PodcastFrom Fantasy Football Today
FFT Express - Preseason Takeaways: Jeremiyah Love, Cam Ward, Fernando Mendoza & More! (08/14 Fantasy Football Podcast)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
9 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 14, 2026
Published
Fri, August 14, 2026
13
Player insights
13
Players mentioned
Topics
Cam WardChuba HubbardDe'Zhaun StriblingFernando MendozaJeremiyah LoveJonathon BrooksMarShawn LloydMarvin Harrison Jr.Michael MayerStefon DiggsTerry McLaurinTony PollardTyjae Spears
Player analysis
Player insights
Cam Ward
NegativeProjection6:48
Cam Ward struggled in his preseason outing, finishing 5-for-12 for 57 yards with a near-interception and an intentional grounding penalty that nearly resulted in a fumble. His performance has raised concerns about the Titans' offense.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
De'Zhaun Stribling
PositiveBreakout1:48
Deshaun Stribbling had a great debut for the 49ers and appears to have a legitimate opportunity to be a playmaker. He has moved up a couple of rounds in draft rankings following his performance.
Insight pageFernando Mendoza
PositiveProjection5:36
Fernando Mendoza looked good in his preseason appearance, displaying nice arm strength and making quality throws, including a touchdown pass.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
PositiveProjection0:12
Jeremiah Love looked impressive in his preseason debut, drawing comparisons to Adrian Peterson for his movement and running style. He is a safe target in early round three, or late round two, due to the expected run on running backs. He has moved ahead of Kyron Williams and Josh Jacobs in rankings, especially given Jacobs' injury and suspension concerns.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveValue11:46
Jonathan Brooks is a major riser in drafts, with his ADP likely moving to round six. He is expected to be handled cautiously due to his injury recovery, but he remains a high-upside target.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveUsage9:59
Marshawn Lloyd played every snap with the first-team offense during their opening possession.
Insight pageMarvin Harrison Jr.
PositiveUsage5:50
Marvin Harrison Jr. caught a touchdown on his only target during the opening possession.
Insight pageMichael Mayer
PositiveUsage5:32
Michael Mayer caught a touchdown on two targets during his limited preseason action.
Insight pageStefon Diggs
PositiveProjection10:44
Stefon Diggs is reportedly crushing it in practice and building a strong connection with the quarterback, suggesting a positive situation for his fantasy outlook.
Insight pageTerry McLaurin
NegativeProjection10:47
There is a potential concern regarding Terry McLaurin's fantasy outlook given the current reports from Washington's practice.
Insight pageTony Pollard
NegativeUsage7:16
Tony Pollard played on third downs but split the workload with Tyjae Spears. He did manage to score a touchdown run.
Insight pageTyjae Spears
PositiveUsage7:22
Tyjae Spears split third-down work with Tony Pollard and recorded a nice run during the preseason game.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Let's talk a little preseason, what we saw last night and what we're looking forward to seeing this weekend right now on Fantasy Football Today.
0:07Okay, busy night last night. You know the rookies are pretty much always going to play.
0:12That's the exciting thing. So we got to see Jeremiah Love yesterday.
0:16Got to see a little bit of Ashton Gentry.
0:18Talk about Cam Ward. Buzz your girlfriend. But Jamie, what stood out to you in the Thursday night preseason games?
0:24Yeah, I think two rookies helped themselves in a big way.
0:27Jeremiah Love, you mentioned, so looked really good. It'd be nice if he could play the Raiders every week and that was fantastic to see.
0:35But man, does he look like Adrian Peterson. Just watching him run and the way that he moves.
0:40It's just amazing what this kid can do. And hopefully this is a preview of what's to come for this upcoming season.
0:47So I think you can safely take him early in round three if you want to take him late in round two
0:53because of the run on running backs that we're going to see.
0:57I had him in that bunch of guys of him, Kyron Williams, Josh Jacobs, you know, that this was enough to put
1:03him ahead of those guys, especially given Jacobs, you know, concerns with injury and potential suspension.
1:08The other guy that stood out was Deshaun Stribbling, who had a great debut for the 49ers.
1:13You know, you mentioned the disgusting offense on the other side of the ball.
