RADIO
We have finally made it to the most wonderful time of the year. Preseason NFL is here! For those of you who are new to Preseason DFS, it’s a different beast than regular season NFL DFS. Rather than trying to get the best players in the best matchups, we are looking for players who may be on the roster bubble but who should see the most playing time. C.J. Stroud is amazing, but if he takes even one snap tonight it would be a major shock.
Rather, we need to get to know the Austin Reeds of the world and hope they get the one quarter of play the coach alluded to. Success in Preseason DFS relies on heavy research. This includes what the beat writers are saying and how much that intel can be trusted. Thankfully, that’s where I come in. I will do the digging for you and then lay out a plan of attack for victory.
In this article, you will be provided with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Thursday night Hall of Fame Showdown slate on 8/01/24. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from big-named players and elite options to lesser-known players and contrarian picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Thanks for reading, and good luck RotoBallers!
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Preseason NFL DFS Picks – Captain/MVP
Houston Texans/Chicago Bears Defense
Preseason DFS is weird and there’s no getting around it. Your lineups will be anchored by players who you’ve never heard of that you hope get a quarter to a half of snaps. The variance that’s at play here is wild because of the relative uncertainty about that playing time, except for one position: defense.
Since DFS doesn’t use individual defensive players, you get every player who hits the field for a team’s defense. It is the only position on your roster where your “player” is guaranteed to play the entire game. That makes each team’s DST the safest pick you make in a Showdown lineup, with a guaranteed 60 minutes of playing time.
The general public has gotten hip to this fact over the years, thus making the DST position the chalkiest of chalk in Showdown slates. Given that fact, using one (or ideally both) defenses in your cash game lineups is a must, and one of them should be your captain. For tournament lineups, you can limit your exposure because of their high ownership, but even then, it makes sense to use at least one DS/T in the majority of your lineups.
If I were to choose only one defense in this matchup, it would be the Houston Texans. DeMeco Ryans is a defensive head coach, and the Bears will be running out far less experienced quarterbacks than the Texans.
Demetric Felton (CHI - RB) vs. HOU
Demetric Felton could see the most snaps of any player on the field tonight, and those snaps would make him the safest bet for a high-floor game on this single-game slate. Chicago is pretty locked in with D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson as their top three running backs, with Travis Homer, Ian Wheeler, and Felton fighting for a roster spot.
Homer and Wheeler are a bit banged up coming into this game, meaning they might not even see the field. Johnson and Herbert could likely get some early snaps, but Felton should carry the load for the majority of the game in the backfield for the Bears.
He may not be the most talented player on the field, but Chicago ran 29 running plays compared to 22 passing plays last year in their first preseason game, so the opportunity for a big workload should be there. Felton is a good pass catcher, and it should be noted that Johnson was the top receiver in Chicago’s first preseason game last year. Felton should be in cash lineups and is a strong option for your tournament captain.
Expect a lot of Demetric Felton tomorrow for the Hall of Fame Game. He was the one running back practicing with the players anticipated to play in tomorrow's game.
Here are some other players who will be playing.
- Velus Jones Jr.
- Austin Booker
- Reddy Steward— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) July 31, 2024
Dameon Pierce (HOU - RB) vs. CHI
Do you remember two years ago when Dameon Pierce was good? His efficiency stats weren’t eye-popping, but he still managed to string together a handful of strong games as the de facto top running back for the Texans. Last year, he fell behind Devin Singletary on the depth chart, and this year, he should once again be the backup as the team signed Joe Mixon to be their starter.
That all said, the word out of camp is that Pierce will play a lot in tonight’s game. In a situation where opportunity is worth way more than talent, that’s a meaningful piece of news. Pierce should also serve as one of the team’s two main return men along with Steven Sims, and that gives him more of a shot to find his way to the end zone (more on that below).
Pierce ranks below Felton as your main play, but there aren’t too many other players whom I’d rather have anchoring my lineup tonight than Pierce.
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Preseason NFL DFS Picks – Flex
Tyson Bagent (CHI - QB) vs. HOU
Chicago coach Matt Eberflus has already stated that none of the starters for the Bears will play in this game. That should give the starting nod at quarterback to Tyson Bagent, the exciting second-year player who started a handful of games last year when Justin Fields was injured. Bagent isn’t a great passer, but he did complete 60% of his passes in all five games he played last year. He also has a bit of rushing upside, having averaged 4.6 carries per game in his five appearances last year.
Brett Rypien is the other veteran quarterback on the roster, and he will likely split snaps with Bagent through the first three quarters, with Austin Reed mopping up in the fourth quarter. Bagent is far more dynamic than Rypien; making him the far better option of the two main quarterbacks for Chicago.
Tyler Scott (CHI - WR) vs HOU
Tyler Scott was a standout in training camp last year for the Bears, but with the addition of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, he’s fighting for playing time this year. Those players won’t see the field tonight, nor will DJ Moore, making Scott the de facto playmaker in the passing game for the Bears.
There is a bit of risk in using Scott as he’s a more established player than any other receiver on the team other than their top three, but as just a second-year player with only 17 career receptions, he still has a lot to prove to the coaching staff. He will be the most talented receiver on the field for the Bears, and if they can get him a small handful of targets he could pay off with his open-field ability.
Cade Stover (HOU - TE) vs. CHI
It’s always a risk to run a tight end that we know nothing about in a showdown lineup, but there is a lot of positive buzz coming out of camp about Cade Stover. He was a fourth-round draft pick who could supplant Brevin Jordan as the backup to Dalton Schultz. We won’t see Shultz in this game, and Jordan may not get any time either, as he’s been hurting, and the team won’t want to risk him. Stover’s blocking has been called into question, as is the case with most rookie tight ends, but he was drafted as a pass-catcher and should get the chance to run a fair number of routes in this game.
Cade Stover with a Chuck Play over the Middle against Bullock! 😤🔥 #Texans pic.twitter.com/OV46Dtmyoj
— The last Gentlemen 🕴🏾 (@AllorNothingHOU) July 29, 2024
Velus Jones Jr. (CHI - WR)//Steven Sims (HOU - WR)
The new kickoff rules will be in effect starting tonight and we have no idea how that will change the return game. It's expected hat the new rules should lead to more return attempts, making kickoff returners potentially very valuable if they can pop a return into the end zone. Yes, it’s only six points but in the preseason those six points could represent your high scorer.
These men get an additional boost as each should see at least a few snaps on offense (probably more than a few for Jones and Sims). Using a returner in a showdown lineup can also be a bit of a cheat code if you stack them with their team’s corresponding DST, as both the individual player and defense will get points for a return touchdown on DraftKings. There isn’t a situation where I’d play any of these players in a tournament where I wouldn’t also play their defense.
Neither team has made their receiver rotation clear, but if last year was any indication it won’t matter much as only Johnson and Tank Dell had more than two receptions, so why not just use players who could get some snaps and have the added potential for a kick return touchdown?
If anyone from the Texans could be in the “Tank Dell spot” in this game, my money is on Xavier Hutchinson or John Metchie as both players have some NFL game experience and each possesses strong open-field ability.
ALSO CONSIDER (high-end): John Metchie (HOU - WR), Xavier Hutchinson (HOU - WR), Roschon Johnson (CHI - RB), Jawhar Jordan (HOU - RB), Austin Reed (CHI - QB)
ALSO CONSIDER (low-end): Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU - K), David Mills (HOU - QB), Brett Rypien (CHI - QB), Cairo Santos (CHI - K), Ben Skowronek (HOU - WR)
Thanks for checking this out, and good luck!
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