Saturday features a four-game main slate starting at 4 p.m. ET.
If you’re new to preseason DFS, it’s completely different than it is during the regular season. Instead of looking to the players at the top of the depth chart, we’re going to focus on the players at the bottom. Finding the players who are going to see the most snaps each week is the main goal, and those players tend to be the backups early in the preseason.
Combing through the news is also extremely important. Not every coach treats the preseason the same way, so finding out which players will play is a bit more difficult than it is during the regular season.
Fortunately, we do have our NFL Models to help. We have projections available for all four teams on Friday, so we’re not exactly flying blind.
Don’t forget to check out our Lineup Builder if you like to hand build your lineups or our Lineup Optimizer for those of you that like to enter multiple lineups into tournaments — our optimizer allows you to make up to 300 lineups with one click of a button.
Let’s dive into some of my top plays for Saturday’s slate.
NFL DFS Quarterback Picks
The Jets are one of two teams who will play four preseason games this year, and they’ll play their second Saturday vs. the Panthers. That said, not much is expected to change compared to the first. Aaron Rodgers will not suit up, and most of the other starters aren’t expected to play either.
Zach Wilson played three drives in the Hall of Fame Game, and he was a bit of a mixed bag. He was 3-5 for 65 yards, with most of his damage coming on a 57-yard strike to Malik Taylor.
Expect Wilson to get a bit more run this week. Not only is his development important for the Jets’ future, but third-string quarterback Chris Streveler was recently placed on IR. That leaves just Wilson and Tim Boyle to handle all of the quarterback responsibilities on Saturday. Head coach Robert Saleh was non-committal about how much Wilson would play, but it’s possible that the two quarterbacks split things 50/50.
Overall, Wilson leads the position in median and ceiling projection in our NFL Models.
Other Options
- Easton Stick – Justin Herbert will not suit up for the Chargers, leaving Stick and Max Duggan as the other two options at QB. Head coach Brandon Staley has stated that Stick will play a “healthy amount” on Saturday, which is an exciting prospect for preseason DFS. Stick was a fifth-round selection in 2019 and possesses elite athleticism for the position, ranking in the 90th percentile for 40-yard dash time and 100th percentile for agility score.
- Matt Corral – Bryce Young will get his first taste of NFL action on Saturday, but backup Andy Dalton probably doesn’t need any reps in the preseason. Expect Corral to take over after Young departs. The coaching staff has stated that they want to give Corral a bunch of reps during the preseason, which makes sense for the 2022 third-round pick. He likely doesn’t have a future in Carolina with Young in the picture, but his pedigree makes him an appealing backup or trade piece if he can show out.
- Nathan Rourke – Trevor Lawrence is expected to see a series or two on Saturday, and C.J. Beathard will follow. However, expect Rourke to lead the position in snaps. The 2020 undrafted free agent is new to the Jaguars, and he’ll probably see at least two quarters of action.
Be sure to check out all the pick’ems PrizePicks has to offer with PrizePicks promo code LABS for a $100 deposit match.
NFL DFS Running Back Picks
The Cowboys are looking pretty thin at running back in Week 1. Tony Pollard is not expected to play, while the newly acquired Ronald Jones will likely sit due to a groin injury. That leaves the team with three running backs on their depth chart vs. Jaguars.
All three of those running backs – Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and Rico Dowdle – are in play on this slate, but Vaughn grades out best in our NFL Models.
Vaughn was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he is one of the smallest players to enter the NFL. He’s listed at 5’5”, though he does make up for it at 179 pounds. On a field littered with giants, Vaughn will undoubtedly stand out.
He’s not particularly athletic either, ranking dead last at the position in the 2023 class in PlayerProfiler’s Athleticism Score. That doesn’t bode well for his future NFL success, but it didn’t stop him from being extremely productive in college. He racked up nearly 1,900 total yards and 22 touchdowns in 2021 at Kansas State, and he followed that up with more than 1,900 yards in 2022. He ranked in the 84th percentile for Dominator rating and the 96th percentile for target share, so he’s capable of handling a monster workload.
Expect the Cowboys to give Vaughn a long look during the preseason.
Other Options
- Kennedy Brooks & Trey Sermon – The Eagles have a bunch of options available at the position, but there’s a good chance that the starters see minimal action. That means D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott shouldn’t see much work. That leaves Brooks and Sermon as the likely workhorses vs. the Ravens. Sermon has a superior pedigree as a former third-round pick, and this will be his first chance to get preseason action with Philadelphia.
