We are onto the final week of the NFL preseason. Most teams are expected to use this contest as one final chance to evaluate the bottom of their roster, but some teams will get their starters some action.
The week gets underway with a four-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.
Let’s dive into Friday’s slate to try and identify some DFS value.
Quarterback
Week 3 should be a pretty good one for the quarterbacks. Most teams are only going to use two players at the position, which gives us a handful of viable options.
The Colts’ backup quarterback competition continues to stand out as a nice potential source of value. Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger have alternated starts to start the preseason, and Eason will draw the start on Friday.
Eason has yet to throw a touchdown during the preseason, but he ranks third among all quarterbacks with 315 passing yards. Ehlinger has also failed to throw a touchdown, and he’s also thrown three picks. Eason seems to have a clear lead in this competition, so I would expect him to get the majority of the playing time on Friday.
Other Options
The Lions starters are not expected to play much, if it all, on Friday. David Blough will draw the start at quarterback, and he delivered a strong performance in his last game. He racked up 143 passing yards with a touchdown, and he added 26 rushing yards on the ground. He was also effective in his first preseason contest, albeit in limited playing time.
Tim Boyle should relieve Blough at some point, but he has been extremely unproductive with his playing time during the preseason. That makes Blough the preferred option.
The Steelers have already ruled out Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph for Friday’s contest, which leaves Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs to handle the snaps under center. It’s unclear when Dobbs will take over for Haskins, but I would expect Haskins to get at least the entire first half. Dobbs has operated as the Steelers’ clear No. 4 quarterback this preseason, playing 18 snaps or fewer in each of their first two contests.
The Vikings will be without Kirk Cousins, so Jake Browning and Kellen Mond split the playing time in his absence during the first week of the preseason. Nate Stanley is also on the roster, but it seems unlikely that he’ll factor into the equation.
Mond out-snapped Browning in each of the first two preseason games, and his rushing ability gives him upside. His 4.67 40-yard dash time puts him in the 84th percentile at the quarterback position per PlayerProfiler, and he’s had at least three carries in each of his first two games. That said, he’s extremely raw as a passer, so don’t expect a ton of production with his arm.
Running Back
The Panthers’ starters are expected to play this week, but that does not include Christian McCaffrey. He’s simply too important to risk during a preseason contest, so the rest of the running backs will have to pick up the slack.
However, the rest of the Panthers’ RB corps is pretty banged up. Reggie Bonnafon did not practice on Tuesday, while Rodney Smith was wearing a non-contact jersey.
That leaves Chuba Hubbard to handle most of the snaps at the position. He was dominant at Oklahoma State, racking up more than 2,000 rushing yards during his sophomore season, and the Panthers selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. He doesn’t stand out as an elite athlete at the position, but he’s better than most of the RBs who will receive sizable workloads on Friday.
Other Options
The Vikings have leaned heavily on A.J. Rose Jr. and Ameer Abdullah during the preseason. Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu have combined for two carries through the Vikings’ first two games, and it seems unlikely that any of those options will play on Friday.
Rose racked up a whopping 48 carries in their first preseason game — which he turned into 25 carries for 100 yards — while Abdullah led the position group in snaps last week. I would give the edge to Rose in Week 3 since the team has already shown us a willingness to feed him in games without Cousins.
The Chiefs are a bit of a wildcard on Friday. Andy Reid says he plans on playing the starters a full half, but he also added that getting them a bunch of snaps gives him a bit of flexibility. Even if the starters do play more than expected, the team has been hesitant about using their top RBs during the preseason, and I doubt that changes with Clyde Edwards-Helaire banged up. Derrick Gore led the team in snaps and carries last week, and he should be asked to close out this week, as well. That’s enough to make him viable during the preseason.
The Colts have a deep stable of RBs, but I wouldn’t expect to see much of Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, or Marlon Mack on Friday. Jordan Wilkins led the position group in snaps during their first preseason game, while Benny LeMay led them in snaps last week. Both players have some appeal on this slate.
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Wide Receiver
The rosters have started getting pruned, which is much appreciated by DFS players. Instead of having to weave through 13-person position groups, now we’re down to 10 or so. With most teams not expected to play their starters, it makes the position a lot easier to navigate.
The Colts stand out as one of the strongest teams to target. Mike Strachan and Dezmon Patmon have dominated the snaps for them during the preseason, with both players logging at least 34 in both games. Patmon leads the team in routes run and targets, but Strachan has reportedly been one of the stars of training camp. Both players should be busy again on Friday, making them excellent targets.
Other Options
Tom Kennedy has led the Lions’ wide receivers in snaps in each of the first two preseason games, and he unsurprisingly leads the team in targets and routes run overall. He’s caught at least four passes in each of his first two preseason contests, making him one of the safest receivers to target on Friday.
With the Steelers resting their top two quarterback options, it makes sense that they would rest their top receivers as well. That means Ray-Ray McCloud and Anthony Johnson should be busy. James Washington should also factor into the equation, but his playing time seems a bit more uncertain as the team’s clear No. 4 wide receiver. McCloud led the team with 30 snaps in their first preseason game, while Johnson’s three catches were tied for the top mark on the team.
The Panthers starting receivers could carry some value if they do play a full half, but Terrace Marshall Jr. is the guy I’m most interested in. He has the potential to play some with the starters and with the second unit, which gives him a safer floor than guys like D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Marshall is also an elite wide receiver prospect, combining excellent athleticism with outstanding production in his final year at LSU.
It remains to be seen if Browning and Mond can make any of their receivers viable targets, but Ihmir Smith-Marsette has potential from a playing time perspective. He racked up 55 snaps with the starters sitting in Week 1, and he leads the team in targets and routes run during the preseason.
Tight End
Tight end is usually a dumpster fire during the preseason, but there are a surprising number of viable options on Friday.
The Colts have a pair of interesting options in Kylen Granson and Farrod Green. Granson has drawn excellent reviews during training camp, and The Athletic’s Stephen Holder reported on Thursday that Granson could be a featured pass-catching tight end this season. The fourth-round pick out of SMU doesn’t have the typical size for a tight end – he checks in a 6’1” and 241 pounds – but he makes up for it with his speed. He ran a 4.69 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process, and his Burst and Speed Scores both rank in at least the 78th percentile at the position.
However, Green has been the Colts’ featured tight end during the preseason. He leads the position group in routes run, so he could be the preferred option on Friday.
Other Options
Alize Mack is expected to see plenty of action in the final preseason game. He’s reportedly battling for a roster spot, so the coaches should give him a chance to prove his worth. He already leads the Lions’ tight ends in routes run and targets during the preseason, and the 2019 seventh-rounder ranks in the 79th percentile for SPARQ-x Score.
The Chiefs gave Travis Kelce plenty of run last week, so he doesn’t really need the reps this week. Noah Gray leads the position group in routes run during the preseason, and he’s logged at least 33 snaps in both games. Jody Fortson has also seen plenty of playing time for the Chiefs, and he’s a converted wide receiver. That means he should be comfortable catching passes.
Pictured above: Tom Kennedy.
Credit: Joe Sargent/Getty Images.
