We will be breaking down every NFL DFS slate for the preseason this year. Ouf *FREE* NFL DFS Picks for Week 2 of the NFL preseason. Game Breakdowns for DraftKings & FanDuel, on Thursday, Aug 15. Kyler Murray + more.
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2018 Week 2 NFL DFS Review
Let’s take a look back at who the leaders were at each position from Week 2 of the 2018 NFL preseason. That should tell us a little bit about expected playing time and lineup construction.
Quarterback
- Nate Sudfield: 312-3 (Eagles)
- Jameis Winston: 226-2
- Russell Wilson: 193-0
- Joshua Dobbs: 192-2 (Steelers)
- Chase Daniel: 189-2 (Bears)
- Tom Brady: 172-2
- DeShone Kizer: 149-2 (Packers)
Receiver/TE
- James Washington: 5-114-2 (Steelers)
- Jake Kumerow: 3-114-1 (Packers)
- Taywan Tayler: 4-95-2 (Titans)
- Shelton Gibson: 5-90-1 (Eagles)
- Tyreek Hill: 4-87-1
- DeSean Jackson: 2-73
- Nike O’Leary: 4-70-1 (Bills)
Running Back
- Christian McCaffrey: 120 yards, 1 TD
- TJ Yeldon: 140 yards, 5 receptions
- Mike Boone: 90 yards, 1 TD (Vikings)
- James White: 90 yards, 1 TD
- Carlos Hyde: 75 Yards, 1 TD (Browns)
- James Conner: 57 yards, 1 TD
Takeaways
- Some coaches use Week 2 as their Week 3, giving the starters 2-3 quarters, then resting them the following week (New England, Seattle, Tampa). The Seahawks did this in 2017 as well.
- Running Backs are your best bet for the FLEX spot – they’re easier to predict than WRs. A lot of first and second string backs got some run in Week 2 last year.
- It’s likely you don’t want to get carried away with stacking. QB-1WR is your best bet, but QB-2WR isn’t nuts, we just don’t see that second WR pop up very often.
Friday, August 15 NFL DFS Review
- The chalk busted. Big time. So much of NFL preseason analysis is guesswork. Don’t be afraid to pivot off some of the most highly-touted players you’re seeing, to lesser-owned options that may flash upside — especially at WR. Miles Boykin was 50-60% owned last night. He posted zero fantasy points. Similar story for Dexter Williams, who had two fantasy points. The best guesses are poor ones, so fade chalk at will.
NFL DFS: Preseason Week 2 Breakdown, Friday, August 16
Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers -1.5 (40)
Quarterback
- The Bills are again likely to split time three ways, so this is a stay away unless something changes. There are rumblings Josh Allen maybe get an extra series or two.
- The Panthers are also likely to split time between their three QBs behind Cam Newton, so another stay away, unless targeting low-owned options in GPPs.
Wide Receiver
- Guessing game for the Panthers and I wouldn’t recommend trying to figure out who to stack. Andre Levrone was the top option last week, but had just 51 yards on four catches. DeAndrew White led the WRs in snaps.
- Robert Foster is playing with the second-teamers this week. He’s a slate breaker, who led the NFL last season in aDOT. If one guy is gonna break the slate, it might be him. Had 35 snaps last week.
Running Back
- We don’t expect to see much if any of Frank Gore, TJ Yeldon and LeSean McCoy. We’ll likely see another time share between Devin Singletary and Marcus Murphy, with the edge going to Singletary for snaps and touches. He carried nine times for 27 yards, but didn’t get any work in the passing game.
- Panthers RB Reggie Bonnafon is one of the top options on the slate. He was chalk last week, but put up a strong line, with four catches for 30 yards and 23 yards rushing. His use in the passing game gives him a strong floor.
Tight End
- The Bills are depleted at TE with Tyler Kroft, Dawson Knox and Jason Croom But they were depleted last week too, and their TEs only saw two targets. Lee Smith and seventh round pick Tommy Sweeney are the top options.
