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Preseason is the time when everyone gets that fantasy itch back. The second a snap is seen on TV everyone wants to play fantasy football again, and the month long debates about sleepers and busts commences. The trash talk starts and everyone is excited. DraftKings releases its preseason slates. These are mixed with experienced players and people who just cannot wait any longer to play fantasy football slate. Last season the tournaments were filled with players who would pick the team as if it was a regular season game and about 20 percent of the field had no realistic chance to place in the tournaments. This made tournaments closer to cash games with the upside of winning the big prize.

Strategy

My favorite show is The Office. In The Office, Dwight says the best advice Michael ever gave him was “keep it simple stupid.” That is the way to approach preseason DFS. It’s all about reps and opportunity. Sure you want to play the best players, but you want to make sure you want to play the best players who will be on the field the most. For this you need to do research on each coach’s history in preseason games. Do they spend most of week one of the preseason playing the twos, threes, or even guys who have no realistic chance to make the roster. Which positions are scarce on a team and players will be forced to play more? Which teams have camp battles and will want to spend more time working positions in the game than others? Finally, which players have been preseason stars before, and are looking to do it again yes I am talking to you Greg Salas.

So with all of those questions asked it is time to figure out the answers. The players mentioned below should either all play a fair amount of time, be battling for a position, be at a thin position, or have been a star in the previous preseason.

Quarterbacks

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Patriots

My number one Quarterback of the slate. I think he is guaranteed to see the most time of any QB on the slate. He will play with both the first team guys and second team guys, and might even get the chance to take advantage of Gronk. He played almost the entire game last season in the first preseason game and this year only Jacoby Brissett could take that away from him. My guess is Garoppolo plays around 3 quarters of this game.

Carson Wentz QB, Eagles

He will play the entire second half of the game versus the Bucs. The preseason is the only time he is likely to see the field this year and the Eagles will want their QB of the future to develop as much as possible this preseason. Wentz has the chance to take advantage of playing third stringers and put up solid numbers.

Running Backs

Dominique Williams and Romar Morris RB, Jets

The Jets ran the ball a ton last year in the first preseason game. They only have six running backs on the roster for this game and Matt Forte won’t play. This leaves only five backs. However, Robinson is unlikely to play and Powell is locked into his role and the Jets won’t risk him by playing him too much. This leaves Williams, Romar Morris, and Pierce as the only three running backs left. All reports I’ve seen say Williams has been looking very good, while Morris has a lot of explosion to his game with 4.28 speed. Morris has been compared to Danny Woodhead

Jonas Gray RB, Jaguars

The Jaguars have Yeldon and Ivory, two good backs who shouldn’t see much time on the field. They both have a history with injuries and it would be smart for them to stay away from serious playing time. That leaves three backs in Denard Robinson, Jonas Gray, and Corey Grant. Beat reports have said Gray has been more impressive in camp so far than Corey Grant and would be the back I would look to in this preseason game.

Devonte Booker RB, Broncos

The star running back at Utah got drafted into a great situation. His running style fits in perfectly with Kubiak’s zone blocking system. He is currently competing with the awful Ronnie Hillman, and seems likely to take the third down role during the season. He should see about 20 snaps and will likely be targeted in the passing game. He could be a popular play and while I like him and think he has upside there are running backs with more opportunity that I prefer. Last year the Broncos gave all 5 backs a fair chance in the preseason game and I would expect them to do the same this year.

Jordan Howard RB, Bears

Howard comes out of Indiana and has big play potential. Jeremy Langford and Jacquez Rodgers are going to be splitting reps with him as the season goes on. A Bears beat reporter said that Rodgers has the third down job locked down. Kadeem Carey will also see some touches. I think Howard will see the field the most and make a name for himself when he does. My prediction is that by seasons end he is the starting running back for the Bears because he is the most talented, and I think that begins to get proven on Thursday night. He is a good play though there are some better plays out there.

