Week 3 of the preseason is when we get an extended look at starters. After last night’s one-game appetizer, today we get a six-game buffet starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Reportedly, some of the star quarterbacks are expected to play into the third quarter.
If you haven’t played preseason daily fantasy before, check out my five DFS guidelines for dominating the NFL preseason as well as the “Daily Fantasy Flex” episode in which I break down the secrets of the preseason schedule.
For more guidance, see our industry-leading Models, which contain preseason player projections for subscribers. If you’re a redraft player, check out our FREE standard and point-per-reception rankings as well as in-house oddsmaker Sean Koerner’s season-long player projections.
Be sure to keep an eye out for late-breaking news on player availability before lineups lock.
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson (Seahawks): Head coach Pete Carroll said on Thursday that Wilson will likely play into the third quarter. In Week 3, when most starting quarterbacks play at least a half, it’s big if you can roster a guy playing more than two quarters. Thanks to his rushing ability (36.6 yards per game last year), he has elevated ceiling and floor projections.
Cam Newton (Panthers): Like Wilson, Newton is a productive dual-threat quarterback expected to play into the third quarter. HC Ron Rivera has said that Newton and the starters should play the first series of the second half, and it’s possible they could play even further into the game. Newton doesn’t have Wilson’s passing ability, but he’s even more accomplished as a runner (47.1 yards per game and six touchdowns rushing last year).
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Running Backs
Christian McCaffrey (Panthers): McCaffrey is likely to have the highest ownership rate at his position tonight. Like Newton, McCaffrey should play into the third quarter with the starters. McCaffrey has dominated reps with the first-team offense this preseason, and he’s been efficient with his touches, turning nine carries and six targets into 160 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a goal-line score and the other of which was a 71-yard jaunt.
Wayne Gallman (Giants): No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley (hamstring) is expected not to play, so Gallman could see a lot of snaps as he continues his quest to steal the backup role from Jonathan Stewart, who has been dreadful this preseason (seven carries for two yards). Gallman had a good outing last week (5-26-1 rushing, 2-9-1 receiving), and his three-down skill set (111 carries and 34 receptions in 2017) makes him a good bet to get opportunities regardless of game script.
James White (Patriots): With quarterback Tom Brady playing a full half last week and Sony Michel (knee) and Rex Burkhead (knee) out, White saw a heavy workload with the first team (25 snaps), playing as both a runner and receiver (4-31-0 rushing, 6-61-1 receiving). An established part of the passing game (72 targets last year), White is likely to see extended action again and has an elevated floor with Michel and Burkhead still out.
Joel Bouagnon (Packers): Bouagnon isn’t a great athlete (4.66-second 40 time), but he’s big (6-feet-1, 230 pounds) and getting touches this preseason (24 carries, one reception). Although Week 3 is usually designated for guys at the top of the depth chart, Bouagnon may be the exception. The Packers are expected to rest their starters yet again, which should result in more playing time for Bouagnon. He’s yet to play a regular-season game, but he was productive at Northern Illinois (2,459 yards and 27 touchdowns from scrimmage in 2015-16).
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Wide Receivers
Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos): Sanders and the other starters are expected to play well into the second quarter tonight. Sanders had a disappointing 2017 season (47-555-2 receiving) due to poor quarterback play and some nagging injuries, but over the past four years he’s averaged 8.6 targets per game. He has the third-highest median, ceiling and floor projections among wide receivers in our Models.
Chris Hogan (Patriots): Last week Hogan tied for a team-high seven targets, finishing with a 5-25-1 receiving line. Hogan was targeted on 24% of his 29 snaps and seems to have a solid connection with Brady. Given that this is the tune-up for the season and that wide receiver Julian Edelman will miss the start of the year (suspension), I expect Hogan to be targeted heavily again.
Jaron Brown (Seahawks): When you want to stack a receiver with Wilson, Doug Baldwin (knee) is normally the guy, but he’s out for this game, so Brown will be playing with the starters in two-wide sets (along with Tyler Lockett). Last week Brown showed his long-ball ability with two receptions of 45 and 29 yards. Expected to play with the starters into the third quarter, Brown could leverage his high snap count into a long touchdown.
Marvin Jones (Lions): Jones played 28 snaps in Week 2, which is a good total, and the starters are expected to play close to a half tonight. Coming off the best season of his career (61-1,101-9 receiving, league-high 18.0 yards per reception), Jones has the potential to crush a Buccaneers unit that last year ranked 31st against the pass in Football Outsiders’ Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average.
Tight Ends
Greg Olsen (Panthers): Olsen had a tough campaign last year battling injury, but he appears to be healthy and should see regular action with the starters, who (again) are expected to play into the second half. With that kind of playing time, Olsen is one of the top option on the slate. Before his injury-impacted 2017, Olsen led the Panthers in receptions and yards receiving for three straight seasons.
Cameron Brate (Buccaneers): So far in this preseason Brate has played just 28 snaps, but he’s been targeted on eight (28.5%) of them. That is a massive rate. Brate should play an every-down role with the starters, and he’s third among tight ends over the past two years with 14 touchdowns.
Defense
Raiders: In Week 3 of the preseason, starters for most teams normally play at least a half of football. That, however, is not the case for the Packers, who are expected to rest their starters, leaving the game in the hands of backup quarterbacks. This game is in Oakland, and the Raiders plan to play their starters for most of the first half, which should provide them with a juicy matchup. After opening as -3 favorites, the Raiders now sit at -6, and the over/under has dropped from 45 to 39.5 (per our Live Odds page).
Photo credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Pictured above: Cam Newton
