NFL DFS Preseason Playbook August 10: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
The NFL preseason continues here tonight with two games on tap featuring the Houston Texans vs New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks vs Minnesota Vikings. We got our first taste of NFL action last week with the Hall of Fame Game matchup between the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets but now we've hit the bulk of the NFL preseason schedule with a steady diet of games each week leading into the start of the NFL regular season. When looking at the preseason rosters for DFS we know that in these early games some, if not most, of the teams star players will not be on the field and the focus will be on the backups and rookies. For the Patriots Mac Jones will not be suiting up but we will see second overall pick C.J. Stroud on the field for the Texans. When it comes to the Vikings and Seahawks, both starting QB's will sit this one out with Kirk Cousins and Geno Smith on the sidelines. Hopefully the NFL training camp news has provided enough insights on the players to watch and therefore the players to use when building your DFS lineups this evening. Remember, this is the NFL preseason, there is a lot of unpredictability, so have fun and enjoy that the NFL is back in action.
NFL DFS Quarterbacks
Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots
With Mac Jones sitting out game one of the preseason we should get a heavy dose of Bailey Zappe here in the first half of the football game before the backups like Trace McSorely and rookie Malik Cunningham find their way on the field. Zappe impressed at times last season when starting in place of the injured Mac Jones as a rookie and while he has had an inconsistent camp, he does have the pedigree of a pass first QB that should be able to attack this Texans defense.
Also Consider: Trace McSorley - McSorley should get significant playing time in the second half of this game and has real nice mobility that could see him pick up chunk yardage on the ground.
Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
When it comes to player props tonight no QB has a higher projected yardage total than that of Drew Lock whose passing yards prop has been set at 132.5 yards. He and Bailey Zappe are the only two QB's with a yardage prop of more than 100-yards and Zappe is at 100.5-yards passing. That alone should give some fantasy value to Lock who will start with Geno Smith not suiting up here.
Also Consider: Holton Ahlers - Much like McSorely, Ahlers should play in the second half of this game and is another mobile QB that could make big gains with his legs late in this preseason game against fourth and fifth string defenders.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
The Texans are giving their rookie QB plenty of reps here as they look to get him ready for the regular season and while there is still a rumored “competition” with David Mills, Stroud is likely the starting QB for this football team. It would not shock me to see him play the first half and while the Patriots figure to have one of the top defenses in football this season we've also seen reports that some of the defensive starters are not going to be playing here tonight.
Jaren Hall, Minnesota Vikings
While Nick Mullens is going to get the initial reps at QB there has been a lot said about Jaren Hall here for the first preseason as a player to watch with the potential that he finds himself competing for the backup spot behind Kirk Cousins with a strong camp.
NFL DFS Running Backs
Kevin Harris & Pierre Strong, New England Patriots
Reports out of Patriots training camp is that Kevin Harris is seemingly getting the backup work behind Rhamondre Stevenson with Pierre Strong seeing some playing time in the wake of Ty Montgomery's injury. This leads me to believe that Harris is going to be featured tonight as the early down back with Strong as the change of pace and pass catching option out of the backfield. Both backs are looking to make some noise this preseason after both appearing in games as a rookies in 2022.
Xazavian Valladay, Houston Texans
If you have checked out the Texans twitter during training camp then you have definitely seen highlights of Valladay making play all over the field. With this being game one of the preseason we have a good shot at seeing Valladay get his fair share of touches while Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce sit this one out.
DeWayne McBride, Minnesota Vikings
McBride has been a best ball draft favorite among those looking for the backup option in Minnesota and while the current depth chart lists Ty Chandler as the backup to Alexander Mattison, this actually may be better news for McBride who could see a lot of work against weaker defensive matchups in the second half of this game.
NFL DFS Wide Receivers
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Addison is expected to see playing time in this game and while it may be short lived, I would also expect him to be a heavy target when he is on the field. The playing time is the lone concern but he makes a few big catches in the first quarter of the game it could be more than enough.
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots
A sixth-round pick, Douglas has been playing with the starters during training camp out of the slot and will look to have his impressive training camp translate to the team's first preseason game against this Houston Texans defense.
Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots
One of the more intriguing picks from the 2023 draft was that of Boutte who was once regarded as one of the top wide receivers in college football during his early years but eventually the performance and hype around him fell off but his potential has been intriguing and he has made plays during training camp to the point that last years second-round pick Tyquan Thornton has been forced to play with the third unit at times. Will be interesting to see if he continues his strong play in real game action.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans
The rookies are playing for the Texans here this evening and Dell is someone that is a few guys down on the depth chart so seeing him on the field and looking to make plays in this one would not shock me. He has game changing speed and sometimes, against weaker opponents, that type of speed can make big plays in preseason games.
