NFL DFS Picks: Preseason Week 2, Saturday, August 17th for DraftKings, FanDuel (FREE)

We will be breaking down every NFL DFS slate for the preseason this year. Our *FREE* NFL DFS Picks for Week 2 of the NFL preseason. Game Breakdowns for DraftKings & FanDuel, on Saturday, Aug 17. Patrick Mahomes, Blake Bortles + more.

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  1. 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

    1. Nate Sudfield: 312-3 (Eagles)
    2. Jameis Winston: 226-2
    3. Russell Wilson: 193-0
    4. Joshua Dobbs: 192-2 (Steelers)
    5. Chase Daniel: 189-2 (Bears)
    6. Tom Brady: 172-2
    7. DeShone Kizer: 149-2 (Packers)

    Receiver/TE

    1. James Washington: 5-114-2 (Steelers)
    2. Jake Kumerow: 3-114-1 (Packers)
    3. Taywan Tayler: 4-95-2 (Titans)
    4. Shelton Gibson: 5-90-1 (Eagles)
    5. Tyreek Hill: 4-87-1
    6. DeSean Jackson: 2-73
    7. Nike O’Leary: 4-70-1 (Bills)

    Running Back

    1. Christian McCaffrey: 120 yards, 1 TD
    2. TJ Yeldon: 140 yards, 5 receptions
    3. Mike Boone: 90 yards, 1 TD (Vikings)
    4. James White: 90 yards, 1 TD
    5. Carlos Hyde: 75 Yards, 1 TD (Browns)
    6. 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.

NFL DFS: Preseason Week 2 Breakdown, Saturday, August 17

One week of preseason is in the books and now we set our sights on the second week of Preseason football. We still have more questions than answers as teams work thru how much to play their starters if at all, so make sure to be aware of changes as we get closer to lock and updates are given by the teams.

New England Patriots -1 at Tennessee Titans (41.5)

Marcus Mariota and the first team should see more than one series in this second preseason game, but it  still expected to be a quick hook for the Titans big weapons. That means Ryan Tannehill will be leading the backups and should get some decent run once Mariota is pulled

After being a little banged up it is possible we see A.J Brown’s debut and Corey Davis also might see the field for the first time even if it’s a brief appearance.

Tom Brady should get some work tonight, but again it’s a tricky situation since we don’t know how much run he will see. Once he checks out we will have Auburn rookie Jarrett Stidham leading the charge, but overall this isn’t a great spot unless we get further information ** Update – Tom Brady has been ruled out tonight vs the Titans so Jarrett Stidham could see a lot of work **

In the backfield Nick Brossette could be in line for a big workload if the main weapons like Sony Michel, Burkhead, and White all don’t suit up. Damien Harris is a little banged up, so he was held out of the opening preseason game and that could be the situation once again tonight.

Jakobi Meyers will probably garner some ownership after putting up a pair of touchdowns in his debut last week vs the Lions. The Patriots are expected to rest the majority of the big names on the outside and that means Meyers and a guy like Braxton Berrios could be in line for a major workload again in preseason week 2.

Dallas Cowboys -3 at Los Angeles Rams (38.5)

Similar to week 1 the Rams aren’t expected to use their starters Saturday night, so that means Blake Bortles will most likely get the start for the Rams. After he hits the bench John Wolford and Brandon Allen will be taking over under center.

In the backfield it should be John Kelly and Darrell Henderson both getting in some work with Malcolm Brown and Todd Gurley being ruled out. The Rams do have a few other bodies that may get some garbage time work in, but with it being a relatively thin position some guys like Kelly could get a sizeable workload.

In terms of the skill positions based on what we saw last week and last season most of the big names like Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds, Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett probably don’t see the field or are barely involved so we need to look further down the depth chart. Mike Thomas , JoJo Natson , and KhaDarel Hodge all should garner some targets and are all looking to make an impact as their roster positions are in flux behind most of the big names.

On the Cowboys side we have a few guys we can look to , especially on the outside where the big  names like Cooper won’t see the field. Reggie Davis and Jon’Vae Johnson both saw major snap counts last week and although the production wasn’t there that type of volume is hard to ignore. If the Cowboys are expected to have a similar depth chart in this game then expect both Davis and Johnson to get their fair share of looks.

Kansas City Chiefs -2.5 at Pittsburgh Steelers (46.5)

The Chiefs are said last week that  they were looking to play their starters in the 1st , their backups in the 2nd, and then the 3rd and 4th stingers in the second half. They deviated a bit from the game plan so that makes them a little difficult to trust, but Andy Reid has stated  he wants to play the starters a full half tonight. That means Mahomes may have an opportunity to rack up production if he truly gets the first half to himself.

Two rookies who should be involved regardless of what the Chiefs end up doing would be Darwin Thompson and Mecole Hardman who both are talented and could see additional run as they work in some of the backups.

On the Pittsburgh side Ben Roethlisberger isn’t expected to suit up so Mason Rudolph will get a chance to shine in the absence of Big Ben and he will some other young players to link up with. James Washington may be asked to step up with AB departing and so far so good as he caught a touchdown in Week 1 and has major upside and home run ability. James Conner’s status is TBD right now , but I wouldn’t think he gets too much work so the RBs further down the depth chart could handle the ball carrying duties. Benny Snell who is a rookie out of Kentucky was heavily involved in their first game and should continue to get opportunities this week.

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans -4.5 (41)

Matt Stafford is expected to get some work in and behind him its pretty ugly with Tom  Savage hurt leaving Josh Johnson and David Fales left to take over once the starters get pulled. On the outside guys like Brandon Powell or Andy Lacy could see work once the big names depart, but with the shaky QB play it’s a tough ask for big production.

The Texans have an intriguing situation to target as Joe Webb racked up a big stat line in Week 1 and if Watson doesn’t play he should be asked to play a ton once again. On the outside Steven Johnson should take on a bigger role with Keke Coutee going down and Vyncint Smith also should be involved as the game wears on. The running back situation is a little dicey with a lot of back vying for time and Webb has some mobility which can cannibalize that production further.

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