1:17But yeah, Stribbling, I mean, again, no Mike Evans, no Kirk, no Kittle.
1:21So a lot of missing parts there. No Debo for the 49ers.
1:24But I mean, when you get buzz and then you see it and it looks legit like he's got an opportunity here to be a playmaker.
1:32So a guy that moved up a couple of rounds for me as well.
1:36Yeah, I just want to talk a little bit more about Jeremiah Love here.
1:40So there was a decent amount of starters on the opening possession for both teams.
1:45You did get some of ones on ones for Arizona and Las Vegas, which was good to see.
1:50And he comes out and he starts the game and he had a really good game.
1:55But his two biggest runs, for what it's worth, 11 carries for the two biggest runs came against backups and with backups.
2:01But he definitely did split with Tyler Algier. So this is nothing that we we didn't expect.
2:06I think, though, the way he looked out there, you're hoping, Jamie, with the as the season progresses, we're going to see less of a time share.
2:14Do you think that's going to happen? I mean, we also don't know what James Conner's availability and role is going to be by availability.
2:21I mean, is it going to be on the team still?
2:25You know, hopefully there's a trade that happens and he can help another team.
2:29But yes, look, he's going to most likely lose goal line work to Tyler Algier.
2:33We know that's kind of been Algier's mantra the last couple of seasons.
2:37And once upon a time, he ruined another high profile rookie in B.
2:41John Robinson. So I think just in the case of Jeremiah Love, you've got to keep expectations in check.
2:47He's not going to have an easy matchup like this.
2:49You know, Raiders starters are a lot of team backups, you know, in what we'll see.
2:54So it it was just fun to watch and, you know, better than him coming out and crapping on himself.
3:00You know, like he looked the part. And I think that's the encouraging thing.
3:04So, you know, anybody that was in the Jeremiah Love camp, oh, I'm taking him in round two.
3:10I'm taking him early round two. You know, they were excited.
3:13Anybody that was like, oh, a little bit concerned, you got a little bit of a comfort factor.
3:18And I think that's what matters. All right. Also for Arizona.
3:21Well, first of all, we didn't get McBride or Bowers, which is a shame.
3:25But also for you got them for one play each, right?
3:29Oh, did they play one play? I believe that's what I saw.
3:32Michael Mayer had a touchdown on two targets. Kirk Cousins looked good.
3:36Fernando Mendoza looked good. Really nice arm strength. Made some good throws.
3:39Touchdown throw. Jack Bess was nice. You know, kept him in a safe position and gave him an opportunity score.
3:45And look, it's going to be hard to keep that guy off the field, too.
3:50Yeah. But Marvin Harrison Jr. caught a touchdown. He had one target on that opening possession.
3:54Michael Wilson, he didn't play every snap, came off the field a little bit, but he still had two targets.
4:00I don't know if we learned anything there. Again, McBride only playing one snap.
4:04I think the Titans, though. Well, I mean, they're going up against 49ers backups.
4:08And Cam Ward went five for 12 for 57 yards.
4:11He had a near interception. He had an intentional grounding penalty that was almost a fumble, you know, almost at his own goal line.
4:19Just really bad stuff. And then you had a bit of a wide receiver rotation, too, where you had Wondale played 16 of 21 snaps with Cam Ward.
4:27Io Manor 15. Tate 15. Gunnar Helm and Daniel Bellinger, the two tight ends, both played 13.
4:32Calvin Ridley played seven, but he started. So I imagine he'll play more than that, typically.
4:36Anyway, I don't think there was anything good except Tony Pollard actually did play on third down a little bit.
4:42But he split with TyJ Spears. This wasn't an inspiring opening audition, I guess, for the 2026 Titans offense, Jamie.
4:48No, you had a nice run from Spears. You had a touchdown run from Pollard.
4:53That was probably the highlights, at least, that you could take away from it.
4:57And, you know, conversely, if you're looking for Cardinal Tate to come out and have a strong performance, you got to be a little bit concerned there.
5:05So, you know, where he's in that mix of wide receivers, probably starting with, like, Jamison Williams, Marvin Harrison, Brian Thomas Jr., Chris Godwin.
