Tag Archives: Alex Collins

6 Reasons to Watch Thursday Night’s NFL Preseason Finale

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Thursday night brings two exciting things: pro football in the form of NFL preseason games and a clear sign that the 2016 NFL regular season is upon us.

With a fully loaded 15-game schedule, we have 30 of 32 NFL teams on tonight’s docket, meaning we get to see a ton of young talent compete for a roster spot. A ton of star players will naturally be sitting tonight out to rest up for week one of the regular season, but some are expected to suit up and others could see ample playing time in the final week of preseason play.

Let’s go over which players and situations we should be focusing on the most as we tackle the top six reasons to tune into tonight’s NFL preseason finale:

Betting and DFS

The first thing we think of when preseason football hits center stage is how can we make some money off of it? Tonight we can do that easily two different ways, by either betting on individual NFL preseason games or creating a roster over at DraftKings in their preseason daily fantasy football leagues.

Neither of these are easy, as the spreads and Money Lines are understandably weak with such little information and strategy involved in these games. Take away most of the star players from the majority of these games, and we’re truly left in the dark. There are a few things that could help you out, however. For instance, if you look closer at tonight’s Jets vs. Eagles contest, New York figures to give raw rookie quarterback Christian Hackenberg a good amount of field time. Due to his erratic play, the Eagles could make for a fun DFS defense and Philly in general may have the betting edge, as well.

If you can sniff out small advantages like that, you can possibly help distance some of the betting and DFS opportunities. In that same breath, preseason NFL DFS and betting are both very volatile – even more than regular season. We wish you luck, but we don’t condone heavy betting with such little concrete information to aid you.

All Eyes on Paxton Lynch

The second biggest reason to watch the NFL preseason slate on Thursday night is Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch. The former Memphis product has had his ups and downs all summer, but with Trevor Siemian officially the 2016 starts under center, the team is going into Thursday with the full intention of giving Lynch the entire game.

Lynch will not only be fun to watch, but depending on how he performs, could also be one of the top daily fantasy football options on the night. The fact that he’s a borderline lock to see all four quarters of action makes him more reliable than most of the other quarterback options.

A Whole Lotta Tom Brady

With Jimmy Garoppolo set to start the New England Patriots’ first four games of 2016 thanks to a Tom Brady suspension, it looks like we’ll see a lot of ol’ Tom Terrific tonight. Brady doesn’t need to rest up much considering he’ll be doing a lot of sitting over the next month, so the Pats will want to get some good work in for him. He’s going to end up being rusty come week five, but at least we get to see him for a bit tonight.

Colin Kaepernick’s Next Move

What about Colin Kaepernick isn’t interesting right now? From the start of his game when we can see if he does or doesn’t sit during the National Anthem, to his actual play on the field, everyone will be watching this dude.

If you can find an online betting site that is giving odds for whether or not he sits/stands tonight, that could be an added element to checking his game out, too.

Alex Collins Gets His Chance

One of the better young running backs vying for work in the preseason, Seattle Seahawks rookie rusher Alex Collins figures to see ample work on the field tonight. Collins has thus far been disappointing, but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll suggested he’d give Collins plenty of chances to prove himself on Thursday night.

Collins has the skill-set and college production to be viewed as a future feature back in Seattle, so Seahawks fans will both want to pay attention to how he does, and also hope he performs well. Given Thomas Rawls ankle injury last year and the erratic play of backup Christine Michael, it might not be crazy to think Collins could see a big role at some point in 2016.

Cuts, Baby, Cuts

The biggest aspect of preseason isn’t really who wins or loses or star players putting up big numbers. Instead, it’s the rookies and lesser known talents that are trying their hardest just to survive in the league. There are guys who flat out don’t belong and are playing probably their last down ever. There are players who probably shouldn’t make it but over achieve like crazy and you find yourself rooting for them. And there are also pedigree guys like Oakland receiver Max McCaffrey (his pops is Ed McCaffrey) that you want to watch to see if they can follow in their father’s footsteps.

Whatever the player, team or situation, it all boils down to week four. The guys that don’t know for sure if they’ll be playing in the NFL a week from now have that final 53 in mind and they’ll be playing their hearts out. Add some preseason NFL betting, preseason daily fantasy football and these other situations we’ve touched on, and Thursday night should be one heck of a ride.

