will be drawn up for De’Von Achane, Malik Willis will have to throw the ball to somebody else at some point. Even with the NFL starting this week, I still believe you can ask almost the majority of managers in casual leagues to name three Dolphins receivers, and they would fail. Bell’s competition comes from Jalen Tolbert, Caleb Douglas, and Malik Washington, three names I am not concerned about as a believer in Bell’s talent. With a roster percentage of less than 15% across Sleeper, Yahoo, and ESPN leagues, Bell is a name that is on almost every waiver wire that has the potential to be a flex-worthy bench piece.
Jalen Tolbert – 91
Malik Washington – 72
Ryan Miller – 14
Chris Bell – 0
Caleb Douglas – 0
Kevin Coleman Jr. – 0
AJ Henning – 0The Miami Dolphins might wanna sign Daejon Love to add some experience to their WR room. 😭 pic.twitter.com/2Qqi2rEEWi
— theScore (@theScore) August 31, 2026
Emanuel Wilson, RB (Seattle Seahawks)
At this point in the list, I am looking for players who are one break away from fantasy relevance. Zach Charbonnet was placed on the PUP list and will miss at least the first four weeks of the season. This leaves the Seahawks with rookie Jadarian Price, George Holani, and Emanuel Wilson in the RB room. There is room for multiple RBs to have fantasy production, as seen in previous years with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet splitting carries in the offense with the third-highest rush rate in the league last season.
Rookie RB Jadarian Price may not get 20 carries per game, but he'll reportedly be a "big factor" even in a 2-3 back committee, per @JFowlerESPN pic.twitter.com/1JsqBxu2vb
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 6, 2026
Recent reports have all suggested that while Price should have an immediate impact on the Seahawks offense, he will not be the only RB involved. While Holani seems to have taken the next spot behind Price, Wilson’s on-field performances over the past two seasons have been miles better than Holani’s, leading me to believe that he will take over the job as the RB2 as Charbonnet recovers from a torn ACL.
Seahawks potential RB usage, per @AndrewDestin1:
• Jadarian Price on 1st and 2nd downs
• George Holani on 3rd downs, short-yardage, and goal line
• Emanuel Wilson occasionally mixing in"I think it is fair to expect Price to put together a year somewhat similar to what… pic.twitter.com/KwehY0C73B
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 3, 2026
Wilson quietly has seven weeks as a top-24 RB over the past two seasons, which is more weeks than Holani has had as a top-60 RB over the same period. While that may be an unfair sample size, partially due to the opportunity that Wilson was given, I have to credit Wilson for making the most of his opportunities as a lead RB, most notably when he finished as the RB2 overall in Week 12 last season against his then-division rival, the Minnesota Vikings. I believe that Wilson is the more capable RB at this point and would become a must-add if he sees more usage, higher snap counts, or has the goal-line work over Holani in the opening game of the season.