Week 2 of the NFL preseason officially ended Monday night with the Washington Commanders hosting the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the abbreviated three-game preseason slate in the NFL now, Week 2 is arguably the most important around the league. That's particularly true for fantasy football managers.
The final roster spot battles on every NFL team's 53-man roster will continue through next week. But a lot of the fantasy relevant players will not dress in Week 3 of the preseason.
For those players, this past weekend was the last time they could leave an impression on managers before their fantasy drafts.
Let's take a look at the top takeaways from Week 2 of the NFL preseason.
In his Cleveland Browns debut, Gabriel wasn't quite as sharp as his fellow rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was in Week 1 of the preseason. But Gabriel showed flashes of why he was a third-round pick.
The left-handed quarterback completed 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per attempt. He also had an interception, which was returned for a touchdown.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday the Browns will start veteran Joe Flacco in Week 1 of the regular season. That's not great for Gabriel, but not unexpected. Also, if the team parts with Kenny Pickett, then Gabriel has a chance to open September as the No. 2 quarterback behind Flacco.
He's obviously not a target for managers in regular re-draft leagues. But if he's the No. 2 signal-caller for Cleveland for Week 1, it's hard envisioning a scenario where Gabriel doesn't get an opportunity to start at some point in 2025.
It's the preseason, so take it with a grain of salt. But Fields looked bad against the New York Giants.
The quarterback completed just one of his five attempts, which was a four-year gain. Fields also had a five-yard carry.
All three of Fields' throws to his college teammate, Garrett Wilson, were incomplete.
Again, it's the preseason. But if Fields plays anything close to that this fall, the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers will be more than justified in giving up on the former first-round quarterback for almost nothing.
It's not normally a smart move to draft a running back who will turn 30 during the season. But after dealing with a major knee injury the past two years, Chubb could be one of the exceptions this season.
Chubb looked strong on his five carries versus the Carolina Panthers, running for 25 yards. He also caught a pass for four yards.
The Fantasy Pros experts have Chubb ranked as the No. 55 running back in PPR formats with an ADP of 153 this season. That's a bargain if Chubb opens the season as the Texans starter.
In his last healthy season of 2022, Chubb ran for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry. He made second-team All-Pro during that campaign.
Henderson had a huge preseason debut, posting an 18-yard carry and returning a kickoff 100 yards in Week 1. The rookie did nothing to slow down his hype train in Week 2.
On four carries, Henderson gained 20 yards, averaging five yards per rush. He showcased his speed on an 11-yard run and then his power during an 8-yard touchdown scamper.
With each passing week, Henderson's value just continues to rise.
The second-year wideout displayed strong chemistry with backup quarterback Mason Rudolph on Saturday. Wilson led the Steelers with 72 receiving yards on just two catches.
His longest receptions, 42 yards, resulted in more yardage than any other Pittsburgh receiver for the entire game.
The Steelers have questionable depth at receiver. For fantasy managers, it's D.K. Metcalf and Calvin Austin III, who will hold some value in deeper leagues, and then everybody else.
But Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, has the talent to push Austin for WR2 opportunities if he continues to develop.
Any Chicago Bears fans reading this column will probably be upset if I don't at least mention their 38-0 dominating victory against the Buffalo Bills.
I didn't choose a Bears player as one of my top takeaways because it was more of the entire team's offense performing well in Week 2 of the preseason than anything. That should have fantasy managers excited for Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Colston Loveland.
But the last takeaway I wanted to highlight was for deeper fantasy leagues -- Bengals receiver Mitchell Tinsley.
The third-year former undrafted free agent had a terrific Monday night versus the Commanders, posting five catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns. All of that production came in the first half.
The Bengals have a deep receiver group with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones and Jermaine Burton. But Tinsley is making a strong case to make Cincinnati's roster.