There are plenty of players that I am going to be keeping a very close eye on in this last week of preseason whether it’s for good or bad reasons. Here are some of those players that will be important to watch in this last weekend before the start of the regular season. Starting off we’ll talk about one player for each team of the Thursday night contests, the Colts vs the Bengals, and the Bears vs the Chiefs.
Colts kicker Matt Gay is a guy I will be monitoring very closely. He has previously proven to be one of the league’s better kickers however in the past 2 preseason games Gay has only gone 1/4 on field goals. If Gay struggles yet again before even reaching the regular season then Indianapolis might do some research into potential replacements on their special teams.
As of the Bengals, rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton has been excellent so far in preseason. He is one of only 8 receivers in preseason so far with over 100 yards, and has done it on only 4 catches. Burton also has a touchdown to his name. Burton has been the highest rated rookie receiver in the league so far and could potentially be a huge piece for the Bengals in the future, especially with Tee Higgins potentially being on his way out.
When it comes to Chicago, there is one defensive player my eyes will be stuck to all game and that is rookie edge rusher Austin Booker. Austin has all the makings of a pristine edge rusher at 6’5 245, and I had him as a 2nd round talent, Austin slid to the Bears with the 144th pick however. Booker has majorly impressed his coaches, teammates such as Montez Sweat, and even fans having 2.5 sacks in preseason so far. I believe Booker has a chance to be a franchise piece for Chicago and Thursday’s matchup may be the start of that trend.
The obvious player to watch for KC is 1st round receiver and 40 yard dash record setter Xavier Worthy who is surely an explosive weapon. However, I want to discuss someone else, punter Matt Araiza is making his reemergence NFL debut this season and I’m very curious to see how he will perform for the Chiefs. Araiza was regarded as a top tier punter prospect and was drafted by Buffalo in 2022, before getting cut that same offseason after being accused of gang rape. This past December Araiza was dropped from the lawsuit however, after it was ruled that Matt wasn’t present for the crime. Matt Araiza makes his NFL debut this season as the starting punter for the past 2 Super Bowl Champions, and it’s certainly an intriguing storyline especially considering Araiza has looked incredible for the Chiefs so far this preseason.
As for some of the other games, there are still plenty of guys I will have my eyes on this weekend. Such as the Jaguars 2nd round rookie interior defensive lineman out of LSU, Maason Smith. The massive and athletic defensive lineman has the highest pass rush win rate percentage of all IDL in the entire league so far this preseason. Maason has had a dominant training camp and has kept that up so far in preseason. I’ll be watching for Smith to dominate yet again Friday night as it looks like the Jaguars found a MONSTER in the 2nd round.
Another big time rookie I’m looking at specifically this weekend is 100th overall pick to the Commanders, Luke McCaffrey. Christian’s brother at wide receiver was one of my big sleepers for the draft, and should have a far improved target rate now that Jahan Dotson has been traded to the Eagles. Luke has a great IQ of the game and soft hands much like his brother and father. Luke has a chance to be a major impact on Washington right away especially as he has the opportunity to grow a vastly strong relationship with rookie starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Another rookie receiver I will be watching is Bills 33rd overall pick Keon Coleman. The FSU receiver has tons of upside and should develop into a number 1 option for Buffalo with the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Coleman is yet to impress in preseason so far but with injuries to Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling it is looking like Keon will see more of the field in the final preseason matchup. Fans have desired more from the top tier receiver prospect and this week is going to be the best test of what Buffalo has in the young receiver before the start of the official season.
There is a safety I am very excited to see more of this weekend being former 1st round pick out of Georgia, Lewis Cine. Cine was an elite talent at safety for the Vikings before a gruesome injury in his rookie year after just 2 defensive snaps. He looked back and better than ever last week though having 10 total tackles, a sack, a pass deflection, AND and interception all in one game. If Cine can keep up half of that production this week I’d be very impressed. Cine is a player I am very eager to see progress this year and hopefully have a comeback season for Minnesota.
Every year there seems to be a rookie running back selected extremely late in the draft, if drafted at all, to blow up and have a major impact his rookie season. This year I believe Dylan Laube of the Raiders has the best chance at that feat and is a guy to keep an eye on this weekend. Laube is a 3 down threat with great burst and especially fantastic hands as a receiving back. Laube has impressed all offseason and I believe anyone that is an NFL fan should keep him on their radar whether you’re a Raiders fan hoping for a breakout, or a fantasy player needing a late draft steal. Cheddar Bob is going to turn for heads one way or another.
The Giants have one of the most miserable offenses in the entire league, but they do have a very promising young rookie receiving threat I want to discuss. Shockingly no, it is not Malik Nabers, even though Nabers has looked fantastic in his own right. The guy I want to talk about some people may not know of, and that is rookie tight end out of Penn State, Theo Johnson. Theo has been one of the biggest surprises of this rookie class so far and I’m excited to see if he continues with the surprises. Theo was a 4th round pick by the Giants and was a prospect that was primarily viewed as a blocking tight end coming out of Penn State, only having 340 yards in his last year. Theo has flipped that narrative on its head so far though, dominating the offseason with impeccable grabs, remarkable route running, and of course still being a great blocker. Theo has been a dynamic weapon for the Giants all offseason and projects to be the starting tight end right away. Despite the Giants not being a high caliber offense I expect great production from Theo for a rookie tight end as the safety valve for the Giants quarterbacks, and I’m excited to see what he does in the final preseason game.