After the Hall of Fame Game last week, we’re onto the full first week of the preseason. The other 30 teams will make their debuts this week, and there will be a handful of different strategies employed. Some teams will rest their starters entirely, while others will have them play a handful of drives. As usual, playing time is key in the preseason, so backups for teams who are resting their starters stand out as the most appealing options.
Let’s dive into the top targets at each position for Friday’s three-game slate.
If you’re new to preseason DFS, there are a few key trends to keep in mind:
1. Defenses & Kickers are Your Friends
In general, scoring in the preseason is lower than it is during the regular season. There are worse quarterbacks getting most of the snaps, which can also lead to more turnovers.
Defense is also the only position that is guaranteed to be on the field for the entire game. It doesn’t matter if the first-, second-, or third-string defenders are out there – they all rack up fantasy points for the defensive unit.
That results in a massive boon for the value of fantasy defenses. Fantasy defenses average just under eight points per game during the preseason, which is nearly two full points more than every other position (per Establish the Run).
Kickers have historically been the third-highest scoring group during the preseason, just slightly behind quarterbacks. You’re going to want exposure to kickers.
2. Target Playing Time Over Talent
This is probably true for regular-season DFS as well, but it’s imperative in the preseason. Finding out how teams plan to distribute their snaps to each position group is the biggest challenge of the preseason. If you can identify which quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers are going to see the most opportunities, you’re halfway towards building a winning lineup.
That’s particularly true early in the preseason. Most teams are going to lean very heavily on the bottom of their depth chart in the Hall of Fame Game and Week 1. Some select starters may see a drive or two, but this is the time when coaches and GMs figure out the bottom of their 53-man roster. Getting to the regular season with their starters healthy is typically more important than shaking off any rust accumulated during the offseason.
If you can find a quarterback who is set to play big snaps, they are an extremely difficult fade in the preseason. They become the best plays on the slate, while running backs have more value than receivers.
3. Tight Ends Don’t Matter
Unless you’re forced to roster a tight end, don’t do it. The position is an absolute dumpster fire during the preseason. You’ll typically see a bunch of players fighting for one spot on the field, and that spot isn’t even particularly valuable. There are exceptions, but on average, tight end is the lowest-scoring position in preseason DFS by a country mile.
With the general strategy out of the way, let’s dive into some specific thoughts for Thursday’s slate.
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NFL DFS Quarterback Picks
Shedeur Sanders
It’s hard to be a more high-profile fifth-round rookie than Sanders. He was once believed to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but for one reason or another, he plummeted all the way to the end of day three. He wasn’t even the first quarterback selected by his own team, with the Browns using a third-round pick on Dylan Gabriel.
Perhaps that will light a fire under Sanders, and he should have every opportunity to prove himself during the preseason. That’s particularly true in Week 1. Joe Flacco is not expected to see the field, while Gabriel and Kenny Pickett have both been ruled out with injuries. It leaves Sanders as the starter vs. the Panthers, with only the recently signed Tyler Huntley serving as his backup.
From a pure playing time standpoint, Sanders has the potential to see the field the most out of all of Friday’s quarterbacks. There’s also no denying his production at the collegiate level. He completed 74% of his passes for 318 yards per game in his final year at Colorado, and he added 37 touchdown passes.
Other Options
- Hendon Hooker – Hooker owns the top projection at the position in our NFL Models. He’ll draw the start for the Lions after serving as Kyle Allen’s backup in the Hall of Fame Game. He should play the duration of the first half before handing things to Allen for the second.
- Joshua Dobbs – Drake Maye will play for the Patriots in Week 1, but he will likely see just a series or two. After that, Dobbs is expected to see the bulk of the snaps. Ben Wooldridge is the only other QB on the team’s depth chart currently, and the undrafted 2025 rookie will likely be relegated to mop-up duty.
- Sam Hartman – Jayden Daniels is expected to sit on Friday, along with the rest of the team’s starters. Marcus Mariota is also out of the lineup with a leg injury. That leaves Hartman and Josh Johnson as the team’s two remaining quarterbacks, and at 39 years old, Johnson doesn’t need much preseason seasoning. Expect Hartman to see the bulk of the snaps.
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NFL DFS Running Back Picks
Dylan Sampson
The Browns’ RB depth chart looks the most advantageous for DFS players at the moment. Jerome Ford is expected to rest with the team’s starters, while Quinshon Judkins remains out of the picture for the time being. Pierre Strong has also sat out practice recently with an injury, which means he’ll likely sit on Friday. The fact that the team signed another RB on Monday is another good sign regarding his availability.
That leaves Sampson as one of the few healthy players on the roster. He has been generating some solid buzz during camp, even occasionally working with the starters as the 1B to Ford. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski has been known to push his rookies a bit during the preseason, particularly at the RB position.
Sampson had an extremely productive career at Tennessee, averaging 5.9 yards per carry across his three seasons. He was phenomenal in his final year, turning 258 carries into 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns. Ultimately, expect the Browns to get a solid look at Sampson on Friday night.
Other Options
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt – Croskey-Merritt leads the position in our NFL Models, and he has generated more buzz than just about any rookie during training camp. He was unable to play in his final season in college after being deemed ineligible by the NCAA, but he won the East-West Shrine Bowl Offensive MVP in the predraft process. It’s possible that he’s a diamond in the rough, and he averaged 6.3 yards per carry in his final full college season. He should get plenty of opportunities to shine during the preseason.
