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In his first game action with the Minnesota Vikings, Xazavian Valladay led the team in rushing with 39 yards on eight carries and added one catch for two yards on Friday at Tennessee. It was a solid day for the new acquisition, who has bounced around the league since going undrafted in 2023. The Vikings have an opening for a third running back behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, but Valladay will have an uphill climb to make Minnesota's final 53.

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Tight end Bryson Nesbit scored the Minnesota Vikings' lone touchdown on Friday at Tennessee thanks to a 21-yard connection with quarterback Max Brosmer. The North Carolina product finished with two catches for 45 yards on four targets in the preseason finale for the Vikings. Minnesota will once again roll with T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver at tight end, but it's open season beyond that. Draft pick Gavin Bartholomew (back) is on the PUP list, leaving Nesbit, fellow undrafted rookie Ben Yurosek, and veteran journeyman Nick Vannett competing for the third spot formerly held by Johnny Mundt. After a strong showing Friday, Nesbit has a real shot of being on the Vikings' 53-man roster.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn led his team in rushing on Friday night in preseason action against the Atlanta Falcons, recording 10 carries for 42 yards. Vaughn has been limited in training camp by a hamstring injury, but he earned the start at running back in the preseason finale. A sixth-round pick in 2023, Vaughn has just 40 career carries in 14 games played. However, there could be an opportunity for him to earn playing time in Dallas this season, given the team's muddled backfield situation. Veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders are likely to open the season earning the majority of the reps, leaving Vaughn to battle with rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah for a depth role. Blue (ankle) left Friday's game with an ankle injury, which could open a spot for Vaughn early in the year.

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The Minnesota Vikings gave quarterback Max Brosmer a long look Friday, during which he completed 15 of 23 passes for 161 and a touchdown. The undrafted rookie nearly had an even better night statistically, but a perfect long ball that would have converted a fourth down and set up first-and-goal was dropped. Of the quarterbacks on the Vikings' current roster, Sam Howell still seems most likely to back up starter J.J. McCarthy, though Brosmer has made a compelling case to stick around in Minnesota.

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy led his team in receiving yards on Friday night in preseason action against the Atlanta Falcons, hauling in four of his five targets for 45 yards. A sixth-round pick in 2024, Flournoy had 10 catches for 102 yards in 11 games as a rookie. Heading into 2025, Dallas has a clear top four in its wide receiver room with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, and KaVontae Turpin. The team's presumed WR5, Jonathan Mingo (knee), is expected to start the year on injured reserve with a knee injury. Mingo's injury could give Flournoy a better chance of making the roster.

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Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Jaydon Blue (ankle) returned from ankle and heel injuries to make his preseason debut on Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, Blue was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter after injuring his right ankle. Before getting hurt, Blue logged nine carries for 25 yards and a touchdown. A fifth-round pick out of Texas, Blue is expected to push veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders for playing time in the Dallas backfield at some point in 2025. However, his inability to stay on the field during the preseason may limit his chances of earning playing time early in the year.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III had an impressive showing in his team's final preseason game on Friday, a 31-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Milton III completed 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. He also had 33 rushing yards and a touchdown on four rush attempts. Milton III looks to be solidified as the backup quarterback in Dallas behind Dak Prescott. The 25-year-old has plenty of arm talent and offers some ability to make plays with his legs as well. If Prescott were to get injured, Milton III would become a priority waiver-wire target in fantasy.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt had three carries for 15 yards in the 27-29 loss to the Chicago Bears. Hunt tied with Isiah Pacheco for the most running back carries with the starting offense, but the latter finished with more yards and a touchdown. Hunt is in line to be the RB2 for Kansas City, but the extent of his role is still undetermined. Pacheco took the field with the starters first, but Hunt had a goal-line carry on the first drive. Hunt also received one target compared to none for Pacheco. If Hunt is the passing downs back with goal line opportunities, he could end up being the best fantasy option out of the backfield. This is all just speculation based on preseason usage, but it is an important situation to track once the regular season begins.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown in the 27-29 loss to the Chicago Bears. Rice was not highly targeted in this contest, but that's not surprising since the starters only played the first three drives of the game. That said, Rice was the Chiefs pass catcher to find the endzone against the Bears. What was not in the box score is the fact that Rice was also targeted on a deep pass that led to defensive pass interference and flipped the field position. Rice is a difficult player to project given his eventual suspension, but he will be a key part of the offense when he is available. The 25-year-old was targeted by Patrick Mahomes on a four-yard out route, and the duo displayed their chemistry because the play was timed up perfectly. With the aging Travis Kelce on the decline, Rice's ability as a possession receiver should keep him heavily involved in the offense. Rice should be considered a high-end starter at the wide receiver position for every game he is eligible to play in.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught one pass for nine yards in the 27-29 loss to the Chicago Bears. Worthy was targeted once on the third drive of the game, the last drive that the starters played. Worthy is coming off a strong finish to his rookie season and should be considered a key piece of the offense. The 22-year-old has blazing speed and a full year of experience under his belt to build upon. His stock is also set to rise with the eventual suspension of Rashee Rice, likely coming in the middle of the season. Worthy and Patrick Mahomes developed some chemistry down the stretch last season, and it will be interesting to see how that carries over. The young speedster proved he can be a big play threat or a chain-mover depending on what the team needs from him, and he should have a strong role this season.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught two passes for 32 yards in the 27-29 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears. Kelce only played the first three drives of the game with the starters, but finished with the second-most targets among Chiefs pass catchers. The 35-year-old caught both of his passes from Patrick Mahomes on that third drive, and his longest catch went for 20 yards to begin that possession. The Chiefs offense as a whole took a step back last season, with a clear shortage of explosive plays from Kelce in the passing game. The veteran tight end is now another year older, but he should still be heavily utilized in this Mahomes-led offense. The Kansas City offense was rolling with the starters playing, and this season is an opportunity for the team to bounce back from their down year. If the Chiefs increase their scoring output this year, Kelce could end up being a steal at his current ADP.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed eight of his 13 pass attempts (62%) for 143 yards and a touchdown in the 27-29 loss to the Chicago Bears. Mahomes and the starters played the first three drives of this contest and came away with points each time. On their first drive of the game, the Chiefs flipped field position on a defensive pass interference call and ended the drive with an Isiah Pacheco rushing touchdown. On his second drive, Mahomes connected with Tyquan Thornton for a 58-yard pass and ended the drive with a field goal. The Chiefs ended their third drive with a passing touchdown from Mahomes to Rashee Rice. The Chiefs quarterback found Rice on a four-yard out route in the endzone that was timed up perfectly. The Chiefs offense appeared in sync in this contest, and Mahomes looked poised for a bounce-back season.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco found the endzone in the 27-29 loss to the Chicago Bears. Pacheco handled three carries for 21 yards and a touchdown in the game. The hard-nosed runner found paydirt on the Chiefs first drive of the game, punching it in from two yards out. Two of Pacheco's three carries came on the first drive, but his longest run came on the team's third drive. The 26-year-old does appear to be operating as the team's lead back, but the extent of his workload remains to be seen. Kareem Hunt also handled three carries in this game, including a goal-line opportunity on the first drive. Pacheco appears to be the most valuable Kansas City running back on the roster, but his upside will be capped if Hunt continues to play a sizeable role.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Keilan Robinson ran for 23 yards on nine carries in a 19-17 win over the Jets in the third and final week of the preseason. The Philly run game wasn't as slow as last week against the Browns, but it was a low bar to clear for Robinson after a nine-yard performance. The second-year RB has been in a battle for a roster spot throughout this preseason, and after a couple of underwhelming outings, it's hard to see him making the cut with at least four other backs ahead of him on the depth chart. Robinson had no carries last year for the Jaguars and was used only on kick returns. It seems that he will get little to no attention in backfields in 2025, and he is not worth a fantasy draft pick.

