We’ve got a unique slate today as all the games start at different times. DraftKings is including the 4 PM game and FanDuel is not, but I’ll do my best to keep this easy to follow.
Starting at QB, the optimal option on this slate is Easton Stick. Staley usually keeps any actual contributors from touching the field in preseason, which means we should see a full half of Stick alongside their better skill position players. The other guy we really like here is Will Grier. We’re expecting to see Rush some in the first half, but after that it’s all going to Grier and playing time is king in preseason games. In GPPs, Grier could be the lower owned, but we still think Stick is the optimal play. Other people might be drawn to Duggan and he could end up the chalkiest due to his name, popularity, and some other sites suggesting him above Stick. If your slate includes the Jets/Panthers game we also like Matt Corral a ton. Corral should see a ton of action in this game after Bryce Young runs a couple drives and the Panthers beats have been saying they want to see what Corral has to offer.
At running back your optimal targets on this slate are Deuce Vaughn and Kennedy Brooks. Vaughn has an injury plagued backfield and we expect Dallas to give their rookie plenty of chances to show what he’s got. Brooks has 6 backs on his roster which may get us some lower ownership here, but 4 of them are pretty secure on the roster, leaving just him and Sermon left fighting for a spot, and likely getting the majority of the work. The next guy we’re looking at is Keaton Mitchell. Keaton should have plenty of chances here on a very thin depth chart with the Ravens “Wanting to see what they have” with their rookie. The last guys to consider are Trey Sermon and Zach Evans. As mentioned earlier the Eagles only have 2 guys in their RB group that aren’t contributors in the regular season which should leave plenty of chances for Sermon as well. Evans is in a thin rb room and as a rookie, McVay will get him chances to get him NFL ready. The last guys to consider are on the Jets, which is for DK users only. Abanikanda and Dye both got a lot of opportunities in the HOF game and we think that could be the case again. Both are GPP only targets, and Abanikanda is the better play while Dye should be really low owned.
At wide receiver your optimal targets on this slate are Keelan Doss and Derius Davis. Both Chargers receivers look great tonight as the depth chart is injury plagued and Staley wont use starters in the preseason. The next guy to touch on is Puka Nacua. Puka has been buzzing as of late with beats saying he looks electric and that he should see plenty of opportunities here. My only concern is that typically McVay won’t use his regular season guys in the preseason, but it seems like all the reports are in agreement that Puka will play. The last guys to touch on for both sites are Joseph Ngata and James Proche. Ngata has a clear path here as the starters won’t see the field much if at all and the depth chart is filled with injuries. Proche is fighting for a roster spot according to Ravens beats and they want to see what they have in him. From the Jets game, we like Brownlee the most. He’s a very solid option for DK users.
At tight end, the optimal targets are all on Baltimore. In cash games, we’d just play our optimal target, Charlie Kolar. Kolar should get plenty of opportunities following behind Likely as they already know what they have in him and want to see what Kolar can bring. The next guy we’re targeting is the other Baltimore tight end Travis Vokolek. Travis has some positive camp buzz and with a thin TE room he should also be in line to get plenty of opportunities. In GPPs, we like pivoting at tight end, but our favorite pivot play is only on the DK slate. Tommy Tremble is a solid option and provides you with a Panthers receiver if you want to stack. As usual, all the tight ends project poorly, so it makes sense to get unique here.
And lastly, we have the defenses. As we’ve seen already, this position is extremely random, considering we barely know who will even be on the field. I’d try to target a low owned defense by using one of the underdogs: Jets, Cowboys, Eagles, Chargers.