- Keaton Mitchell – None of the veteran starters are expected to play for the Ravens on Saturday, which likely takes K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards out of the equation. Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon should also see limited reps. Mitchell was signed as an undrafted free agent out of East Carolina, and he blazed a 4.37 40-yard dash at the 2023 combine. He was also extremely productive in his final two years of college, rushing for more than 2,500 yards, so the Ravens should want to get a look at him during the preseason.
- Israel Abanikanda – The Jets 2023 fifth-round pick had nine carries in the Hall of Fame game, which he converted into 27 yards and a score. Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight might see a bit of action this week, but Abanikanda still figures as the most-likely option in the team’s backfield.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
The Chargers are the team to target at receiver on Saturday. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen will likely rest, while there have been some injuries at the position further down the depth chart. Josh Palmer suffered an injury at Thursday’s practice, while John Hightower and Darrius Shepherd are also uncertain. That leaves them with one of the thinnest depth charts on the slate.
Derius Davis and Keelan Doss stand out as two of their top options. Doss became famous as a preseason superstar when the Raiders were on Hard Knocks a few years ago. He managed 17 catches for 161 yards and a score across four preseason contests in 2019, but that hasn’t translated into any meaningful success. After spending last year with the Giants, he’ll be looking for a fresh start with the Chargers.
That said, Davis is probably the more intriguing option. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and can absolutely fly, blazing a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine. He was never able to turn that speed into big numbers in college, topping out at 531 yards in 2022, but he was a major contributor on special teams. The fact that his former college QB Duggan is expected to relieve Stick certainly won’t hurt, either.
Other Options
- Joseph Ngata – The Eagles are another team with a thinned-out depth chart at receiver. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Quez Watkins likely won’t play, while some of the names at the bottom of the depth chart have missed time recently with injuries. Ngata has reported been a star of Eagles’ camp, and the undrafted free agent from Clemson has the prototypical size of an NFL receiver at 6’3” and 217 pounds. He wasn’t all that productive in college, but expect the Eagles to give him a long look during the preseason.
- Puka Nucua – Nucua is another player who has reportedly had an impressive training camp. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue labeled him a “riser,” and the Rams are excited to see if his ability to generate yards after the catch will continue in game action. This is their first chance to see what their fifth-round rookie can offer. The team has plenty of snaps available at the position during the regular season, so he could earn a sizable role with a big preseason.
- Jonathan Mingo – Mingo is easily the most highly-touted of the rookie receivers available on Saturday. He was the Panthers’ second-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he brings excellent athleticism to the table. He was No. 2 at the position in Player Profiler’s Athleticism Score for the 2023 class, and he could see time with the starters and backups on Saturday. That type of role has led to success for some other receivers so far this preseason.
NFL DFS Tight End Picks
As usual, tight end is the hardest position to navigate on Saturday’s slate. Fortunately, we can go back to an old friend from last year with Isaiah Likely. Likely was phenomenal in the preseason last year, catching all 12 of his targets for 144 yards and a score. He did that in just two games, providing virtually unheard-of stability at the position.
Of course, there’s no guarantee he does that again in 2023. Likely was a productive player during the regular season as well, so it’s possible that he’s become too valuable for the Ravens to risk during the preseason. However, the Ravens have just four names on their depth chart, and Mark Andrews is obviously still their top dog. That means Likely should see at least a few snaps on Saturday. Given how good he was last year, it’s hard for me not to click his name on this slate.
Other Options
- Charlie Kolar – Perhaps Kolar is the more likely candidate to be the 2023 Likely. He’s one spot lower on the Ravens’ depth chart, and he’s less accomplished in the NFL. However, he was a fourth-round pick in 2022 – the same as Likely – and has excellent athleticism for the position. He was also very productive in college, racking up 62 catches for 756 yards in his final season at Iowa State. It should shock no one if he ends up being the best TE play on the slate.
- Kenny Yeboah – The Jets have six names at tight end currently, but three of them did not suit up during the Hall of Fame game. All three could sit again on Saturday, leaving Yeboah, Zack Kuntz, and E.J. Jenkins as the remaining options. Yeboah had two targets in the Hall of Fame Game, which he turned into two catches for 13 yards. That’s obviously nothing to get excited about, but Yeboah does have a track record of success in the preseason. He had 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns during the preseason in 2021.
