Saturday’s NFL preseason slate consists of seven games throughout the day starting at 1 p.m. ET. Starters played 1-2 series last week, but this week we should see them for about a quarter (maybe more), second-stringers for about two quarters and third-stringers and all the rest for the remainder. In many cases, we can rely on the usage from Week 1 to give us a sense of the current depth charts and ways in which players are likely to be used now.
If you haven’t played preseason daily fantasy before, check out preseason sharp Sean Newsham’s five DFS guidelines for dominating the NFL preseason as well as the “Daily Fantasy Flex” episode in which he and Matthew Freedman 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 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
Chad Kelly (Broncos): Kelly’s two-touchdown performance in Week 1 against the Vikings earned him a promotion over first-round bust Paxton Lynch as Case Keenum‘s direct backup. As discussed in last week’s breakdown, Kelly’s gunslinger mentality and rushing ability create a lethal combination for DFS investors.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted that 2017’s Mr. Irrelevant threw a higher percentage of his pass attempts over 20-plus yards during his two final years at Mississippi than Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer, two of the NFL’s top-five quarterbacks in deep-ball percentage last season. The athletic gunslinger boasts a fantasy-friendly rushing ability that produced 841 rushing yards and 15 rushing scores over his final 22 college games.
Consider stacking “Swag” with backup wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton and River Cracraft, who each could see extended work with both Courtland Sutton (knee) and Jordan Taylor (hip) questionable.
Joe Webb (Texans): Head coach Bill O’Brien said Week 2 would be similar to Week 1 for the starters, when Deshaun Watson and company played for just a drive, so it’s reasonable to expect Brandon Weeden and Joe Webb to split the majority of the game’s reps. Webb demonstrated his dual-threat ability with a game-high 42 rush yards last week, and he’s set up well at home against a 49ers defense that allowed the third-most DraftKings points per game to quarterbacks last season. Mobile quarterbacks have consistently provided enhanced value and consistency relative to pocket passers on both DraftKings and FanDuel since 2015.
Running Backs
Shaun Wilson (Buccaneers): Wilson has reportedly balled out at Buccaneers training camp, but an undisclosed injury kept him out of Week 1. The undrafted free agent returned to practice this week and is expected to see plenty of action during the second half. Wilson is undersized (5-feet-8, 185 pounds), but his 81-725-6 career receiving line at Duke suggests that he theoretically has three-down ability. For a few reasons, it’d behoove the Buccaneers to feed Wilson as many touches as he can handle.
- Handing projected starter Peyton Barber excessive preseason work doesn’t make sense.
- Second-rounder Ronald Jones is probably too valuable for much second-half work.
- Space back Charles Sims has missed 17 combined games since 2014.
- Everyone is aware of what 28-year-old Jacquizz Rodgers is capable of.
C.J. Prosise (Seahawks): First-rounder Rashaad Penny (finger) isn’t expected to suit up for the rest of the preseason, so it makes sense for the team to put starter Chris Carson in bubble wrap, which leaves Mike Davis (knee, probable), space back J.D. McKissic and Prosise, a former third-rounder. The 6-foot, 220-pound back played wide receiver at Notre Dame before shifting to the backfield, racking up 1,337 yards and 12 touchdowns from scrimmage in his final season. Head coach Pete Carroll has said that Prosise “should get lots of playing time Saturday.” Prosise historically hasn’t needed many touches to make an impact at the NFL level.
The case for C.J. Prosise #PreSzn …
Finally healthy
6'0" 220 pounds
Legit RB/WR that averaged a position-high 8.1 yards per touch in 2016 pic.twitter.com/CFfskxjrT6— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 17, 2018
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Wide Receivers
Taywan Taylor (Titans): The Titans are expected to welcome back 2017’s No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis, but Rishard Matthews remains out with an undisclosed injury, which could open up plenty of reps for Taylor with both the starters and backups as a receiver who has moved all over the formation throughout training camp. A strong athlete, last year’s third-rounder posted elite game speed when traveling distances of at least 25 yards last season (AirYards.com). New offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur helped the Rams produce the seventh-most passes of at least 20 yards last season, while the Titans ranked just 25th.
Auden Tate (Bengals): The seventh-rounder out of Florida State reeled in a 33-yard touchdown in Week 1, demonstrating the same high-level contested-catch ability that helped him score 10 touchdowns in his final collegiate season. The starting receivers heaped praise on Tate following his strong debut.
- Perennial Pro-Bowler A.J. Green noted that Tate “has some of the best hands on the ball I’ve seen.”
- No. 2 WR John Ross called Tate a “freak” and his catch radius “ridiculous.”
Tate doesn’t possess high-end running or jumping ability, but that’s less of a problem for a man of his size (6-foot-5, 228 pounds). The potential absence of Cody Core (undisclosed) and Tyler Eifert (rest, back) could open up additional red-zone opportunities for the promising 21-year-old.
Tight End
Adam Shaheen (Bears): The Bears made offseason addition Trey Burton one of just seven tight ends to earn at least $8 million per season: He’s not going to sit on the bench. Still, Burton is closer to a slot receiver than a true in-line tight end, so he and 2017 second-rounder Adam Shaheen could wind up spending plenty of time on the field together. This was the case in Week 1, as Burton and Shaheen played nine and seven snaps during Mitch Trubisky‘s 10 snaps under center. “Baby Gronk” isn’t a ridiculous nickname for Shaheen considering his unique blend of size (6-foot-6, 270 pounds) and receiving ability (127 receptions in two final college seasons), and he’s set up well against a Broncos defense that allowed the third-most DraftKings PPG to tight ends last season.
Adam Shaheen …
-Ranked 6th among all TEs (min. 10 targets) with 1.92 yards per route run
-6'6" 278 pounds with 76th-percentile SPARQ-x score
-Probable starting in-line TE (Burton played 63% of snaps at slot/WR/FB in 2017)All 12 of Shaheen's catches from last season pic.twitter.com/9WmrqYqxXB
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 27, 2018
Defense
Chargers: The Chargers’ defense has already lost stud cornerback Jason Verrett (Achilles) for the season, and Joey Bosa (foot) and Trevor Williams (ankle) are expected to sit in Week 2. Still, the Chargers have plenty of talent on all three levels of the defense, especially against a Seahawks offense with a horrid offensive line and key injuries at running back and wide receiver. Per our Live NFL Odds page, the over/under has dropped from 41.5 to 39.5 with 86% of tickets and 66% of money on the under.
Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Pictured above: Chad Kelly
