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Tua Tagovailoa to start first preseason game, but not named QB1 for regular season

Tua Tagovailoa will start the first preseason game, but he has not been named as the starting QB for the regular season.

First seen Aug 12, 2026 · 6:00 PM UTC · last updated Aug 12 7:02 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

Tua's preseason opener start against Denver is the expected move for a veteran heading into a contract year of expectations, but the framing across these reports is notable: two of three sources explicitly note he has not yet been formally named the Week 1 starter, even as another characterizes him as the favorite to hold the job. Read together, this looks like standard offseason positioning language rather than a genuine competition, but the lack of an official declaration is worth flagging as you finalize draft boards.

For fantasy purposes, treat Tua as your presumptive Dolphins QB1 in draft prep, but not as a lock you should be paying a premium for. His per-game upside remains tied to health and offensive line/receiver continuity, and any quarterback without a formal Week 1 designation carries a touch of extra risk heading into camp. This is not a reason to avoid drafting him, but it is a reason to avoid overpaying — let him fall to his normal ADP range rather than reaching, and keep an eye on Miami's practice reports and depth chart releases as preseason progresses.

Action-wise: no add/drop implications here since he's already rostered in most leagues and remains draftable as a QB1/low-end QB1 in Superflex or streaming formats. Confidence in this read is moderate — the sources agree on the facts (preseason start confirmed, no formal Week 1 declaration yet) at 80-100% confidence, but the "favored" framing suggests this is more procedural than a real threat to his job. Monitor for an official starter announcement before locking in draft rankings.

Tua Tagovailoa to start preseason opener Friday

by Ari Koslow | Falcons Correspondent |

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said QB Tua Tagovailoa will start Friday's preseason opener against the Broncos. (Around the NFL on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

Tagovailoa is expected to play a series or roughly 10 snaps. He is currently the favorite to start Week 1 for the Falcons.

More Tua Tagovailoa: News, Rankings, Projections, Stats

Coverage from Fantasypros News Html · by Ari Koslow · Aug 12, 2026 · read original