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. caught five passes for 51 yards in a 19-17 win over the New York Jets. Marshall led the team in receptions and yards through the air, as well as targets with seven. He also tied for the most targets last week for the Eagles. In Philly's final preseason game Friday, Marshall was the only player with more than 20 receiving yards. The fifth-year wideout is looking for a bounceback season in 2025, after mustering just 41 yards in seven games played last year with the Raiders. It'll be tough for Marshall to get consistent production on a stacked Philadelphia offense, and he isn't worth drafting just yet in fantasy.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kyle McCord completed 15-of-35 pass attempts for 136 yards and an interception, and ran for three yards on three attempts in Friday's 19-17 victory over the Jets. McCord was the sole QB on the team to get playing time in the final game of the preseason after trading snaps with Dorian Thompson-Robinson last week. This marks the second week in a row that the fourth-string failed to complete more than 50% of his passes. While Philly managed five scoring drives with McCord under center, this was in large part due to having favorable field position throughout the game. Four of these drives, all of which resulted in field goals, went no more than 26 yards. It seems as though the rookie will struggle to make the final 53-man roster before the regular season begins.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Montrell Johnson Jr. carried the ball 15 times for 57 yards and a touchdown in a 19-17 win over the New York Jets on Friday. Johnson got more than double his touches from last week against Cleveland and was far more productive in an overall stronger outing for the Philly offense. His highlight came in a 15-yard rush up the middle for his team's only time finding the end zone all night. The undrafted rookie couldn't manage to get very involved in the passing game, having no receptions on two targets. While Johnson has gotten the most work in the Eagles backfield over the last two games, it still seems unlikely that he'll get many looks during the 2025 season.

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The New York Giants released wide receiver Zach Pascal on Friday. The 30-year-old had the best stretch of his career with the Colts, where he caught 15 touchdowns in 64 regular-season contests. However, he wasn't nearly as impactful from a statistical standpoint in stints with the Eagles and Cardinals. Pascal signed with the Giants in March, but now he's back on the market and looking for work. There's a chance he'll sign with another team at some point moving ahead. Still, Pascal is a long way away from being a relevant fantasy option in any format.

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Albert Breer of SI believes Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco will remain the starting signal-caller as long as the team remains competitive. The Browns could theoretically keep four quarterbacks on the roster, with Kenny Pickett (hamstring), Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders behind Flacco. There's still a chance Pickett could be traded away. However, with Sanders and Gabriel both still a work in progress, Flacco might stay atop the depth chart as long as the Browns remain in the playoff conversation. The 40-year-old has thrown for 45,697 yards, 257 touchdowns, and 162 interceptions in 196 regular-season contests throughout his career. While that's a lot of mileage, Breer noted that Flacco still has "juice in his arm." Granted, that won't make him a practical option in single quarterback fantasy setups, although he is worth rostering in deep Superflex formats as long as he remains under center.

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Josina Anderson reports that a trade between the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings involving veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen is "not likely, at this point," according to a league source. Thielen is in the last year of a three-year, $25 million contract and wouldn't command top-tier money, but the Panthers apparently want to keep the 11-year veteran around for receiver depth. The 35-year-old spent the first nine years of his NFL career with the Vikings and is a Minnesota native. The Vikings are in th market for a veteran pass-catcher with Jordan Addison set to be suspended for the first three games of the 2025 season, while they are also dealing with injuries to Jalen Nailor and Rondale Moore (out for the year). A move to Minneota would probably be much better for Thielen's fantasy value this year, as he'll likely be the WR3 in Carolina behind rookie Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette.

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