Football is officially back! Well, kind of. The preseason does give DFS players a chance to whet their appetites before the main attraction of the regular season.
If you’re new to preseason DFS, there are key differences to remember when setting your rosters. For starters, the rosters are substantially larger. Each team currently has 85 players on their roster, but that number will be trimmed to 53 during the regular season. Most teams use the preseason to try and evaluate their entire roster, so expect nearly every player to see the field.
Volume is everything in the preseason. If the starters are only going to play one or two drives before ceding to the backups, the backups will inherently carry more fantasy value. Talent is simply not that important. Maybe the starters can score a touchdown in their limited playing time, but chasing volume will be a more sustainable strategy in the long term.
Luckily, FantasyLabs now has preseason projections in our NFL Models to help you build your lineups. Additionally, Chris Raybon put together a guide a few years ago with some helpful tips for beating preseason DFS.
Let’s dive into Friday’s three-game main slate.
NFL DFS Quarterback Picks
Aaron Rodgers did not suit up for the Packers last week, and he’ll be out of the lineup again on Friday. That sets up Jordan Love as a top fantasy option.
Love saw 46 snaps at quarterback last week, compared to 25 for third-string quarterback Danny Etling. It wouldn’t be a huge shock if that gap was a bit wider this week.
Love was famously the Packers’ first-round draft pick in 2020 NFL Draft, but he has not had a ton of opportunities in his young career. He was injured in the preseason last year, and there obviously haven’t been many regular season snaps available behind Rodgers.
The Packers gave Love plenty of opportunities in Week 1. He attempted 24 passes, which he turned into 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three interceptions, but that’s not all that important in the preseason. We want players who are on the field and aggressive, and Love certainly checks those boxes.
Finally, Love also brings just enough athleticism to the position to be enticing. He racked up 24 yards on four carries last week, and his 4.74 40-yard dash at the combine puts him in the 74th percentile at the position (per Player Profiler).
Quick Hits
- Ian Book, Saints: Book dominated the playing time for the Saints last week, seeing 63 of a possible 73 snaps. Jameis Winston remains sidelined, and while Andy Dalton might see a few more snaps this week, Book should still be extremely active.
- Bryce Perkins & John Wolford, Rams: Wolford will start and play the entire first half for the Rams, while Perkins is expected to get the second half. That puts both players squarely on the DFS radar, but Perkins has the more appealing fantasy skillset. He’s one of the fastest QBs in the league, and he dominated last week vs. the Chargers. He tallied 133 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go along with 39 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
- Matt Corral, Panthers: We don’t have a firm plan for how the Panthers will allocate the playing time on Friday, but it is expected to go mostly to the “2s and 3s.” Corral is the No. 3 QB on the roster, and he impressed in his preseason debut. The Panthers are far from set at the QB position, so seeing what the third-round rookie has should be a priority.
NFL DFS Running Back Picks
Let’s stick with the Packers at running back. They have one of the top duos in the league in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, but neither player suited up last week. With Rodgers not playing, it doesn’t make much sense to put either of these guys at risk.
Enter Tyler Goodson. He started and played 29 snaps last week, and he was busy when on the field. He had 13 carries and ran 13 routes of the backfield, the latter of which is very appealing. Goodson was an outstanding receiving back in college, racking up a 12% target share at Iowa. That put him in the 87th percentile for running backs.
When Goodson has the ball in his hands, he has excellent athleticism. He blazed a 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine, and all of his measurables suggest he has the athleticism to succeed in the NFL. It remains to be seen if that will happen for the undrafted free agent, but he’ll have a chance to make a name for himself in the preseason.
Quick Hits
- Chuba Hubbard & Spencer Brown, Panthers: Hubbard started last week and played 16 snaps, while Brown led Panthers RBs with 21 snaps and 10 carries. With Christian McCaffrey not suiting up during the preseason, both players should remain heavily involved.
- Raymond Calais & A.J. Rose, Rams: The Rams are being very cautious with their starters and key reserves during the preseason, and it’s unlikely Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson play this week. Calais was their featured runner in their first preseason contest, racking up 24 snaps, eight carries, and 12 routes run. Rose also had eight carries last week, and he was the guy who found the endzone.
- Royce Freeman, Texans: The Texans are another squad that is a bit of a question mark this week. That said, their top running backs combined for just 19 snaps last week, which left plenty of work for Freeman. He garnered 36 snaps, 12 carries, and 16 routes, so he was one of the more active players at the position.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
The Rams played one of the shallowest groups of receivers in their first preseason contest. Their top seven receivers didn’t suit up last week, and they could employ a similar strategy in Week 2.
Lance McCutcheon was their clear top performer in their last game. He led the team with six targets, and while that number may not jump off the page, the Rams only attempted 17 passes. That’s good for a target share of more than 35%.
McCutchen also made the most of his targets. He racked up five catches for 87 yards and two scores, including a 60-yard touchdown reception. That said, McCutchen ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, so I wouldn’t expect a repeat performance.
Austin Trammell worked as the No. 2 receiver for the Rams, finishing with four targets. No one else had more than two targets, so expect the pair to handle most of the responsibilities.
Quick Hits
- Tyquan Thornton, Patriots: The Patriots are a complete mystery heading into Friday. Their starters didn’t play in the first preseason game, but they might get a bit of run in the second. Regardless, Thornton should see some opportunities, and he’s an extremely impressive prospect. He ranks in the 90th percentile or better in most athletic measurables – including a blazing 4.28 40-yard dash – and he had excellent production at Baylor as well.
- Romeo Doubs & Amari Rodgers, Packers: Doubs has gotten as much positive buzz as anyone during training camp, and he looked the part in the first preseason game. He led the team with seven targets and finished with three catches, 45 yards, and a touchdown. Rodgers led the position group with 53 snaps, and he scored a touchdown of his own.
- Ra’Shaun Henry, Panthers: The Panthers are going to have snaps available at receiver this week, but it’s tough to decipher a preferred target. Henry led the group in snaps and routes last week, but some of the players above him on the depth chart could be a bit more involved vs. the Patriots. Shi Smith – a sixth-round pick in 2021 – is someone to keep an eye on.
NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Tight end is easily the weakest position in preseason DFS. That’s not a huge surprise – it’s the weakest position during the regular season as well – but the gap is even wider during the exhibition season. According to Cody Main from Establish the Run, tight ends average just 1.6 DraftKings points per game during the preseason. That’s easily the worst mark among the flex positions, with receivers averaging 2.9 and running backs averaging 3.5.
Additionally, the tight end position tends to produce few ceiling games during the preseason. Ignoring the position altogether makes sense for single-game slates, but unfortunately, we’ll have to pick one in the classic format.
How the Patriots choose to approach this contest is one of the most important questions heading into Friday. This is the game they’re going to play if they suit up this postseason, but that’s not a guarantee. The fact that the joint practices between the Pats and Patriots were chippy could make them a bit hesitant to risk anyone of value.
Matt Sokol played every snap at the position last week so that naturally puts him on the radar. Nothing about Sokol is impressive offensively, but anyone with that much playing time upside is worth consideration.
Quick Hits
- Jared Scott, Panthers: Like Sokol, Scott handled the majority of the snaps at tight end for the Panthers last week. Ian Thomas, Stephen Sullivan, and Colin Thompson were inactive in Week 1, and Josh Babicz suffered an injury at practice. With the Panthers’ backups expected to see most of the action vs. the Pats, Scott should be active once again.
- Nick Vannett, Saints: Vannett had some quality years with the Seahawks, including 29 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns in 2018. He’s currently third on the Saints depth chart, and he led the position group in snaps and routes last week.