- Ian Thomas is banged up and Greg Olsen won’t play. Jason Vander Laan and Temarrick Hemingway will get increased playing time, but both are nothing more than fliers.
Chicago Bears at New York Giants -2.5 (41)
Quarterback
- We’re probably looking at a first half/second half split between Tyler Bray and Chase Daniel. If Trubisky gets the start (sounds like he might), give the slight edge to Bray who will get an extra series or two.
- Unless something changes, the Giants QBs are probably a stay-away, with Daniel Jones, Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta likely to get time.
Wide Receiver
- Javon Wims played a team high 23 snaps last week among WRs, but only got three targets. He’ll be popular. Take your pick of Marvin Hall, Thomas Ives or Joe Walker if you want a flier.
- TJ Jones caught six of six targets last week for 72 yards and a TD for the Giants. He’
Running Back
- It’s looking like Matt Nagy is going to dial back David Montgomery’s touches moving forward. With Tarik Cohen likely not playing and Mike Davis not playing much, the top options are Ryan Nall, who had a 9-95 in Week 1 last year and four targets in Week1, Taquan MIzzell and Kerrith Whyte Jr. Nall will be the most owned, and Whyte Jr. might fly under the radar. He had six touches for 35 yards in Week 11.
- Saquon Barkley won’t get much, Wayne Gallman might be out and Jon Hillman is in the concussion protocol. That leaves Paul Perkins and Rod Smith likely splitting touches, assuming Gallman doesn’t play. Both a very strong options, but Perkins stands out and has upside in the passing game.
Tight End
- Ian Bunting (3-77 last week) and Dax Raymond (40+ snaps last week) are your best bets on the Bears.
Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3 (43)
Quarterback
- Ryan Griffin had offensive dropbacks in Week 1 of the preseason, with 330 yards passing, and 26 completions on 43 attempts. He should get another long look tonight, with Bruce Arians needing to determine if he’s worth of QB3 status. The Bucs 4th stringer Nick Fitzgerald is out, leaving just three QBs on the roster. Tampa also has the highest implied total on the slate. Expect him and Rosen to be the highest owned QBs on the slate.
- Josh Rosen again should get the most snaps for the Dophins, as they attempt to figure out if he’ll be able to beat out Ryan Fitzpatrick. Word out of camp is that he’s shown improvement of late, after getting off to a slow start. Expect Rosen to get a full half, followed by Jake Rudock mop-up duty. This is another team with just three QBs on the current roster.
Wide Receiver
- Davante Parker, and Jakeem Grant are questionable and likely out. Albert Wilson is out. Preston Williams is top choice. Pairing him with Rosen will be chalk, but Williams has turned heads in camp and this might be chalk worth eating. He also had two catches called back for past interference. If you want a slight contrarian move, Allen Hurns should also get some run tonight.
- Justin Watson only posted a 4-37 line last week but did see seven targets. Spencer Schnell showed some chemistry with Ryan Griffin, posting a 7-119 line last week. Both are fine stacking options.
Running Back
- The Dolphins RB situation is probably one to avoid. Four players got six carries last game. Kenyon Drake is OUT, so that frees up a few snaps and four carries. We’re not expecting any last minute inactives, but if there are, the situation could change. Myles Gaskin and Mark Walton are the top options.
- Dare Ogunbowale was highly touted chalk last week. Safe to say he delivered with a 10-34-2 line. He wasn’t targeted in the passing game, so this might be a solid fade here, assuming he’s not going to repeat a two TD performance.
Tight End
- TE is difficult on this slate and seems like even more of a crapshoot than these other positions. Solely due to recency bias, Tanner Hudson is going to be the most owned TE on the slate. He posted a 7-84-1 line on nine targets in Week 1. The Tampa Bay fringe TEs combined for 14 targets last week.
- Mike Gesicki is not having a good camp. He’s an athletic freak and will probably get a long look tonight.
