Risk appetite

Featuring Kyler Murray, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and more.

August 17, 2026

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Yooo!

Preseason Week 1 is in the books, and we’re tracking 250+ fantasy websites and podcasts that are analyzing every single snap.

We recently made some updates to the site that bucket these insights and discussions into categories like:

  • Injury

  • Usage & role

  • Season outlook

  • And many others

So if you want to know how preseason action and training camp practices are impacting your players, just head over to their player profile and get the latest info.

Want all the insights in your pocket? Check out our mobile app for more daily insights:

In the last newsletter, I asked you all: “Are you worried about Makai Lemon from a dynasty perspective?”

58.3% of you said, “No”

Best subscriber comments:

  • No: “From a redraft perspective, I'm not touching him. It's wayyyyyy too soon to be getting worried from a dynasty side of things. His second half of the season will have everyone back on the wagon barring injury.”

  • No: “Not at all. He's a gritty player. He was a ball hawk with sticky hands in college, and a great route runner. Those are traits that translate. Year 1 could definitely be slow, but not worried about him long term.”

  • Yes: “Hey, I'm worried about that offense producing enough for the #1 receiver!”

  • Yes: “Slightly. Still very early ofc. Hurts might just be bad for fantasy production from the guys around him but good for a team irl. The ultimate fantasy football vampire.”

Our take: I was surprised to see this poll this close. I’m firmly in the “No” camp. It's interesting to see some of the main concerns mostly tied to the offense as a whole. DeVonta Smith has put up consistent top-24 WR production for years. I don’t see why Lemon couldn’t do the same.

Alright, now let’s get to some news you might’ve missed.

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All article and podcast links go to a summarized Dynasty Pulse page where you can see quick insights and also get the link to the original article/podcast if you want the full content:

Jonathon Brooks (RB, CAR): (104 mentions last 7 days): He started his preseason return and handled nearly every situation with the 1st team, including early downs and short yardage, with third-and-long the one clear exception. With the incumbent starter week-to-week on a hamstring, a Week 1 start is in play.

MarShawn Lloyd (RB, GB): (81 mentions last 7 days): He started the preseason opener and played every snap on the 1st drive, then every snap on the 2nd drive with the backups, working all three downs. That's a versatility signal rather than a confirmed move up the depth chart.

David Montgomery (RB, HOU): (47 mentions last 7 days): The path to his biggest workload in years is open in HOU. His 86.6 PFF grade ranks 11th among RBs over the past 2 seasons, and he's carried featured usage before, hitting a 74.3% offensive snap share in Chicago.

Caleb Douglas (WR, MIA): (75 mentions last 7 days): The deployment says starter, not rotation. On the opening preseason drive he played 100% of the snaps in 11, 12 and 21 personnel plus both 22-personnel snaps, separating him from the rest of MIA's receiver group.

KC Concepcion (WR, CLE): (78 mentions last 7 days): CLE is manufacturing touches for him. In one preseason game he caught 3 passes for 27 yards, returned a punt 31 yards and scored on a 14-yard jet sweep, plus an 11-yard third-down catch.

Malachi Fields WR, NYG): (58 mentions last 7 days): He opened with the non-starters and still made the strongest case in NYG's outside receiver battle, catching all 3 targets for 34 yards and scoring the team's only TD on a high-point throw in the end zone corner.

A high-ankle sprain clouds Jeremiyah Love’s Week 1 status, while preseason usage keeps his featured-role and top-five upside cases alive.

The latest development is a confirmed high-ankle sprain that will sideline Jeremiyah Love for the rest of the preseason and leave his regular-season opener uncertain. Fantasy analysts cite a typical three-to-five-week recovery and caution that his performance could remain below normal for roughly six weeks. One valuation subsequently moved him from a potential late-second-round pick to 28th overall and from RB13 to RB14. National coverage still sees a credible path to a featured role and a top-five finish because Arizona gave him 24 snaps and 14 touches, and he displayed rushing, receiving and open-field ability. The same coverage questions whether the preseason workload was excessive and whether Arizona will preserve his touches through a rotation. Fantasy voices remain divided between dynasty-level conviction in his talent and early-round redraft caution tied to the injury, low projected scoring environment, offensive line and uncertain goal-line distribution.

