Buffalo at Chicago in primetime Week 2 of the preseason hinges on depth-chart theater more than box-score glamour. Mitch Trubisky is slated as QB2 with the job to lose, and the night offers a clear chance to prove pocket poise and smart decision-making against his former club. Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore stand out as potential breakout plays if healthy, with Moore especially positioned to seize a prominent role amid a thinner Bills WR corps. On defense, Buffalo looks to rookies Deone Walker and TJ Sanders to stack meaningful snaps, while Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones and Larry Ogunjobi push the interior, and Tre’Von Edmunds squanders no opportunity against his old teammates. The safety group—Damar Hamlin, Taylor Rapp, and Cole Bishop—needs reps to validate Babich’s plans, with Samuel’s status adding another layer of intrigue.

San Francisco opened the preseason with a 30-9 loss to Denver in Santa Clara, a result that stings more for fantasy managers than for the final scoreline. Fourteen SF players logged snaps in a game that featured turnovers and inconsistent quarterback play, underscoring the depth concerns and the risk around volatile backup-QB performance early in the year.

Three SF passers combined for multiple interceptions while the 49ers’ offense failed to sustain drives after a bright opening by Patrick Taylor Jr. on the first drive. The Broncos dominated across the major offensive metrics, and Kyle Shanahan voiced clear frustration about the miscues: four turnovers and a clump of sacks and drops that could impact early-season depth charts.

In the fantasy lens, Purdy remains the clear QB1, but the night offered little signal from Mac Jones, Carter Bradley, or Tanner Mordecai—none of whom flashed a path to meaningful Week 1 action. Abdullah’s fumble and the trio of picks raise questions about the backups’ reliability. The second preseason tilt against the Raiders on the road becomes pivotal for evaluating SF’s back-end roster and the potential breakout candidates behind the starters.