NFL DFS Preseason Picks: Steelers vs. Cowboys Hall of Fame Game DraftKings & FanDuel Plays | 8/5

The NFL season has finally arrived. This week’s preseason action kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game. This year’s Hall of Fame Game features the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unlike normal NFL DFS, preseason 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.

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Preseason NFL DFS Picks: Hall of Fame Game

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas DST — Preseason defenses will always be among the top plays on any slate. With most players seeing limited playing time, defenses benefit from a full game’s action. Much of this action typically occurs against replacement-level competition. Dallas’ defense will face Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and Josh Dobbs.

Rico Dowdle — Dowdle will battle JaQuan Hardy and Brenden Knox for third-string duties this season. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are not expected to play much in this game, making this a thin unit to potentially target in DFS. He is currently our most highly projected player tonight in our NFL DFS projections (FREE today!)

Ben DiNucciDak Prescott will not play in this game. Garrett Gilbert looks likely to hold down the QB2 spot heading into the season, but the third-string gig is up for grabs. DiNucci and Cooper Rush should see extended time in this game, but DiNucci has superior rushing upside. He had 569 yards rushing in his final season with James Madison. He is also expected to enter the game before Rush, giving him the edge.

Cooper Rush — Rush should also see extended playing time here. Rush played over 30 snaps in each of Dallas’ first three preseason games in 2019. He is battling DiNucci for third-string duties and should come off the bench last among this group.

Brenden Knox — Knox was an unathletic two-down grinder in college. He ran a 4.67 40-yard dash but will get the chance to compete with Dowdle for third-string duties. Again, only three rushers are expected to handle work in this backfield.

JaQuan Hardy — Hardy went undrafted in 2021. He never caught more than 15 passes in a season. Hardy is 215 pounds, so he could theoretically push Knox and Dowdle. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash. Again, only three rushers are expected to handle work in this backfield.

Simi Fehoko — Last year the Cowboys carried five wide receivers. The top four are all but set in stone with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson. Noah Brown was the fifth receiver and was primarily utilized on special teams. Fehoko should have every opportunity to usurp Brown, but this is a deep unit with ten receivers expected to play outside of Lamb and Gallup.

Malik Turner — Turner has bounced around the league but caught 15 passes for 245 yards with Seattle in 2019. He is also competing for a job on the back end of the roster.

Other Considerations in GPPs: Johnnie Dixon, Aaron Parker, Brandon Smith, Brennan Eagles, Osirus Mitchell, Reggie Davis, Nick Eubanks, Sean McKeon, Artayvious Lynn, Hunter Niswander


Hall of Fame Game Live Before Lock Tonight at 7:15 ET


Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh DST — Like Dallas, Pittsburgh benefits from a full game’s action against Gilbert, DiNucci and Rush.

Dwayne Haskins — Haskins is having an excellent training camp by all accounts. Pushing Rudolph for backup duties, he is expected to enter the game in the second quarter and play into the third. Josh Dobbs will clean up whatever is left.

Josh Dobbs – Mentioned above, Dobbs likely gets the fourth quarter all to himself and possesses some dual threat ability.

James WashingtonDiontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster do not project for more than a few snaps. Ray-Ray McCloud and Cody White are also expected to miss this game, reducing Pittsburgh’s available receivers. Washington has struggled this preseason and is expected to play into the second half. This Pittsburgh receiving unit is down six healthy bodies, excluding the starters Johnson, Claypool, and Smith-Schuster

Kalen Ballage Najee Harris is only expected to play a few snaps, and Benny Snell will miss this game altogether. Ballage has been playing with the Haskins unit during training camp. We have Ballage projected for 8.57 points.

Anthony McFarland – Also battling for a roster spot, McFarland possesses big play ability and strong pass catching skills.

Trey Edmunds — Edmunds is firmly on the outside looking in, but that is OK in preseason Game 1. He has been playing mainly with the Dobbs unit, which should see more action tonight.

Isaiah McKoy — McKoy is an undrafted rookie battling for a roster spot. He was a big play threat at Kent State and will benefit from a thin receiver depth chart in Pittsburgh.

Anthony Johnson — Johnson has yet to record a stat in a regular season game. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in college at Buffalo and again should benefit from the depth chart.

Mason RudolphBen Roethlisberger is not expected to play. Rudolph will start and play around a quarter of football.

Marcus Baugh — Pittsburgh will only have two active tight ends tonight. Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry are all expected to miss this game, leaving Baugh and Kevin Rader. Rader is a pure blocker.

Other considerations in GPPs — Rico Bussey, Mathew Sexton, Tyler Simmons, Tony Brooks-James, Jaylen Samuels

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Author
Matt Gajewski graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Economics. Matt has worked in the fantasy industry for the past four years, focusing on DFS and Sports Betting. Matt specializes in NFL, College Football, College Basketball, XFL, and MMA. With GPP victories across the major sports, Matt also qualified for the DraftKings 2020 Sports Betting Championship and won a seat to the College Basketball Tourney Mania final.

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