Our take: I already had my concerns about Love in redraft because of the o-line and committee concerns. This injury just solidifies that I won’t be taking any shares in redraft. But not concerned at all in dynasty.

Tyjae Spears has moved from a passing-down specialist toward a possible near-even Titans backfield role, raising his fantasy value while leaving the regular-season split unsettled.

Fantasy analysts have upgraded Spears from a change-of-pace option after recent preseason usage placed him alongside Tony Pollard in a near-even share, with reports citing 12 to 13 starter snaps and four opportunities. His receiving profile remains the clearest foundation. He recorded 45 receptions on 50 targets, a 9.4% team target share and 9.0 touches per game, but his ceiling remains tied to whether Tennessee sustains the expanded role and whether quarterback and offensive-line concerns suppress the offense. National coverage also points to a possible shift from his prior third-down-heavy assignment, while cautioning that one preseason game does not establish a regular-season committee. The coverage now points to a narrower ADP gap between Spears and Pollard, though fantasy voices remain divided over whether his expanded role can overcome a limited rushing workload and the Titans' offensive uncertainty.

Our take: This one surprised me. I’ve had Spears on multiple dynasty teams for years. Would love to see what he could do with more opportunity. But we’ll see how the next few weeks play out. Increased workload could be a mirage.

Kyler Murray is Minnesota’s confirmed QB1, with his fantasy upside intact as health, live preparation and offensive fit remain the central risks.

Minnesota has ended the quarterback competition and committed the starting offense to Murray, with J.J. McCarthy behind him. Beat coverage reports that his first-team role is settled and that the offense is being adapted to his mobility through shotgun, pistol, outside-zone, quick-game and play-action concepts, although the precise balance remains a work in progress. His preseason debut consisted of one opening series, three pass attempts and roughly 10 yards, providing too little evidence to validate either a rebound or a decline. Sources in beat coverage still view him as capable of a top-15 season and a playoff-caliber outcome if the offense avoids third-and-long situations, limits turnovers and keeps him healthy. National coverage more often describes average quarterback play as a meaningful upgrade, but stops short of guaranteeing a high-end result. Fantasy analysts remain divided: some project a high-end QB1 or even a top-10 finish because of his rushing production and discounted cost, while others see a volatile QB2 whose availability, middle-of-field passing and late-season job security could undermine the rebound case. National coverage likewise sees a genuine reset opportunity but continues to question whether Murray can sustain his earlier level in a new structure.

Our take: It’s so hard to predict whay Kyler will do this year. It wouldn’t shock me to see him as QB5 or QB25. With that potential upside, he’s one of my favorite late-round QB targets in redraft. I would definitely have a plan B in place, though.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, DET)

❝

"The continuity, the ecosystem there in Detroit has not changed much in the last three years and the productivity, despite the fact that you've had several different play callers in the last three years, hasn't changed either, and that should give you a lot of solace in a pick. You talk about ... the Christian McCaffrey uncertainty upside versus the quiet upside of Amon-Ra St. Brown, basically going at the same overall ADP. I'll take Amon-Ra St. Brown, especially in the PPR leagues, and just move on and I'll find my hero RB somewhere else. But to me annually, he is the guy that continuously gets overlooked and underappreciated..."

Source: PlayerProfiler Fantasy Football Podcast Network (podcast) — "Fantasy Football Superlatives for 2026 with Joe Pisapia"

Our take: Will share my thoughts in the poll recap at the beginning of the next newsletter.

Would you rather draft Amon-Ra or CMC at the 1.06 in PPR redraft leagues this year?

(Vote to see live results)

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That’s all for tonight!

See ya pizza,

Joe

P.S. In case you missed it, catch up on our most recent newsletters below:

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