1. Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Atlanta Falcons
Jones might as well shut it down for the preseason after Friday night's performance. The star receiver tallied four receptions on four targets for 61 yards and a score in his only drive of the game against the Tennessee Titans. It was a dominant performance that many have become accustomed to throughout the years. The 13-yard touchdown Jones caught from Matt Ryan to cap off a 10-play, 91-yard game-opening drive speaks volumes about where this offense is under Kyle Shanahan. That bodes well for Jones fantasy owners the world over.
2. Brock Osweiler, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
This is important for a couple reasons. First off, Osweiler showed himself extremely well against some of the Seattle Seahawks first-team defense with Peyton Manning sitting out Friday's game. He did so in the hostile environment of the Pacific Northwest. Secondly, Denver simply needs to see what it has from the former second-round pick this preseason. It's not yet known whether Manning will return for another season in 2016. Short of this young quarterback seeing extended preseason action, it's really hard to gauge how he will perform in real game action.
The Arizona State product passed a major test on Friday, completing 15-of-20 passes for 151 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions en route to leading Denver to five first-half scoring drives in as many possessions. Preseason or not, that's pretty darn impressive.
3. Martavis Bryant, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bryant didn't waste any time picking up where he left off last season. The talented second-year receiver from Clemson hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger with just over three minutes gone by in the first quarter of Friday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He proceeded to tack on two more receptions to finish the evening with three catches for 53 yards and that one score. An eye-opening performer during training camp, the fact that Bryant saw that excellence extend to the preseason has to be a good sign for those of you in the fantasy football community that have bought into the hype.
4. Bryce Brown, Running Back, Buffalo Bills
Brown, who has a ton of untapped potential, is almost literally fighting for a spot on the Bills' 53-man roster. After acquiring LeSean McCoy in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and drafting Karlos Williams, Buffalo boasts one of the deepest running backs groups in the NFL. Joining McCoy, Williams and Brown in the backfield are two impressive veterans in the form of Fred Jackson and special teams standout Anthony Dixon. If Brown doesn't perform at a high clip during the preseason, it's more than likely he's going.
Understanding full well the gravity of the situation, Brown answered the call against the Carolina Panthers on Friday. He picked up 52 yards and a score on six attempts, including an impressive 16-yard run in the second quarter. More performances like this, and Brown will make Rex Ryan's decision that much more difficult.
5. Virgil Green, Tight End, Denver Broncos
After losing Julius Thomas to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, Denver made the decision to lock Green up on a long-term deal before he could bolt town. As we already know, Manning absolutely loves to utilize his tight ends in the passing game. That's one of the primary reasons the team signed veteran Owen Daniels. However, it's this fifth-year tight end from Nevada who might benefit the most from having Manning under center. After a stellar college career catching passes from Colin Kaepernick in Reno, Green hasn't done much in terms of actually catching passes at the NFL level. He's tallied a total of 23 regular season receptions in four professional seasons.
Given an opportunity to catch passes from Denver's backup against some of the Seahawks starters on Friday night, Green stood out. He tallied five receptions on as many targets for 45 yards, including a 17-yard second quarter touchdown from Osweiler. The more Green performs at a high level in the preseason, the more he will start showing up in fantasy discussions. After all, not many had determined the aforementioned Julius Thomas to be a solid option until he hit his stride with Manning. Performing at a high level with Osweiler under center could be an indicator of future success here.