5:12You know, I don't know if I'm missing anybody.
5:15Romo Dunzee may be in that mix. You're a little discouraged by it.
5:18You know, I think really the biggest thing is Cam Ward the problem.
5:22You know, and I don't think that's the answer yet.
5:25But, you know, it didn't look good against San Francisco.
5:28You know, I didn't see anything, like, disastrous from the reports this week where they were practicing together, which to me is
5:35almost more important than what we saw in the precinct.
5:38Mm-hmm. All right, let's take a break, and we'll fast forward to this weekend and what we're looking forward to seeing.
5:44And there's more. I mean, Jeremy Bernard had a good debut.
5:47Arana Gadsden played, which isn't great considering David Njoku and Charlie Kohler did not play.
5:51And... Aller, baby. Yeah, Aller looked good. Jaden Reed had a couple of catches, even though he's not going to play in two receiver sets, it seems.
5:59Marshawn Lloyd played every snap with the first team, which was only one possession.
6:03And we'll be right back on Fantasy Football Today Express.
6:06Okay, Jamie, let's spin it ahead to this weekend, including tonight.
6:10And, you know, Malik Willis is going to play.
6:12I'm curious to see what this Dolphins offense looks like against Washington.
6:16Me too. Reports have not been good from their joint practice, so we'll see how things go there.
6:21You know, we'll see. I don't know if Devon HN is going to play.
6:25I would not play him if I were the Dolphins.
6:28But Malik Willis, you want to see how he looks.
6:31Really, I want to see how Caleb Douglas looks, because this is another guy getting a lot of buzz.
6:37And you want to see that continue. For Washington, you'd like to see a little bit of the running back splits and what that looks like.
6:44Stephon Diggs is apparently crushing it right now. And I think we may have a slight Terry McLaurin problem and maybe a
6:51good situation for Diggs, because he's connecting well with the guy whose number is between four and six.
6:56That we're not allowed to say. So hopefully, J.
6:59Daniels has a good enough game and performs well in limited action.
7:02That'll be if he's out there. I don't even know if he's starting.
7:06And Jonathan Brooks is going to play. And Chuba Hubbard is week to week with a hamstring injury.
7:12Yeah. Get ready for your biggest riser in drafts.
7:14You know, again, you want to see. I'm assuming he's still going to play.
7:18You know, that was the plan before the hamstring injury.
7:21This is their second preseason game, as we know.
7:24So will they give him a drive? Will they give him extended looks?
7:28I'm going to guess they're probably going to be very cautious with Jonathan Brooks, understandably so.
7:32Not just the loss of Hubbard, but the injuries that he's coming back from.
7:37So this is the guy that's got the rocket emoji strapped to his back.
7:41He's going to go probably, my guess is now round six.
7:44Okay. And I guess, yeah, maybe it's the fan in me.
7:47But even just the fantasy analyst in me, can't spell fantasy analyst without fan.
7:51I got to see the Giants do something positive.
7:54And, you know, their offense is struggling so much in training camp.
7:58Got to put something together positive here. Hopefully they can do it against Minnesota.
8:02I think Jackson Dart should play a little bit in this game.
8:05But, you know, when a team does well in preseason, Aaron Rodgers said it himself.
8:10The defenses, he doesn't care about preseason. Defenses aren't showing anything.
8:13So it's very vanilla stuff. Offenses aren't showing much either.
8:16But if a team struggles, especially like the Titans.
8:18First team offense against backups for the 49ers that are playing vanilla.
8:22And you're struggling there. That's a red flag. That doesn't have to be.
8:26It's just one week. But it's like a pink flag.
8:29Hopefully it doesn't become a red flag. But it's alert.
8:32You know, the Lions are a good example, right?
8:34Because Drew Petsing's offense did not look good. But again, that's not something to worry about right now.
8:40Oh, yeah. Well, they didn't play their starters. Exactly.
8:42All right. We will wrap it up here. We've got a live mock draft that we're about to do that you'll have in your podcast.
8:50You'll be available later today as well. Thanks a lot for watching.
8:53Fantasy Football Today. Be blessed. Podcasts.
