The second of four Week 3 NFL preseason DFS slates has three games on Friday. Preseason DFS differs from traditional NFL DFS because playing time is everything. Let’s look at every team’s roster on Friday’s slate to gather the most actionable information for NFL preseason DFS. Every position is written in preferential order for NFL DFS picks.
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NFL DFS Picks: Full Friday NFL DFS Slate
NFL DFS Picks: Quarterback
Easton Stick (Los Angeles) – Los Angeles has no interest in playing Justin Herbert. Interestingly, they fed Easton Stick every snap last week. He thew the ball 41 times, completing 21 for 233 yards and two interceptions. He also rushed twice for 63 yards and a pair of scores. It remains to be seen if Max Duggan will play in relief, but Stick appears fairly safe here.
Malik Willis (Tennessee) – The Titans haven’t played Ryan Tannehill yet this preseason and Will Levis continues to battle an injury. While the Titans hope he will suit up here, that isn’t guaranteed. Without Levis last week, Malik Willis played all 59 snaps. He rushed four times for 91 yards, while completing 17 of 26 passes for 85 yards, one score, and one interception.
Trey Lance (San Francisco) – After being named third string, Trey Lance projects to play more than any other San Francisco signal caller. He now has 62 snaps through two games. Lance has only rushed three times this preseason, but he does have 22 completions for 285 yards for two scores and an interception.
Malik Cunningham (New England) – New England has been rumored to potentially sit Mac Jones here. Trace McSorley already didn’t play last week with Malik Cunningham seemingly jumping him on the depth chart. An electric rusher, Cunningham now has 26 and 31 snaps through two preseason games.
Nate Sudfeld (Detroit)– Jared Goff and Adrian Martinez both sat out last week. This left Teddy Bridgewater and Nate Sudfeld to play 20 and 30 snaps each. With Bridgewater entrenched as the backup, Sudfeld could receive extra run here.
Matt Corral (Carolina) – Carolina has the deepest quarterback room on the slate with Bryce Young projected to play and Andy Dalton potentially returning from injury. With that said, the Panthers still fed Matt Corral 37 and 32 snaps through two preseason games as they evaluate their 2022 draft pick.
NFL DFS Picks: Running Back
Craig Reynolds (Detroit) – Detroit does not project to use their starters here. They also cut Mo Ibrahim and have Jermar Jefferson injured. Last week, Craig Reynolds returned from injury to play 26 snaps and carried the ball eight times in his return.
Tyrion Davis-Price (San Francisco) – San Francisco will not play their top two backs and Jeremy McNichols missed practice yesterday. This means most of the work should fall to Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price. Last week, Davis-Price out-snapped Mason 31-24 and carried the ball four times for 22 yards. Both Mason and Davis-Price are viable here.
Raheem Blackshear (Carolina) – Carolina will use three backs here with most snaps going to Raheem Blackshear and Spencer Brown. Blackshear out-snapped Brown 23-20 last week, but Brown had the carry edge 10-8. Both can be used here.
J.J. Taylor (New England) – Pierre Strong did return to practice, potentially adding a third back to the available players here. JJ Taylor has still dominated snaps this preseason with 49, carrying the ball eight times and catching all five targets. The Patriots will also use Kevin Harris as more of a grinder back, putting him in play for GPPs.
Julius Chestnut (Tennessee) – A late news situation, both Hassan Haskins and Jonathan Ward missed time recently. If neither go in this game, Tennessee will only have three backs. Like last week, that would thrust Julius Chestnut to the top of rankings.
Elijah Dotson (Los Angeles) – The widest backfield on the slate, the Chargers project to use four backs here. Last week, Elijah Dotson led the group with sixth carries, making him the top GPP option from a lackluster group.
NFL DFS Picks: Wide Receiver
Ronnie Bell (San Francisco) – One of the narrower receiving groups on the slate, San Francisco has played Ronnie Bell 49 and 48 snaps so far this preseason. He leads the team with ten catches for 172 scoreless yards in this span. Tay Martin would be the next most attractive option in San Francisco.
Kayshon Boutte (New England) – LSU rookie Kayshon Boutte leads New England with 56 receiving yards on four catches this preseason. He now has 32 and 19 snaps through two games, but New England also cut Tre Nixon, who vacates another 60 snaps. With starters not expected to play much Boutte and Thyrick Pitts highlight the New England depth chart.
Antoine Green (Detroit) – Detroit is increasingly banged up at receiver and project to suit up just seven wide receivers. This includes two players in Avery Davis and Jason Moore, who were recently signed and combined for 13 snaps last week. Conversely, Detroit fed North Carolina rookie 38 snaps in Week 2. He ranks just ahead of Dylan Drummond among Detroit receivers.
Shi Smith (Carolina) – Also banged up at receiver, Carolina should have eight available wide outs tonight. Of this group, Shi Smith and Javon Wims played 31and 32 snaps last week. Of this pairing, Smith leads the team with five catches and 79 receiving yards, making him a slight priority over Wims.
John Hightower (Los Angeles) – In his first game back from injury, Los Angeles fed John Hightower 55 snaps in his debut. Hightower turned five targets into one catch for ten yards, but the opportunity matters more than anything here. Keelan Doss and Quentin Johnston also played 38 and 23 snaps and could be interesting for GPPs.
Tre’Shaun Harrison (Tennessee) – Tennessee will have the most active receivers on this slate, but they still fed Tre’Shaun Harrison 44 snaps in preseason Week 2. He only saw one target on these snaps, making him more of a GPP play in this environment.
NFL DFS Picks: Tight End
Cam Latu (San Francisco) – San Francisco has been evaluating two rookie tight ends in Cam Latu and Brayden Willis. Latu has now played 61 snaps, while Willis checks in with 42. Latu caught four of five targets for 55 yards and a score so far, while Willis has just two catches.
Stone Smartt (Los Angeles) -The Chargers actually have more active tight ends than most teams on this slate. However, Stone Smartt has been the focal point of this room, catching four of five targets for 32 yards of 29 routes. 20 of those routes came last week.
James Mitchell (Detroit) – The Lions only used three tight ends last week with Sam LaPorta sitting out and Daniel Helm playing just one snap. This has allowed James Mitchell to play 65 snaps and run 27 routes so far. This also led to five catches for 68 yards, which ranks second on the team.
Matt Sokol (New England) – New England has focused most of their snaps on Matt Sokol and Anthony Firkser so far this preseason. Sokol leads the team with 56 snaps and 27 routes. He only has one catch, but Firkser only has two himself. Both should be considered GPP options here.
Tommy Tremble (Carolina) – While it has only led to one catch this preseason, Tommy Tremble has played 19 and 25 snaps, while leading the position with 25 routes so far. He enters the GPP conversation on Friday.
Josh Whyle (Tennessee) – The Titans project to have at least six tight ends on this slate, ranking them near the bottom. Of this group Josh Whyle has been the most active in the receiving game with 40 routes through two games.
