It's not quite "real" football but it's been awesome to have preseason football back after another long offseason.

With so many young players looking to make an impression (and a roster), here are some of the biggest takeaways for dynasty managers.

Joe Milton

The New England Patriots spent the No. 3 overall pick on Drake Maye and a Round 6 pick (193) on Joe Milton.

I know, I know, it's been one preseason game, but man was Milton fun to watch.

He finished 4/6 for 54 yards and a score and tacked on 22 rushing yards on five attempts. He's big, strong, and mobile and the Patriots don't have many offensive weapons to work with. That could lend itself to Milton running even more from the pocket.

We'll see how next week goes but it's a good reminder for dynasty managers that, in Superflex formats, even the most unlikely QBs can have value. Draft capital doesn't always matter. Just remember Brock Purdy.

Jaylen Wright

While Jeff Wilson Jr. got the start, it was rookie Jaylen Wright who made the most noise for the Miami Dolphins on Friday night.

Wright racked up 55 rushing yards and a TD on 10 attempts and looked good while doing it. He displayed a nice blend of patience, burst, and power as he consistently picked up chunk plays. In all, he posted runs of…

  • 9 yards
  • 10 yards
  • 9 yards
  • 14 yards

A Day 3 selection, Wright came in at No. 6 in our Rookie RB Model and is among the youngest RBs in this class. He also has the third-fastest speed score of anyone in his class. It looks like the Dolphins continued their trend of stockpiling speed.

Wright might be "buried" on the depth chart behind De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert but both struggled to stay healthy last year and Mostert is on the wrong side of 30 years old. Dynasty managers should be quick to stash this young speedster before he climbs the boards.

Braelon Allen

The New York Jets selected Braelon Allen in the fourth round this spring. After a strong training camp and one preseason game, he might have locked up the RB2 role behind Breece Hall.

Allen entered the league as the youngest player in his class (20 years old) and ranked as the RB4 in our Rookie RB Model.

In his first preseason game, he paced all Jets' RBs in rushing yards (54) on just six attempts. While Hall has cemented himself as a top-3 option at the position this year, Allen could very well be one of the premier handcuff options for fantasy managers,

While it's unlikely that Hall will cede much work to Allen, dynasty managers should not be afraid to stash the rookie on their taxi squad and wait for the potential opportunity.

Emanuel Wilson

The Packers may have:

But it might be Emanuel Wilson who should be creeping up the boards.

The departure of Jones and the subsequent signing of Jacobs felt like an even one-for-one switch. The retention of Dillon was admittedly disappointing as he's never managed to make a true difference despite earning numerous opportunities. The drafting of Lloyd felt like a nice move with his pass-catching upside but he tweaked his hamstring this weekend.

That left Wilson.

As a rookie, he tallied just 14 total rushing attempts but did manage 85 rushing yards (6.0 yards per carry). This past weekend, he was easily the most productive option out of the backfield with his eventual line of 13 / 67 / 1. Only one other RB had 5+ carries.

This offensive is projected to be high-scoring and efficient. While Jacobs is the clear-cut RB1, the battle for the RB2 job could be an interesting race to follow in the weeks ahead. Dynasty managers with deep benches and/or taxi squads should take notice.

Jermaine Burton

The season hasn't even officially started and Jermaine Burton is quickly entering "my guy" territory. In his first preseason game, he went 3 / 82 / 1 on four targets which included a 37-yard TD reception from Logan Woodside.

Tee Higgins may have scored on a pass from Joe Burrow but the Burton news makes me even more excited.

Burton should work into the WR3 role this season behind Ja'Marr Chase and Higgins and, next year, could easily be the WR2 assuming Higgins signs elsewhere. Burton may have come in as the WR12 in our Rookie WR Model but his combination of draft capital, landing spot, and future outlook make him a prime trade target in dynasty formats.

2024 is the perfect chance to get in on Burton while he's still relatively buried on the depth chart but there's ample reason to believe that he'll rise up the pecking order in no time at all.

A.T. Perry

As a rookie, he didn't see a target until Week 10. From that point on, A.T. Perry tallied 12 receptions for 246 receiving yards and 4 TDs. Scoring a TD on one-third of your receptions is pretty wild and certainly unsustainable, but it made for some fun box scores.

The Saints have a clear-cut WR1 in Chris Olave and a super-trendy WR2 in Rashid Shaheed. After that, it's wide open. Shaheed did not play this weekend due to a hamstring injury and Perry paced all WRs with 85 receiving yards on four receptions (four targets).

We're digging pretty deep here but for a WR3 on a decent offense in a weak division, Perry is the ideal stash candidate in dynasty formats with larger benches.