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Jeff Janis and Friday’s Top Daily Fantasy Football Preseason Targets

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Half the battle when trying to figure out which NFL players to use for DraftKings’ daily fantasy football preseason games is simply figuring out who is or isn’t playing. That can be difficult, as anyone who is remotely injured won’t play in a meaningless game and any starters are subject to either being sat or played for a short amount of time.

The decision-making does start to get a little easier when you hear about specific guys behind held out, other players needing to prove themselves for a role or roster spot and a lack of depth at a position pointing to someone getting a good amount of reps.

On Thursday night, we got some crazy production out of some odd places. It’s preseason daily fantasy football, so that’s to be expected and we can probably bank on the unthinkable again on Friday. We can’t predict any of that, though. Instead, all we can do is go with what we’re told by teams and the media, and hope for the best. With that, let’s take a look at Friday’s NFL preseason slate and see which players might make for interesting DFS options at DraftKings:

QB: Ryan Nassib (Giants), Joe Callahan (Packers), Landry Jones (Steelers), A.J. McCarron (Bengals), Cody Kessler (Browns) and Connor Cook (Raiders)

Two of last year’s best preseason quarterbacks hit the field on Friday, with Ryan Nassib and Landry Jones both likely to see about a half of football. Both passers were solid in August last year, finishing inside the top-5 for passing yardage in preseason play. Neither is actually technically a good player, but the playing time should be there.

Nassib specifically should play a good deal, as the Giants are expected to hold starter Eli Manning out. That does put Nassib against Miami’s first team defense, but he should play a good deal and could make for a solid DFS play. The same goes for Jones, but these guys really only get the initial edge based on what they did a year ago.

There might actually be more attractive options. Green Bay third stringer Joe Callahan, while as unproven and raw as a quarterback can get, could play an entire half or much more, should Aaron Rodgers and Brett Hundley both sit out. That was the expectation going into last week’s Hall of Fame game, but then that game got cancelled. Callahan was a stat-stuffer at Wesley College, so with some interesting talent around him and a beatable Browns defense across from him, he might be the most fun to be had in daily fantasy football tonight.

He could also be a total disaster. That’s why we need to also consider other rookies like Kessler and Cook, both of which are easily more polished and may play just as long.

It’s McCarron that excites us the most, though. He has experience as a starter now and with Andy Dalton playing little to no time tonight, he could be in for a good chunk of playing time.

RB: Zach Zenner (Lions), Paul Perkins (Giants), John Crockett (Packers), Duke Johnson (Browns) and DeAndre Washington (Raiders)

Zenner stands out without a doubt, as he was a monster DFS preseason asset last year and made the Lions’ 2015 roster because of it.

He’s in heavy contention for a solid role again in 2016, but surely needs another strong August run to stave off Stevan Ridley. You could also add Ridley to the mix here, but he seems a little washed up. I’ll be using Zenner confidently tonight.

Rookis Paul Perkins and DeAndre Washington are going to be fun tries tonight, simply because they’re very talented and should see the field a good chunk of the night. Neither are safe options based on their inexperience, but they can make some noise tonight and will be worth using.

Duke Johnson is probably not running with Cleveland’s first team, but either way he isn’t a safe bet to see a ton of action in Cleveland’s first preseason game. That being said, he’s really explosive and versatile, so forever long he’s playing, he’s a threat to spring some big plays. Even if it’s a quarter, he could be worth rostering.

Crockett is my dark horse, as the Packers aren’t likely to play their top rushers much and they seem to be high on him. He still needs to prove he is deserving of a roster spot, though, and he gets to attempt to do that against a bad Browns run defense. I like his chances to get around 10 touches and maybe find the end-zone.

WR: Jeff Janis (Packers), Jared Abbrederis (Packers), J.J. Nelson (Cardinals), Sammie Coates (Steelers), Sterling Shepard (Giants), Laquon Treadwell (Vikings), Tyler Boyd (Bengals), Terrelle Pryor (Browns), Corey Coleman (Browns) and Max McCaffrey (Raiders)

Wide receiver is all over the place, but I don’t see how you can make a team without Janis, who burst onto the scene the last two preseason and was huge in Green Bay’s playoff loss last year. He still has work to do, but he should get ample playing time and is so explosive that he only needs one touch to pay off.

