Tag Archives: NFL Preseason DFS

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.

NFL Preseason Week 1: Fantasy Football Options to Use at DraftKings

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Fantasy Football is back. Sort of. We’re still over a month away from regular season action and true daily fantasy football as we’ve grown to know it, but DraftKings know how much we love it, so they’ve pushed out some daily fantasy football leagues for NFL preseason games.

It’s a glorious thing, indeed. Week one is the toughest week to gauge in NFL preseason play, whether it be due to injuries, which players are even active, how long players play and the list goes on. We may see starters for one series, or we may not see them at all. Other teams are crazy and push their starters out there for a quarter or longer right away in week one.

Those are things we can’t really bank on, so at least for the first week, the best thing to do is target guys we are assuming will at least be active and then probably will get several opportunities out on the field to show what they can do.

The first week of preseason fantasy football includes a solid 7-game slate, starting with this Saturday’s Hall of Fame game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts. From there we get six Thursday night games, and then we’re sure to get more DFS leagues for games later in the weekend.

For now, we’ll help you warm up with that initial 7-game slate. Let’s see who could be worth targeting in your DFS lineups at each position at DK this week:

Quarterback

With most of the starters seeing little to no action, we’re probably going to see a lot of time on the field from second and third string quarterbacks. Some could see more time than others, of course, as they need to be evaluated as they learn/run the offense and face NFL defenses.

The list of competent options is actually fairly long, but the guys we’re eyeing the most are Brett Hundley (Packers), Scott Tolzien (Colts), Mike Glennon (Buccaneers), Chase Daniel (Eagles), Carson Wentz (Eagles), Ryan Mallett (Ravens), Jimmy Garoppolo (Patriots) and Paxton Lynch (Broncos).

Narrowing that list down, we would imagine Jimmy G is near the top of the list, as he needs to prepare to start for the Patriots for the first four weeks of the season due to a Tom Brady suspension. He’ll likely see a lot of playing time throughout the preseason and a good chunk of it could come here in week one.

The same should go for rookies Lynch and Wentz, who actually could be playing with a few talented receiving options and just as importantly, could see 1-2 quarters of action. Lynch has also specifically been improving at a rapid pace in Denver’s camp, so he could potentially have a big first showing.

My favorite pick of the lot here could be Green Bay backup Brett Hundley, however. The Packers shouldn’t play Aaron Rodgers much (if at all), so we should see a ton of Hundley, who was a bit of a sensation last year during the preseason. He’s big, athletic and can chuck the rock, plus he’ll have some solid receivers like Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis to work with.

Just make sure Hundley (and everyone you use) is active, as he has an ankle injury and the preseason is the most difficult time of year to trust NFL injury news.

All of these guys could be suitable picks, but if you want some real upside, roll with one of Lynch, Wentz, Jimmy G or Hundley.

Running Back

Running back is similar, but there are way more bodies and you don’t know what level of defense some of these guys will be facing or what situations they’ll be in. That makes any of them risky plays, but the first trick is to steer clear from the main starter and maybe even his top backup. Teams aren’t going to risk the health of their best two running backs very deep into the first preseason game – at least not normally.

Instead, you’re looking for young, unproven backs who bring some solid talent to the table and/or should see the field a good amount as they try to win a role or roster spot.

That is going to put a ton of guys on the radar, but the backs we like the most for week one are John Crockett (Packers), Storm Johnson (Buccaneers), Terrance West (Ravens), Jonas Gray (Jets), Daniel Lasco (Saints), Jordan Howard (Bears), Juwan Thompson (Broncos) and Devontae Booker (Broncos).

Booker is a mild question mark as he continues to rehab a February knee surgery, but he’s super talented and could get some good run here if active. Thompson and maybe even fellow Bronco Kapri Bibbs could be worth a longer look if Booker is held out.

Chicago’s running game appears pretty fluid behind expected starter Jeremy Lanford, so we could see a lot of rookie Jordan Howard. He’s one of our favorite week 1 preseason plays and Ka’Deem Carey could even be worth a look, although he’s failed to impress in the past.

Jonas Gray has routinely impressed in camp and preseason play in the past, and we all remember him for his insane 200+ yard and 4-score game with the Pats a couple years back. He could be worth a cursory glance, while Terrance West has really turned heads as a slimmed down, productive options in camp with the Ravens.

Storm Johnson is close to flaming out of the league, but he gets a crack with Tampa Bay and could see the field a bit to try to prove himself. The same goes for Green Bay’s Crockett, who has impressed in camp in the past and should see a ton of field time with Eddie Lacy either limited or out.

Our favorite plays are Howard, Crockett and Booker (if he plays), and you could package all three in the 2RB and Flex spots.

Wide Receiver

Once again, we’re staying away from the star names, as we can’t have any clue how much they’ll play – or if they’ll play at all. In other words, use the Randall Cobb’s and Julio Jones’ at your own risk.

With that said, there are a lot of solid secondary options to consider, with guys like Jeff Janis (Packers), Phillip Dorsett (Colts), Josh Huff (Eagles), Ryan Grant (Redskins), Charone Peake (Jets), Michael Thomas (Saints), Cody Latimer (Broncos), Kevin White (Bears) and Jordan Taylor (Broncos) leading the way.

There is some very hit or miss talent here, but Janis, Dorsett, Huff, White and Latimer offer major big play upside. Taylor has also been a camp hero, making insane catches like this look normal:

We like all of these guys, but Janis has been a huge preseason guy in the past and is playing for a bigger role. It’d be shocking if he didn’t play a good amount to get the preseason started and if he’s on the field, he’s likely to produce. It’s unclear how much Kevin White (a projected starter) would play, but if he’s set to knock the rust off, he could be a fun try. We also don’t mind using Thomas, Huff and Taylor, as they’re all talented and still need to prove themselves within their respective offenses.

Tight End

This is an impossible position to gauge during preseason play. Tight ends don’t light it up during preseason and the starters never seem to stay on the field long or make a big impact. You’re firing in the dark here, but a few guys stand out.

Trey Burton scored twice last year, rookie Austin Hooper brings upside to the table for the Falcons, Ed Dickson could see some playing time in Carolina with Greg Olsen limited or out and Denver’s Virgil Green could be prepping a breakout season with a nice run in August. He’s already been crushing it in camp, so he may be the top tight end to consider on this 7-game slate.

Defense

Defense is even worse than tight end, as you don’t know how long the starting unit will play or how long the opponent’s starting unit will play. Beyond that, it’s virtually impossible to predict how backups will fare against each other. All you can do is gauge a team’s backup talent and try to use a solid defense against an opponent that looks weak on paper.

For this 7-game slate, the Packers, Redskins, Panthers, Ravens, Jaguars, Patriots and Broncos all feel like decent tries. Jacksonville may lead the way for us, just because New York’s quarterbacks are dreadful. It’s tough to imagine the Jets generating a ton of interest with such flawed passers.

Got your own favorite options for this first slate of preseason DFS action? Tell us all about them in the comments below!