NFL preseason DFS Week 2 action continues with a full main slate of games on Friday evening. Unlike normal NFL DFS, NFL preseason DFS pricing is flat. With the current pricing structure, playing time is the most important variable to consider. This breakdown will analyze each team and point out potential edges within these teams. Be sure to check out the Awesemo NFL DFS projections and ownership projections for each preseason slate. And for those looking at a comprehensive preseason guide, make sure to check out our preseason primer.
Be sure to check out our NFL DFS Live Before Lock show for Week 2 preseason picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. The show starts at 8 p.m. ET.
NFL Preseason DFS Picks: Week 2 Friday
Quarterback
Chris Streveler — Arizona decided to keep Kyler Murray on the shelf in preseason Week 1. Locked in as the starter, the Cardinals project to give Murray very little run at and point this preseason. In Week 1, the Cardinals allowed Colt McCoy and Chris Streveler to handle signal calling duties. In that game, Streveler out-snapped McCoy 48 to 22 as he played primarily with the third-stringers. An excellent dual threat, Streveler rushed 10 times for 55 yards in Week 1. He also completed 12-of-24 passes for 107 yards through the air. His mobility makes him a strong play again in Week 2. Steveler also rushed for 720 yards in his final season with South Dakota in college.
Kyle Shurmur — With Washington and Kansas City both projected to use four quarterbacks, Cincinnati becomes the next-most attractive situation. The Bengals are also carrying four quarterbacks, but Joe Burrow has already been ruled out and Eric Dungey did not appear in Cincinnati’s preseason debut. In Week 1, Shurmur out-snapped backup Brandon Allen 43 to 28. He also completed 12-of-19 passes for 108 scoreless yards. Shurmur played his college ball at Vanderbilt and offers nothing on the ground.
Brandon Allen — Mentioned above, Cincinnati is potentially a two-quarterback situation on Friday. Allen played less than Shurmur as the entrenched backup, but could see more time tonight. Allen played his college ball at Arkansas, where he threw for 3,440 yards in his final season. Allen offers slightly more mobility than Shurmur, giving him a floor in DFS. He completed 7-of-10 passes for 77 yards in Week 1, while adding 13 yards rushing.
Running Back
Chris Evans — All four team’s on the Friday slate project to use five running backs. However, Cincinnati could play with a narrower distribution of touches. In their first game, Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine only received four snaps each. This allowed Evans to out-snap Jacques Patrick 33 to 30. Notably, Pooka Williams did not play, but he projects to do so here. Either way, the Bengals spent a day three pick on Evans. Evans is a 5-foot-11, 211-pound running back, who played his college ball at Michigan. Evans’ best season came in 2017, when he rushed for 685 yards on 135 carries. He also had 49 career receptions with the Wolverines.
Jaret Patterson — Washington trimmed the roster fat by cutting Lamar Miller this week. Now carrying five backs, the Football team projects to split work between Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber early in the game. Making a case to beat out Barber, rookie Patterson carried ten times for 40 yards in Week 1. He also added four receptions for another 30 yards. Patterson played his college ball at Buffalo and stands just 5-foot-6, 195 pounds. However, He already out-snapped Jonathan Williams 27 to 9 in their first game. He should receive ample opportunities again here.
Jerick McKinnon — Unlike the teams listed above, Kansas City will actually use all five backs on their roster. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams played 10 and seven snaps respectively in Week 1. This number should only rise. However, Kansas City continues to hold a competition for the third running back spot between McKinnon and Darwin Thompson. In Week 1, McKinnon played 15 snaps to Thompson’s 13. McKinnon has played better in camp so far and rushed for 19 yards on three carries in Week 1. He also received three targets. However, Thompson received four carries and one target himself, making this a tough evaluation overall. McKinnon gets a narrow edge based on positive camp reports.
Jonathan Ward — Like Kansas City, Arizona projects to use all five running backs in Week 2. Chase Edmonds received 11 snaps in Week 1 and James Conner has now been activated of the COVID-19 reserve list. Jonathan Ward actually out-snapped Eno Benjamin 23 to 19 in Week 1, making this situation tough to evaluate. Ward also out-touched Benjamin 10-5. Ward is a 6-foot, 206-pound back, who played his college ball at Central Michigan. He went over 1,000 yards rushing in two seasons, while catching 98 career balls in college. Both Ward and Benjamin are GPP options.
Wide Receiver
Rondale Moore — Unlike the backfield, Arizona projects to play with the fewest healthy receivers on this slate. DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green continue to sit out with injuries and Andy Isabella remains on the COVID-19 reserve list. A rookie out of Purdue, Moore initially broke out as a true freshman with over 1,000 yards receiving. Only 5-foot-7, 181 pounds, Moore played primarily in the slot to begin preseason. The rookie saw 23 snaps, four targets and two carries, which he turned into 39 yards. His low ADOT, gives him a solid floor for preseason DFS.