Teammate Abbrederis should also play a ton and although he doesn’t have the same big play upside, he’s been impressive in camp and could see a lot of balls come his way.

I’m also looking at some interesting backups in good offenses, with Coates and Nelson taking the cake. Both guys can spring big plays and will need some time to prove themselves tonight. Tyler Boyd, Sterling Shepard, Laquon Treadwell and Corey Coleman are all uber-hyped rookies that have the talent to kill it tonight, as well.

Pryor seems like a gimmick to this point, but maybe he’ll really start turning heads tonight.

One other guy I’m interested in is Oakland’s Max McCaffrey. He was a solid receiver at Duke and has blazing speed. The difficult part will be trusting his playing time, as he’s reportedly gotten inconsistent opportunities in camp. Still, I’m interested in his speed and he could potentially see the field a good amount to close out the night.

TE: Jesse James (Steelers), MarQueis Gray (Dolphins), MyCole Pruitt (Vikings), Ryan Hewitt (Bengals), Justin Perillo (Packers) and Troy Niklas (Cardinals)

Tight end is one of the worst positions to try to predict during preseason games. James could be a good try with LaDarius Green possibly set to retire, though. The Steelers may need him to be their starter in 2016, so getting him a lot of extra work would probably be a good idea.

Ryan Hewitt and Justin Perillo doesn’t promote a ton of upside (or confidence), but Jared Cook, Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft are all banged up. Based on sheer playing time, these guys are in the mix. I’m not overly into Troy Niklas just because Arizona doesn’t properly utilize the tight end position, but he’s actually quite talented and has been drawing “rave reviews” this summer. He should see the field a good amount and isn’t a terrible try at a weak DFS position.

Gray and Pruitt are no more stable than the other guys we touched on, but they both have found some success during past preseason games. With both guys being backups and playing for a roster spot, it wouldn’t at all be shocking to see either (or both) deliver solid performances, possibly out of pure desperation.

DEF: Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals

Defense is a total toss-up most weeks even during the regular season, but in preseason play, forget about it. We love the Jaguars yesterday, only to see the first and second team Jets’ units to fare pretty well. Not seeing Christian Hackenberg hit the field also hurt our upside with that particular unit.

Tonight we should just play the initial matchup odds, here, and all of these defenses have some potential. Cincinnati and Arizona are simply good defense in general, so maybe they can get some sacks or turnovers early and put you in a good spot. The Steelers can also do that, plus they’ll be facing a mostly drab Lions offense once the starters leave the field.

Cleveland is the dark horse here, as they’re facing mostly Joe Callahan. Callahan does have weapons and some upside, but he’s also super inexperience and could struggle mightily. You’ll need to pick a side here, but if you get the right one you should be rather pleased.

Got your own daily fantasy football preseason targets to share with us? Tell us all about them in the comments below!

Week 1 NFL Preseason: Daily Fantasy Football and Betting Advice For Thursday’s Games

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The 2016 NFL preseason was supposed to start this past Sunday night, where the Green Bay Packers were slated to face off with the Indianapolis Colts in this year’s Hall of Fame game.

Delayed Preseason

Bad field conditions had other plans, however, and the game was subsequently cancelled.

Football is Back

That pushed on the wait for pro football’s return, but we finally get some real, live NFL action this Thursday night when 12 teams take the field for six entertaining games.

Well, hopefully entertaining. These are still preseason football games we’re talking about, and we’re probably not going to see much (if any) of the star players for the 12 respective franchises.

Still, that’s six games we can scout and potentially even bet on, which could make our Thursday a lot more interesting. Should you plan to watch, bet on or take your hand at DFS fantasy football, we’ve got your full week one NFL preseason guide when it comes to Thursday night’s action. Let’s break it down by game and see what you should consider for NFL betting and daily fantasy football purposes:

Buccaneers @ Eagles

The highlight of this game without a doubt will be rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, who is scheduled to play the entire second half on Thursday night. That makes Wentz a fun DFS play on paper, especially since he’ll be taking on Tampa Bay backups for his first NFL action.

