Undrafted Joe Fagnano Steals the Show in Ravens' Preseason Finale
The UConn rookie went 19-of-27 for 162 yards and two scores as roster cuts loom. Here's who actually matters for your fantasy build.
The only rookie-adjacent QB story worth a roster spot in deep leagues.
- Fagnano: 19-of-27, 162 yds, 2 total TDs in finale
- Put Ravens in scoring range on 6 of 7 drives
- Nussmeier: 22-of-34, 198 yds, 1 INT for KC
- Fields ranks #129, #30 QB (2025 actual)
- Mahomes: 304 PPR pts over 14 games (2025)
The 2026 preseason is officially in the books, and the loudest name from the final weekend wasn't a first-round pick — it was an undrafted UConn kid. Joe Fagnano came off the bench for Baltimore against Washington and went 19-of-27 for 162 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing score, sneaking in for a goal-line dive on a short field. He put the Ravens in scoring position on six of his seven drives.
The stat line would look even better if kicker Tyler Loop hadn't shanked two field goals with Fagnano at the controls. Baltimore still scored three touchdowns during his run, which is exactly the kind of tape that turns an undrafted longshot into a practice-squad lock ahead of cut-down day.
The rest of the rookie QB group was a mixed bag. LSU product Garrett Nussmeier played the whole game in Kansas City's 9-9 tie with Seattle, finishing 22-of-34 for 198 yards with an early interception that became a Seahawks field goal. He settled in and led three scoring drives after that, all field goals. He's fighting to deepen a room already stacked with Patrick Mahomes and top backup Justin Fields.
Elsewhere it got ugly. Tampa Bay punted on six of seven drives with their rookie under center, Jacksonville's backups mustered zero points across three possessions, and the Jets' Cade Klubnik threw an interception straight into a Giants defender's arms. Preseason finales are survival tests, and plenty of these arms didn't survive.
The Fantasy Fallout
Here's the blunt truth: none of these rookie QBs matter for your Week 1 lineup. Fagnano is a great story, but a practice-squad quarterback isn't a fantasy asset. The relevant thread here is Kansas City's depth chart, where Mahomes posted 304 PPR points over 14 games last season (2025 actual) and remains our #19 overall, #9 QB.
Fields is the name worth flagging. He ranks #129 overall and #30 at the position off 135 PPR points in nine games last year (2025 actual), with a rushing floor that always keeps him one Mahomes tweak away from streamer relevance. If Nussmeier's summer earns him the No. 2 job, Fields' insurance value shifts — but until anything official happens, this is a WATCH, not an add. Keep the rookies on your notepad, not your bench.
Bottom line: enjoy the Fagnano highlight reel, then move on. Your draft board doesn't change because an undrafted rookie had a nice August.
