NFL preseason DFS Week 3 action continues with a full slate on Friday. 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 before making your daily fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. And for those looking at a comprehensive preseason guide, make sure to check out our preseason primer.
Friday Week 3 Preseason NFL DFS Picks
Quarterback
Dwayne Haskins — Pittsburgh is giving Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph rest in preseason Week 3. This means that Haskins will draw the start and potentially play over a half of football. Outside of the Hall of Fame game, Haskins has played well with the third team. He completed 4 of 7 passes for 56 yards last week after throwing for 161 yards in Week 1. Josh Dobbs will clean up whatever Haskins leaves, but Haskins should see as much playing time as any quarterback on this slate. He should improve on his 16 snaps from last week after playing 48 in Week 1.
Sam Ehlinger — Ehlinger will come off the bench behind Jacob Eason in this game. Ehlinger played horribly in Week 2, with a pair of interceptions and a fumble. Despite his propensity for turnovers, Ehlinger has a more attractive skillset for fantasy given he rushed eight times for 30 yards in Indianapolis’ first game. While Ehlinger may see less time here due to his struggles, he still has upside to play a half of football in Indianapolis’ narrow quarterback room.
Jacob Eason –– Like Ehlinger, Eason benefits from the Colts’ lack of depth. Eason does not provide anything on the ground, but he also has not turned the ball over. He completed 16 of his 27 passes for an inefficient 132 yards last week, but he still has the upside to play over a half of football here.
David Blough — Detroit will start Blough in Week 3, who has quietly outplayed Tim Boyle this preseason and will get a longer look as the backup in Week 3. Detroit will not play their starters and cut Jordan Ta’amu earlier this week. That means Blough should get at least a half. He is coming off an efficient 12 of 17 for 143 yards and a touchdown through the air. He is not known for his mobility, but he also rushed for 26 yards in Week 2.
Patrick Mahomes –– Deciphering Andy Reid’s coach speak is nearly impossible. After expecting a quarter from Mahomes in Week 1, he played four snaps. Conversely, Mahomes played 32 snaps in Week 2. Reid said this week that the starters will play “at least the first half.” If he does, he becomes the best play on the board. Mahomes is a pure GPP play.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard — Carolina will play their starters around a half in this game, but Christian McCaffrey is in bubble wrap. If he even plays, he likely will see no more than a few snaps. With Reggie Bonnafon, Rodney Smith and Trenton Cannon all nursing injuries, Carolina has just three heathy bodies. Last week Hubbard led the backfield with 21 snaps. He carried nine times for 24 yards and added two receptions for 29 yards. With the limited bodies and potential for additional snaps with the starters, Hubbard is an excellent play in Week 3.
Benny Snell Jr. –– Snell has not played yet this preseason, but he is finally healthy enough to receive some action. Tomlin suggested that he could receive 15 carries. Pittsburgh has a lot of healthy backs, but if that is the case, he would become an awesome play.
A.J. Rose Jr. — According to reports, some starters will play in Minnesota, but this should not include Dalvin Cook. Cook already sat out each of the first two preseason games. On top of Cook’s rest, Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu continue to battle injuries. Minnesota is so thin at running back that they signed Ito Smith off the street this week. With Ameer Abdullah locked into his special teams role, Rose should again benefit from extra snaps. After carrying 25 time for 100 yards in Week 1, Rose only played 21 snaps in Week 2. He still carried six times for 10 yards and should again see elevated opportunity in Week 3. He is one of the top DFS options at running back. For those looking at contrarian options, Abdullah is also in play. He saw four targets and carried six times himself last week.
Jerick McKinnon — Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams will both miss this game with injuries, and McKinnon played 23 snaps last week. He finished with three carries for four yards but also caught three passes for 21 yards. Kansas City will play this game with just three backs, making McKinnon, Darwin Thompson and Derrick Gore all attractive plays.
Darwin Thompson — Battling for the third running back spot in Kansas City, Thompson played 19 snaps last week. He carried eight times for 49 yards and caught two passes for 7 yards. With Gore strictly playing mop-up duty, Thompson is the preferred play of the two.