The Bucs look like the poor bet here when it comes to preseason NFL betting, and Vegas agrees, as they come in with a +3 line per Bovada. They’re on the road and Philly (-3) is stacked with competent quarterback play, with Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and Wentz all seeing action. We’d take the Eagles here and try Wentz with maybe Josh Huff and/or Nelson Agholor in daily fantasy football preseason leagues.

Just make sure any and all guys you use in preseason DFS games are active, and keep in mind that not everyone will play normal snaps in an exhibition game.

Redskins @ Falcons

This game offers the same line, with the Redskins hitting the road as the underdog (+3) against the Falcons (-3). This one is a total toss up, as both teams are balanced enough to put up some points early, but neither have an obvious edge in the depth department.

It will be interesting to see how long the starters stay out, but it’s tough to imagine guys like Jordan Reed, DeSean Jackson and Julio Jones playing much. We’ll have to give ATL the mild edge here, simply because they’re at home and maybe partially because Ric Flair got them going recently in practice:

For daily fantasy football purposes, keep your eye on Rashad Ross, who is Washington’s primary return specialist, but also destroyed opposing defenses as a wide receiver last preseason.

Panthers @ Ravens

Since it’s the first preseason game of the year, we can’t expect to see much out of the starters from either side. Cam Newton is a historically slow starter, too, so even if he stayed out there a bit, I’m not sure I’d be enamored with him against a healthier Baltimore defense.

It may be about the backups in this one, and Baltimore may have the depth edge under center and in the offensive backfield. The Ravens are also playing in front of their home crowd, so we like them as the -1.5 favorite.

Due to Baltimore’s deep running back stable, you could pick and choose one to use out of their lineup. Terrance West has had a great camp and could be worth a look.

Jaguars @ Jets

This could be a nightmare game for the Jets, who probably won’t push Ryan Fitzpatrick out with the starters for too long. If that’s the case, we may see way more of Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg that we ever wished to. They haven’t exactly torn it up and camp and Hackeberg has been specifically brutal, so you’ll want to avoid Jets passers entirely in this one.

Matt Forte has also been banged up, so New York will be operating well under 100% offensively in this one. This all could give the Jaguars (+3 underdogs) a shot at pulling off the mild preseason upset (is there such a thing?), while their defense could be the one to target in daily fantasy football games due to the matchup.

Saints @ Patriots

This may be the best preseason game on Thursday night, as we may see Drew Brees and we’ll definitely get a decent dose of Jimmy Garappolo. The rest of the Pats’ top offensive players are either going to sit or be limited, while #1 receiver Julian Edelman just got hurt again in practice.

Needless to say, as attractive of a DFS flier as Jimmy G figured to be for Thursday night, he may be a tough sell. Still, New England could offer some DFS upside on the ground, where Brandon Bolden could see a solid amount of touches. Aaron Dobson is also still trying to carve out a spot with New England, so he’s another guy to consider.

New England plays host and comes in as the -3 favorite, but with injuries and possibly inactives, we like the Saints as an upset pick in week one.

Broncos @ Bears

The last game of the night pits the Broncos against the Bears in a true pick’em at Bovada. That figures, since we know very little about a Super Bowl champ that has a shaky quarterback situation and a Bears team that keeps getting rid of star offensive talent with each passing year.

A lot of questions should begin to be answered on both sides, as Chicago looks for a new starting running back, a new starting tight end and hopes second-year receiver Kevin White can rise up and snag a big role. That could put Bears tight ends, White and any of their running backs in play against Denver in daily fantasy football leagues.

The real interest for DFS purposes is on the Broncos’ side, however. Paxton Lynch is locked into the entire second half, which gives us certain playing time.

If he can connect with guys like Cody Latimer and Jordan Taylor – two able bodied receivers – he could be a fun DFS play. We’re also interested in Denver tight end Virgil Green and running backs Devontae Booker, Juwan Thompson and Kapri Bibbs.

Overall, Denver has the more interesting talent and the deeper roster (other than quarterback) so we’ll take them on Thursday.

Got a different take when it comes to preseason daily fantasy football or Thursday’s preseason bets? Tell us all about it in the comments below!