TeSlaa, Dortch play, starters sit preseason W1

TeSlaa led the Lions in receiving on the back of a 49-yard grab late in the game. He was otherwise an afterthought in the offense, finishing the game with a nine percent target share. TeSlaa is averaging three targets per game, which simply isn’t enough to get him into the FLEX mix. He is buried in the WR6/7 range headed into Week 4.

TeSlaa did his usual wind sprinting in this game and failed to bring in his only target on the day. With stars at nearly every skill position in Detroit, there simply isn’t any room for a meaningful TeSlaa role. He is not on the fantasy radar heading into Week 2.

Dortch was unable to make the Lions and was a relatively-surprising cut Sunday. The former Arizona wideout was a productive — albeit flawed — receiving option with the Cardinals, and it’s not hard to imagine him being someone who helps Josh Allen and the passing attack in Buffalo this fall. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach, but it’s at least someone to monitor.

It’s something of a surprise considering Dortch was productive in limited opportunities as a member of the Cardinals from 2021 to 2025. Dortch had 66 receptions and six touchdowns over the past two seasons with Arizona, occassionally drawing a start when the team struggled with wideout injuries. Look for Dortch to catch on with another team in the coming days or weeks as receiver depth.

Even after TeSlaa’s training camp struggles extended into the Lions’ first preseason game, Detroit doesn’t seem worried about the 24-year-old receiver. TeSlaa had his first target go through his hands and off his helmet for an interception and later couldn’t hang on to a fourth down pass in the loss to the Bengals on Thursday. Still, his only competitor for the WR3 role is Greg Dortch, a journeyman receiver who also failed to catch a pass in the first preseason game. The Lions WR3 isn’t likely to be a fantasy-relevant role when everyone else in the offense is healthy, but Detroit would still like to see more development from their third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

We weren’t expecting a major target share for TeSlaa anyway in this offense, and he makes his living making contested catches, but it’s still a little disappointing that he hasn’t taken more of a step forward from his rookie season so far. TeSlaa is probably only a consideration in deeper leagues at this time.

TeSlaa looks to be penciled into the three-wide set next to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown. It’s hard to understand how TeSlaa will generate much in the way of targets — he sure didn’t last year when he was on the field — but the Lions could have a good enough offense that TeSlaa finds his way on the WR4 radar this year either way. TeSlaa notched six touchdowns on 27 targets last year.

Dortch is following new Lions OC Drew Petzing from Arizona to Detroit. He turned 29 catches into 206 yards and three scores last year. Dortch is primarily a slot receiver and Amon-Ra St. Brown has the role locked down. At best, the former Cardinal will give ARSB the occasional breather. He could be an interesting PPR option if anything happens to St. Brown, but that isn’t something early fantasy drafters should plan for.

TeSlaa played sparingly for most of the season until Kalif Raymond started dealing with an ankle injury near Thanksgiving. TeSlaa’s numbers boomed to an average of 44 snaps a game for the rest of the season. The target rate wasn’t exactly fantasy-friendly, but TeSlaa managed six touchdowns on just 27 targets last year and figures to be an interesting fantasy football player in 2026, if not a downright useful one.

TeSlaa emerged as a primary option for the Lions in Week 13 after Amon-Ra St. Brown departed with injury, finishing off the back half of his rookie season as the clear WR3 for the Lions. That effectively shifted Kalif Raymond into a situational role, something likely to carry forward into the 2026 season. TeSlaa ends his rookie year with 16 catches for 239 yards, flashing abilities in the red zone through six touchdowns. Although unlikely to immediately see his role grow while playing alongside St. Brown and Jameson Williams, TeSlaa appears likely to step into a bigger role when one of the main receivers goes down. That gives him legitimate best ball upside considering he will be playing for an offense that has finished in the top five in scoring in each of the previous four seasons.