Rookies To Watch In Preseason Week 3 For Fantasy Football: De'Zhaun Stribling Gets One More Shot To Shine

Tonight we kick off NFL Preseason Week 3, which is the final week of the preseason. This will be the last chance for rookies trying to carve out a role on their teams to make an impact. These are the rookies that fantasy football owners should be watching in Week 3 of the preseason.

RB Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers

You can have confidence in Christian McCaffrey this season, but you should not be so confident that you do not handcuff him if you have the roster space. Rookie Kaelon Black is competing with Jordan James for that backup role in San Fran. With James injured throughout training camp, Black has seen opportunities to carve out a role.

He is expected to play in this game; if he looks great or terrible, it could have an impact on his in-season role. The 49ers have a very valuable fantasy backfield, and their backups could end up playing a significant role this season.

WR De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers

With all the injuries in San Francisco, Stribling could be thrown into the fire with a key pass-catching role. From what we've seen so far, he has been up to the task this preseason. If he comes out and looks great again, he will continue to ascend draft boards leading up to Week 1.

Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, and Christian Kirk are all currently banged up. That opens the door for Stribling to have a hot start to his rookie season.

WR Ja'Kobi Lane, Baltimore Ravens

Lane has been the star of training camp in Baltimore and has looked great in the preseason. He has a shot to lock up that WR2 job for the Ravens. Especially with Rashod Bateman dealing with off-field issues this offseason. Another strong performance could turn Lane into a red-hot sleeper stash option heading into Week 1.

WR Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins

We don't expect to see much of Chris Bell in this game, but Douglas should get plenty of run. He has a legitimate shot to start the season as the Dolphins' WR1.

That passing attack might not hold the most value, but an NFL WR1 that you can draft in the last round of your draft holds a ton of value. If he wins that role, he should be drafted in every league.

WR Zacharia Branch, Atlanta Falcons

Branch has been a standout in Atlanta this summer. He has a shot to take over as the WR2 for the Falcons this season. The only players sitting in front of him on the depth chart are Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson. That is not the toughest depth chart in the world to crack.

WR Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers

While we don't expect much from Bernard this season, he could be the future in Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf will likely be gone next season, as will Aaron Rodgers. That should open things up for this struggling passing attack.

The Steelers tend to hit on their second-round wideouts. Bernard is a talented player, and dynasty owners should be watching him closely both this week and this season.

More Fantasy Sports On SI News

Add us as a preferred source on Google