Kenny Gainwell — The Eagles project to have four healthy rushers, with Miles Sanders likely veteran rest and Jason Huntley still battling a rib injury. Jordan Howard has also only played five and six snaps in Philadelphia’s first two games, further narrowing the backfield. Gainwell played 19 and 15 snaps in Philadelphia’s first two games. Last week he rushed five times for 21 yards and catching three passes for 23 yards. While Gainwell might not play as many snaps as those listed above him, his pass-catching ability keeps him relevant here.
Craig Reynolds — Detroit enters the GPP range with four healthy backs on Friday night. However, Reynolds has performed well in the second half of games. Last week Reynolds played 17 snaps, converting five carries into 29 yards. He also caught two passes for an additional 15 yards. He will share the load with Jermar Jefferson, Godwin Igwebuike and Dedrick Mills, but he looks like the most attractive option of the bunch.
Wide Receiver
Cody White — Pittsburgh is also thin at wide receiver after cutting Tyler Simmons. The decision to sit Roethlisberger and Rudolph suggests that Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster should not play much, if at all in this game. Training camp reports indicate that White, Anthony Johnson and Mathew Sexton could be battling for Pittsburgh’s last receiver spot. White played 25 snaps last week but failed to see a target. Again, Pittsburgh used that game as their dress rehearsal, and they project to play more of their fringe players tonight.
Anthony Johnson — Johnson caught two passes for 38 yards before going catch-less in Week 2 for Pittsburgh. Johnson played 21 and 14 snaps, respectively, in those game. Johnson provides some versatility in and out of the slot. While he seems to have fallen behind White, he is a solid play in a thin Pittsburgh receiver room.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette –– Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson project to play very little in this game, if at all. From there, Minnesota has seven healthy receivers. Smith-Marsette played 55 and 25 snaps in back-to-back weeks. Last week he went catchless on two targets, but he saw six targets the week prior.
Tom Kennedy –– Detroit will sit their starters here, potentially opening up additional snaps and targets. Kennedy is battling for a roster spot, and he played 36 and 42 snaps in back-to-back weeks. He led the Lions in receiving in each of those games with 61 and 46 yards, respectively. Kennedy is a solid bet to lead the Detroit wide receiver room in snaps again here.
Dezmon Patmon — The Colts have taken a long look at Patmon this preseason. He played 52 and 37 snaps for the Colts in their first two weeks of the preseason. Patmon led the Colts in receiving with four catches for 60 yards on five targets last week.
Michael Strachan — The Colts will play this game with nine healthy receivers, but Strachan continues to receive more opportunity. he has played 34 and 39 snaps in back-to-back weeks. He caught three passes for 57 yards in Week 1 before reeling in two of four for 12 yards last week.
Daurice Fountain — The Chiefs are the deepest team at wide receiver this week, but they can still be targeted in GPPs. Fountain saw 30 and 24 snaps in back-to-back weeks and caught three passes for 54 yards in Week 2 after leading the team in receiving in Week 1 with 38 yards.
Mathew Sexton — Like White, Sexton should benefit from reduced competition in Pittsburgh. He is a slot-exclusive receiver and did not play at all last week after playing 15 snaps in Week 1.
Tight End
Kylen Granson –– The Colts only have three healthy tight ends on the roster, with Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox expected to rest. Behind the two starters, Granson has played 24 and 18 snaps. Despite the limited playing time, Granson still saw four targets in the Colts’ Week 2 game. He went catch-less on those targets, but he still enters the pro ranks with a strong receiving profile after playing his college ball at SMU. He caught 43 passes for 721 yards in 2019 with SMU.
Noah Gray — Gray again benefits from a shallow depth chart in Kansas City. He caught three passes last week for 22 yards and has now played 33 and 35 snaps in the last two games. Jody Fortson is also a strong option in places he is listed as a tight end. Fortson played 35 and 31 snaps in the Chiefs’ first two preseason games.
Alize Mack — Detroit will not have T.J. Hockenson in this game, and Hunter Thedford and Rashod Berry did not play in the Lions’ last game. With the potential for a narrow target distribution, Mack could be another tight end to look at here. Mack played 33 snaps last week for Detroit and caught two passes for 16 yards. He is another attractive option here.
Jack Stoll — Philadelphia is not projected to play Zach Ertz or Dallas Goedert, which leaves Philadelphia thin at tight end. Stoll played 31 snaps in Philadelphia’s last game. The Eagles signed Cary Angeline this week, so his playing time is volatile. However, Stoll has been excelling in camp and likely will get an extended look here.
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