Jalen Reagor, Minnesota Vikings
How far things have fallen for Reagor right? He is well down the depth chart for the Minnesota Vikings and that could mean he ends up playing multiple quarters here in this game against the Seahawks.
Jake Bobo, Seattle Seahawks
An article on Seahawks.com touted Bobo as a standout in the teams recent mock game so why not see if the hype can translate into an action preseason game and take a dart throw on the undrafted rookie out of UCLA.
Cody Thompson, Seattle Seahawks
Mentioned in the same article is Thompson who is said to be having a very strong camp. If you look up his name on twitter you will also see that Thompson is getting a lot of hype as someone who is contending to make the roster for the Seahawks out of camp this season.
NFL DFS Tight Ends
Colby Parkinson, Seattle Seahawks
The tight end position is certainly bleak here in the presason but we should see Parkinson play a good amount of snaps and it helps that he is a catch first tight end.
Nick Muse, Minnesota Vikings
There has been some hype on the twitter machine for Vikings TE Nick Muse here this evening as it T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver are not going to suit up here this evening and Muse has been working with the second string offense during training camp giving him good report with Nick Mullens.
Player News
InsideTheBirds.com’s Andrew DiCecco reports there “could be more variance” for the Eagles offense under new coordinator Kevin Patullo.
DiCecco said several Eagles players this spring have suggested that the team’s offense under Patullo could be more balanced after being among the NFL’s run-heaviest units in 2024. The Philly offense would still revolve around Saquon Barkley following his 2,005 rushing yards in 2024, though the team could try to “preserve” the centerpiece of their offense with a slightly lighter workload in 2025. Barkley, 28, last season recorded 378 touches, the most of his NFL career. More passing for the Eagles would primarily benefit DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, who dominate targets in the Philadelphia offense. The Eagles in 2024 had the fewest pass attempts (448) in the NFL.
Steelers signed LS Tucker Addington, formerly of the Texans.
The veteran long snapper most recently played for the Texans but has also seen stints with the Patriots, Dolphins, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Commanders during his three-year NFL career. He slides in behind Christian Kuntz on the team’s depth chart and should provide valuable experience at one of the game’s most underrated positions.
Russell Wilson said he chose to play with the Giants because of WR Malik Nabers.
“I came here because of him,” said Wilson about Nabers during a panel at Fanatics Fest over the weekend. “I really wanted to play with someone who is special like him.” As a rookie in 2024, Nabers was targeted 170 times, which was second-most among NFL wide receievers. He also led the Giants with 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Wilson, who will turn 37 years old during the 2025 season, had only one player with 100/1000/7 in a single season (Tyler Lockett in 2020). Wilson signed with the Giants in March following a one-year stint with the Steelers.
The Athletic’s Zak Keefer says we should “look for more emphasis on explosion” from the Chiefs’ passing game this season.
As Keefer notes in the article, Andy Reid “made a point of it all spring” for the Chiefs to “get back to pushing the ball deep down the field.” Per PFF, since 2021, Patrick Mahomes has ranked 21st or lower in ADOT (min. 300 dropbacks), but finished sixth in ADOT in 2018 when he broke out for 5,097-50-12 on his way to winning his first MVP. A lot has changed since Mahomes last aired it out at a high rate. Most notably is the departure of Tyreek Hill in 2022 and Travis Kelce no longer being the spry, explosive playmaker we saw several seasons ago. The Chiefs hope the return of Hollywood Brown and a second year of work for Xavier Worthy will lead to more explosive plays next season, which could spell big things for fantasy managers who decide to take shots on pieces of an offense that ranked 15th in scoring last season.
The Athletic’s James Boyd believes Daniel Jones “has already taken a significant lead” in the Colts’ QB competition.
Jones and Anthony Richardson are supposed to compete for the QB1 job in camp. While Richardson recently said he expects to be ready to go by camp, an offseason shoulder surgery has slowed his progress for the upcoming season, and opened the door for Jones to work almost exclusively with the first team offense. Jones has struggled to look like the player who was taken No. 6 overall by the Giants in 2019, but Richardson’s underwhelming performance in 2024 (1,813-8-12) that was headlined by a 47.7 completion percentage was far worse than any single season of Jones’ six-year career. The Colts will string this competition along for as long as they can — assuming Richardson is healthy enough to play in camp — but Richardson is well behind Jones at this point.
Jets owner Woody Johnson has agreed to purchase a 43 percent stake in Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Johnson will buy his stake from American businessman Jon Textor. According to reports, the deal is worth $254 million pending approval from the Premier League and Women’s Super League. The move will make Johnson partners with two other NFL owners as Commanders principal owner Josh Harris and minority owner David Blitzer own the majority stake in the team along with Steve Parish. The 78-year-old Johnson, who served as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021, previously attempted to buy fellow Premier League club Chelsea in 2022, but was unsuccessful.