- Trevor Etienne – Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle should both see a handful of snaps for the Panthers on Friday, but they should give way to the rest of the guys on the depth chart pretty quickly. Etienne was listed ahead of Raheem Blackshear on the team’s first depth chart, giving him the inside track on the Panthers’ RB3 job. Blackshear is more of a special-teamer than a true RB, and he didn’t play at all in the preseason last year. There’s not much behind those two guys on the team’s depth chart, so Etienne could be busy.
- Sioni Vaki & Jabari Small – Vaki missed the HOF Game for the Lions, but he’s good to go this week. There’s a good chance he fills the role that Craig Reynolds had for the Lions last week, when Reynolds went for 10 carries, 38 yards, and a touchdown. Small was also busy during the HOF Game, logging 11 carries and a target, and he could close the game for the Lions.
- TreVeyon Henderson – Henderson is a wild card on this slate. He is firmly in the Patriots’ plan for the regular season, so it’s possible that he’s too valuable to risk in the preseason. However, the Pats’ starters are expected to play, so Henderson should work a bit with them and a bit with the backups. It gives him just enough upside to warrant consideration, especially with the rest of the depth chart looking pretty thin.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Isaac TeSlaa
Wide receiver is always tough to parse during the preseason, but TeSlaa stands out as the clear top option in our NFL Models. He owns the top projections by a comfortable margin after racking up three targets, two receptions, and 46 yards in his first taste of preseason action.
TeSlaa was a third-round rookie selection in 2025, and the Lions traded up to get up. That speaks to how they view him, and he has a chance to factor into the team’s rotation during the regular season. It’s possible that makes him a bit too valuable to risk on Friday, but the team has a bunch of other receivers with locked-in spots. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, and Kalif Raymond are all getting the “starter treatment” during the preseason, so TeSlaa should still see a decent amount of snaps.
Additionally, Dominic Lovett led the Lions’ receivers with 36 snaps during the preseason, and he’s been ruled out with an injury. That should further cement TeSlaa’s role vs. the Falcons. It also creates a few additional opportunities for the players further down the depth chart (Malik Taylor, Ronnie Bell, Tom Kennedy, & Jackson Meeks). Ultimately, the Lions seem like one of the best teams to target at the position on this slate.
Other Options
- Jalen Coker – Coker was a big surprise for the Panthers last season, with the UDFA racking up 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, the team has invested heavily in the position in recent drafts, so he’s going to have to prove it wasn’t a fluke. He should see a solid role for the team during the preseason, and the fact that he’s produced against starting-level competition in the past bodes well for his success. Jimmy Horn Jr. is another name to watch in Carolina.
- Kyle Williams – The Patriots have plenty of opportunities available at receiver, and Williams should compete for one of the team’s starting spots as a third-round pick. That said, he’s going to have to earn it, especially under an old-school coach like Mike Vrabel. He has the best projection among the team’s receivers in our NFL Models.
- Michael Gallup & Ja’Corey Brooks – Gallup and Brooks are both going to have to prove themselves for the Commanders, albeit for different reasons. Gallup was once considered a starting-caliber player, but a change of scenery means he’s going to have to do it again. He’s been getting a lot of work with Andy Dalton during training camp, so the two should play together on Friday. Brooks is a UDFA, but he’s gotten solid reviews during camp. He should play after the starters depart and will have an opportunity to build on his buzz.
- Jamari Thrash & Diontae Johnson – The Browns have a pair of receivers in a similar situation. Thrash is the youngster, and he’s competing with the veteran Johnson for the team’s No. 3 receiver job. Both players are going to suit up on Friday and should play with the starting units. Thrash has more playing time upside, but Johnson has turned in some big fantasy performances in the past. He could feast against backups.
NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Harold Fannin
Tight end is always a dumpster fire during the preseason, but Fannin stands out as a pretty intriguing option. It’s hard to find anyone with better pass-catching chops than Fannin displayed in college. He had 117 catches, 1,555 yards, and 10 touchdowns in his final season, so he’s more of a receiver than a tight end.
The only reason Fannin slipped to the third round of the draft is that he didn’t test particularly well athletically. He’s very small for the position – 6’3”, 241 lbs – and he didn’t display elite athleticism. Still, he posted a 100th percentile dominator rating and a 91st percentile breakout age. It’s possible that he’s more of a “football player” than a pure athlete.
Fannin is clearly behind David Njoku on the team’s depth chart, and he should see plenty of run on Friday. Cedric Tillman was the Browns’ third-round selection in 2024, and he averaged 28.8 snaps per game during the preseason. Tillman saw nearly 50% of the team’s snaps in their first preseason contest, so Fannin could get the same treatment.
Other Options
- Ben Sinnott – Sinnott was a second-round pick in 2024, but he didn’t get a ton of opportunities to prove himself as a rookie. Unlike Fannin, he grades out extremely well from an athleticism standpoint for his size: he ranks in the 98th percentile for burst score and 95th percentile for agility score. He’s behind Zach Ertz and John Bates on the team’s depth chart, so he should have some opportunities on Friday.
- Feleipe Franks – Franks spent the early part of his career as a quarterback, but he’s transitioned to tight end in recent years. He’s back in Atlanta after spending a year with the Panthers, and the fact that the Falcons brought him back suggests that they like something about him.
- Kenny Yeboah – Yeboah had 29 snaps for the Lions in the HOF Game, playing 24 as a traditional tight end and five in the slot. Sometimes, that’s all you can ask for at the position.
Pictured: Shedeur Sanders
Photo Credit: Imagn