Daily Fantasy Football Preseason Targets For Thursday Night

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The second week of the 2016 NFL preseason is alive and well on Thursday night, which means now is a good time to figure out who you’re going to use in tonight’s daily fantasy football games over at DraftKings.

Unlike the first week of preseason play, week to should open the door a bit more for the starters, as we’ll see some stars that have so far been absent or limited, and we may see some big names lasting beyond the first quarter and maybe even up until half-time. Keep in mind that is never set in stone, and we still need to stay on top of last second inactives on Twitter and the like.

Also, extra playing time from some regular players doesn’t totally discount the backup options that could have some appeal. You can play the starters at your own risk, but we’ll show you our favorite plays for the night:

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo (Patriots), Brett Hundley (Packers) and A.J. McCarron (Bengals)

We’re looking mostly at backups that should get a good amount of time tonight, but if you want starters who could impress with a little more time on the field, consider Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford. Derek Carr could also be in play if he’s active tonight against the Packers.

This trio makes more sense, however, as they’ve had ample preseason success and they figure to see the field for a good chunk of time. Jimmy G still needs to get ready to start the first four games of the season, so you can safely bet the Pats will play him a quarter or two again tonight. The same goes for McCarron, assuming the aforementioned Dalton doesn’t play too much.

The big play here could be Hundley, who figures to make his 2016 preseason debut. He was a preseason star last year, as he can run the ball and his big arm allows for huge plays down the field.

RB: Daryl Richardson (Steelers), John Crockett (Packers), Zach Zenner (Lions), Duke Johnson (Browns) DeAndre Washington (Raiders), Alex Collins (Seahawks) and Tyler Gaffney (Patriots)

There are even more running backs to consider, as this is without a doubt the most volatile position with so many random guys hitting the field during the preseason.

That being said, Gaffney scored in his debut, D-Rich played well and Duke Johnson may have the most upside in this entire group. Crockett and Zenner were both very good and should once again see strong playing time. Crockett is trying to secure a roster spot in Green Bay, while Zenner is still trying to lock up the third running back role in Detroit.

Alex Collins and DeAndre Washington are two other big name rookies to consider, as they were disappointing in their debuts, but could have big roles as they fight to earn some playing time in year one.

WR: Terrelle Pryor (Browns), Jared Abbrederis (Packers), Sammie Coates (Steelers), Tyler Boyd (Bengals) and Laquon Treadwell (Vikings)

Corey Coleman remains out yet again for the Browns tonight, which should push Pryor into a big role for the second straight game. He is going to be hit or miss, but he and RG3 connected twice in week one and he makes for as good a play as anyone.

Abbrederis was decent in his preseason debut, and he could be in for a bigger role tonight with Green Bay’s main starters (specifically Jordy Nelson) likely out. Jeff Janis (hand) is also done for the preseason, so Abbrederis could get some more chances to secure a roster spot.

Treadwell and Boyd both looked solid enough in their preseason debuts and both will look to improve even more if they hit the field tonight. Boyd had one big play in his first preseason game, and with Brandon LaFell out for a while, he could get a shot at working his way into a starting role.

Coates needs to be considered despite a terrible week one effort, where he did catch three passes but also fumbled the ball twice. If he ends up redeeming himself, however, you’re going to wish you used him.

TE: Martellus Bennett (Patriots), Trey Burton (Eagles) and Jesse James (Steelers)

Tight end is extremely hit or miss during the preseason, so take our favorite three plays with a huge grain of salt. None of these guys have done anything yet this month, but all three have reportedly looked good in camp and could be fighting for bigger roles.

Burton is the one that probably is more just worried about a roster spot, but he’s been great in camp and was also a stat-stuffer last preseason. After doing nothing in week one, the Eagles could try to get him going tonight.

You probably will have better luck with Bennett and James, as Bennett likely will play more tonight with Rob Gronkowski sitting out and James should get every chance to win Pittsburgh’s starting tight end gig. LaDarius Green’s career may be over, so the Steelers need to find a starter somewhere.

A strong effort tonight by James could cement his role with the team.

DEF: Patriots, Steelers, Falcons and Seahawks

Defense is a total toss-up in DFS preseason games, as we never know how the first unit will perform or how long it will be out on the field.

Atlanta really isn’t a scary unit, but RG3 did throw a pick in his preseason debut, so perhaps they can sack him and force a turnover early. The Steelers and Pats are easy tries, as they’ve both made some big plays in preseason so far, while the Legion of Boom certainly carry monster upside at home tonight.