KeeSean Johnson — Despite having a strong chance to make the team, KeeSean Johnson played 53 snaps for Arizona in Week 1. He only caught one of three targets for 15 yards, but he should continue to play an elevated role in Week 2.
Andre Baccellia — A second-year undrafted player out of Washington, Baccellia stands 5-foot-10, 175 pounds for Arizona. He only produced 1,183 combined yards in four years with Washington, but he blazed a 4.28 40-yard dash at his pro day. Baccellia played 48 snaps in Week 1 and turned five targets into two receptions for 14 yards. He likely plays a little less with the starters expected to play more. However, Arizona’s depleted roster makes most receivers solid plays.
Trenton Irwin — Cincinnati projects to play with nine healthy receivers tonight. However, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd should all receive limited snaps. Widely reported throughout training camp, Trenton Irwin and Trent Taylor are battling for the backup slot role in Cincinnati. Irwin has played well throughout camp and recorded three catches for 35 yards on five targets in Cincinnati’s opener. Irwin played his college ball at Stanford, where he recorded 60 catches for 685 yards as a senior in 2018. He stands 6-foot-2, 205 pounds.
Stanley Morgan — Another player battling for a roster spot in Cincinnati, Morgan should again benefit from a shallow depth chart. Morgan caught, two of three targets for 16 yards in his debut, but his 26 snaps ranked second among receivers on the Bengals. Morgan payed his college ball at Nebraska, where he notched 1,990 yards combined in his final two seasons. Morgan is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and should play on the boundary.
Dyami Brown — A third round pick in this year’s draft, Dyami Brown played 25 snaps in his preseason debut. Brown ran primarily with the second team, but he still turned four targets into two receptions for 16 yards. Brown is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound burner, who played his college ball at North Carolina. He went over 1,000 yards in each of his final two seasons.
Dax Milne — A seventh round draft pick out of BYU, Dax Milne continues to battle for a roster spot. He played 29 snaps in Washington’s preseason debut. Milne reeled in two of four targets for 16 receiving yards. Milne was only productive for one year in college, but he caught 70 balls for 1,188 yards in 2020 with BYU.
Daurice Fountain — Kansas City projects to play with the most healthy receivers on this slate. However, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson shouldn’t see many snaps. Daurice Fountain led Kansas City wide receivers with 30 snaps in Week 1. Impressing throughout camp, Fountain turned six targets into four receptions for 38 receiving yards. He has already worked ahead of Cornell Powell and Gehrig Dieter on the depth chart. While this is a crowded situation, Fountain is the favorite to lead Kansas City in receiving again in Week 2.
Tight End
Jody Fortson — Kansas City will play this game with just four healthy tight ends. Travis Kelce and Blake Bell are already locked into this roster. Kelce and Bell played six and seven snaps, respectively, in Week 1. This should again allow Jody Fortson and Noah Gray dominate snaps. Widely regarded as the superior player throughout camp, Fortson played 35 snaps in Kansas City’s debut. He caught three of five targets for 32 yards. Fortson is more receiver than tight end sat 6-foot-6, 23o pounds. He played his college ball at Valdosta State, where he caught 14 balls for 217 yards in 2018. Note: Fortson is designated as a WR on DraftKings and only a TE on FanDuel.
Noah Gray — While Gray has disappointed at camp compared to Fortson, he has still received ample opportunities. The Chiefs drafted Gray in the fifth round out of Duke after catching 51 balls for 392 yards in 2019. Gray is 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and played 33 snaps in Kansas City’s debut. While he went catch less on two targets, he should receive plenty of opportunities again in Week 2.
Thaddeus Moss — The Bengals have five healthy tight ends on their roster, but Drew Sample and C.J. Uzomah continue to receive the starter treatment with three and five snaps respectively in the opener. Burrow’s tight end in college, Moss played 36 snaps in the team’s opener. He caught one of two targets for 14 yards in the game. Moss caught 47 balls for 570 yards in his final season of college. He is 6-foot-3, 249 pounds.
John Bates — Washington is fairly thin at tight end as well with Temarrick Hemingway sidelined with a concussion. Unlike the Chiefs, Logan Thomas will still play moderate snaps. He received 14 in Week 1. From there, the Football Team still has four healthy tight ends including Bates. Caleb Wilson was signed earlier in the week, so he shouldn’t factor in much. Either way, the Football Team should continue to evaluate their rookie John Bates, who played 24 snaps in Week 1. A rookie out of Boise State, Bates caught his only target for 19 yards in Week 1. Standing 6-foot-5, Bates caught 22 balls for 273 yards in 2019 with the Broncos.
Ross Travis — Arizona will play this game with the most healthy tight ends with six. However, the Cardinals gave Ross Travis 32 snaps in their first preseason game. A former college basketball player at Penn State, Travis continues to learn the tight end position. Travis didn’t catch his only target in Week 1, and likely sees fewer opportunities than the tight ends mentioned above. He is a consideration only in GPP’s.
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