Week 2 of the NFL preseason sparked a spicy debate over playing starters. Cincinnati and Washington did not shy away, unleashing Burrow and other starters, with Micah Parsons blasting the move as a generational reminder to 'get tougher' in August. The chat around it touched on risk vs. reward: true live reps can accelerate x-factors and timing, but the injury hazard looms over fantasy rosters as the regular season approaches.

Parsons’ stance clashes with the contract-standstill reality in Dallas, where he remains out while pursuing a trade. That dynamic colors how we read DAL’s defense in fantasy, while Burrow’s work in the exhibition arena raises questions about Cincinnati’s ceiling and how Week 2 reps might inform Week 1 plans for both teams’ skill players. The piece threads these threads into a larger preseason storyline about approach, risk, and the value of practice in real-game contexts.

In fantasy terms, the takeaway is crisp: monitor the balance of exposure and health for Burrow and the Bengals, and weigh how DAL’s pass rush might perform if Parsons returns on a controlled timeline. Washington’s and Cincinnati’s early-season trajectories hinge on how much real football gets played in August and how teams translate those reps into Week 1 readiness.