Key takeaways and fantasy football analysis from Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
Thursday games
📝 Raiders-Texans
Magic Mike
The Raiders may have found themselves a steal in running back Mike Washington Jr. The fourth-round rookie again showed why he's one of the most athletic backs ever tested at the NFL combine, this time breaking off a 33-yard run after initially getting stuffed near the line of scrimmage.
Washington had 56 rushing yards at halftime Thursday after registering 63 yards in Las Vegas' preseason opener. Ashton Jeanty remains the clear starter, but it will be hard for new head coach Klint Kubiak to keep Washington on the sideline if he continues to break off huge gains.
Texans' murky WR room
Jayden Higgins tore his ACL on Tuesday and will miss the 2026 season, creating a competition for the Texans' WR2 role. But it's difficult to read who's leading the way. Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell remain sidelined with injuries; Noel is dealing with a hamstring issue, while Dell is still working his way back from a horrific leg injury suffered in 2024. Xavier Hutchinson filled Higgins' role versus the Raiders, but he's produced very little during his three-year career. Higgins' injury may simply offer a lot more targets for Nico Collins.
Tucker cemented as Raiders' WR1
Tre Tucker didn't play against the Texans, signaling that the Raiders view him as their top wide receiver. Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, and rookie Malik Benson all played to varying degrees Thursday. WR1 isn't the most lucrative role in Las Vegas, considering Brock Bowers is the team's go-to guy, but Tucker has shown flashes previously and could outperform his WR71 average draft position in fantasy.
Mendoza's mistake
Fernando Mendoza made his first NFL mistake, throwing a pick-6 on his third pass attempt of the evening. In all, he was 8-for-15 for 86 yards, a slight step back from his debut against the Cardinals.
📝 49ers-Chargers
CMC's backup
Kaelon Black appears to be Christian McCaffrey's backup. The third-round rookie started for the 49ers, handling eight carries for 33 yards. He will rarely see the field with McCaffrey slated for another massive workload in 2026, but if anything happens to the 49ers' starting back, Black will assume a big role in San Francisco.
Stribling shines again
De'Zhaun Stribling didn't start but saw plenty of action in his first two drives of the game. The Ole Miss product caught four of five targets for 46 yards in limited work, adding to the 63 receiving yards he recorded in Week 1. Notably, three of those receptions were delivered by Brock Purdy, who seems to have quickly built a connection with the rookie receiver.
Mike Evans is the clear No. 1 in San Francisco, and Deebo Samuel will have his niche role in the offense, but Stribling appears to be heavily involved in an offensive unit that shouldn't have an issue scoring points.
Chargers struggle on the ground
There's a lot of hype around what Mike McDaniel can do for the Chargers' rushing attack, but it wasn't on display Thursday night. The trio of Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal finished the first half with a combined eight carries for five yards. However, there's no reason to overreact. The Chargers didn't start their entire offensive line, and Justin Herbert only took three snaps.
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