Travis Hunter, Cam Ward & 12 Other Rookies to Watch in NFL Preseason Week 1 (Sat/Sun)

The NFL is loaded with young talent and they will all come to light this weekend. The NFL is fully in gear with the preseason underway. Six games have been played this week and another ten are due to be played between Saturday and Sunday. These are your fantasy relevant rookies to watch across the slate.

Travis Hunter - Jaguars - WR/CB - 1st Round

Travis Hunter is the exciting dual threat that is slated to light the NFL on fire. Rarely anyone has ever gone both ways, but Hunter will do it in his Saturday NFL debut. Hunter is being drafted right now as a number two WR on most fantasy teams. We will see if his talent is in fact better than we already expect.

Travis Hunter will reportedly play both WR and CB during the Jaguars' preseason game against the Steelers on Saturday 👀 pic.twitter.com/chSLbsVcbO
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) August 7, 2025

Cam Ward - Titans - QB - 1st Round

Cam Ward was the number one overall pick, and now it is his time to prove it. I expect a nice rookie year out of Ward. Brian Callahan showed some offensive promise in his first year as head coach. I think the sky's the limit for Ward.

Jaxson Dart - Giants - QB - 1st Round

The Dart-board is listed as the number three QB on the Giants depth chart. Regardless of a great preseason, I anticipate that he will remain in this slot. If any quarterback woes ensue, Dart may quickly elevate himself and eventually see a start later on this fall. He should play quite a bit on Saturday.

Matthew Golden - Packers - WR - 1st Round

Golden will quickly become the undoubted WR1 in this Packers offense. He has showed out thus far in training camp and now he will see the field versus the Jets. The upside is very high here, so watch out for the flashy Texas product.

Omarion Hampton - RB - Chargers - 1st Round

Many people are very high on Hampton, including Matthew Berry of NBC. I am also very high on Omarion Hampton. He has a head start on Najee Harris and should be the number one runner in this Greg Roman offense. He may very well see 1,000 Yards and 10+ Touchdowns in a ROTY campaign.

Emeka Egbuka - Buccaneers - WR - 1st Round

You will be hard-pressed to find anyone higher on Egbuka than I am. He is an asbolute beast. He was my WR1 in the NFL draft and he will prove it this season. Watch Egbuka ball. (Anyone have a good nickname?)

Colston Loveland - Bears - TE - 1st Round

Many expected Tyler Warren to be the first tight end selected in the NFL draft but the Bears went with Loveland. Ben Johnson has seen some Sam LaPorta in Loveland and as he is more a pass-catching specialist than a blocker, relevance may quickly occur with the Michigan product.

Kaleb Johnson - Steelers - RB - 3rd Round

The public seem to be drafting Kaleb Johnson as the RB1 in Pittsburgh. Public opinion aside, he is the RB2 for the time being. With a big debut, this may very well change by Week 1.

RJ Harvey - Broncos - RB - 2nd Round

Unlike Kaleb Johnson, RJ Harvey is the RB1 in Denver. He will be competing with JK Dobbins for playing time. Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughin round out the depth chart. I would like to see how this snap-split would round out before I jump on Harvey in fantasy drafts.

Tyler Shough - Saints - QB - 2nd Round

The QB competition is unsettled between Shough and Spencer Rattler. I would venture to say that if Shough is not the starter, it would be a disappointment. He is a 25-year old 2nd round pick. Rattler is not the future. Shough needs to prove himself starting with his Week 1 preseason debut.

Jaydon Blue - Cowboys - RB - 5th Round

Cowboys camp has been going on with a buzz around Jaydon Blue. He may very well become the RB1 in Dallas. Many seem to expect that to happen sooner than later. The hype is great, but let's see him in real NFL action. His ADP may drastically shift in the next few weeks.

#Cowboys Jaydon Blue was one of the better pass catching backs in the draft.

(🎥: @JoeJHoyt) pic.twitter.com/OSt4rh42FO
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) July 26, 2025

Cam Skattebo - Giants - RB - 4th Round

Everyone loves Cam Skattebo. His performance in the CFB playoff was stunning. I have never seen anything like it. He was literally the best player on the field — pass, run, catch. All of it. He is behind Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary for now, but I think that can quickly change. I am buying Cam Skattebo as a fan.

Tre Harris - Chargers - WR - 2nd Round

Harris did not play a ton in the Hall of Fame Game, but he was overshadowed by rookie by KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Harris still has the upper hand on the depth chart, but he will have to show more in their next three preseason games. Tre Harris may yet become the WR2 on this offense, best case scenario.

Luther Burden III

I have loved Burden back to the leadup to Missouri 2024. He is a slot weapon that Johnson may look to make an Amon-Ra 2.0 . This depth chart has some sorting to do, and Burden has plenty of opportunity to shine.