Terrence West and Kenneth Dixon RB, Ravens

Forsett likely will not play much, if at all in this game which means the snaps will be split three ways between Allen, West, and Dixon. Dixon is the most talented of the three backs and is likely the Ravens future starting running back. He was banged up a little bit earlier in camp, but should be good to go as reports suggest he has looked great in recent practices. West has been said to be looking great at camp, that he is finally ready to reach his potential. West and Dixon should see a majority of the carries this game and that opportunity put them right on the fantasy radar.

DJ Foster RB, Patriots

He will compete with James White for the third down duties. Foster was a WR his last year in college, before playing RB all of his prior years at Arizona State. He is an explosive gadget player out of the backfield, the exact kind of player the Patriots have liked. Lewis and Blount won’t play, but the backfield is still crowded. James White, Brandon Bolden, Tyler Gaffney, and Donald Brown will be competing for touches. Gaffney is a player who has been hurt back to back seasons, and the Patriots traded for him last offseason. He could also be worth a look.

Tavaris Cadet RB, Saints

Cadet has been a playmaker whenever he has gotten on the field, but always seems to get hurt. This has put him fourth on the depth chart behind Ingram, Hightower, and Spiller. With Spiller and Ingram not likely to see much time Cadet could be the benefactor to that. Last preseason Hightower got a ton of looks and Cadet could see that many this year.

Kenjon Barner and Byron Marshall RB, Eagles

This is probably my one must play of the slate. The Eagles only have five backs on the team and Matthews and Sproles won’t play much if at all. Wendell Smallwood who has a chance to make a lot of noise this season has been ruled out of the game. This means Barner will split carries with Byron Marshall. Both could end up being good plays as they can both catch the ball out of the backfield and should combine to play the entire game. I wouldn’t be against playing both.

Keith Marshall RB, Redskins

Marshall was a stud recruit with 4.31 speed. There were a lot of reports that he could push Matt Jones for snaps during the season. The preseason will be a big test for the oft injured, talented back. However, looking closer at the usage of running backs by the Redskins I would stay away from him this week, he should be a popular play and you could gain points by fading him.

Wide Receiver

Charon Peake and Jalin Marshall WR, Jets

These guys are pretty big names, from big time schools. Peake was a 7th round draft pick from Clemson and was a 5-star high school recruit. Marshall is a smaller WR from Ohio State who fits ideally in the slot and as a returner. Both have been standouts in camp and are pushing for roster sports. They could both increase their chances of making the team with a big performance. The only thing stopping me from telling you to lock in one of these two guys in is the Jets currently have 12 WR on the roster (Though Devin Smith won’t play, Marshall and Decker only a series). They are both a risk but if you want to play a Jets WR this is the direction I would go.

Bennie Fowler WR, Broncos

He has recently passed Cody Latimer on the depth chart and has the inside track to start at the slot for the Broncos. He had several big preseason games last year and should see the field a lot for the top two quarterbacks. Also Sanchez is a big fan of slot WR which could play even more to his advantage.

Daniel Braverman WR, Bears

A standout college player from a small time school, this guy knows how to play football. He is a small receiver who looks like he should be in the slot, but he has been standing out in a big way in practice so far. He should get all the snaps he can handle as Jeffrey won’t play and I can’t imagine the Bears don’t ease Kevin White back in. I don’t think he will be on a lot of people’s radar and I think he screams big time performer for preseason.

Aaron Dobson and Malcom Mitchell WR, Patriots

With Amendola, Edelman, and Hogan all banged up it will be important to check the injury report before locking your lineup. The Patriots could be down to seven WR on the roster which would allow Dobson and Mitchell to get a lot of playing time. They are locked into a training camp battle for the WR X position. Mitchell a rookie out of Georgia has caught beat writers eye in practice, while Tom Brady has been feeding Dobson the ball

Devin Funchess WR, Panthers

He is a sleeper I like for the regular season as well as he really came on at the end of the season. He has a big body and should compete and win the number two WR job. I expect him to take control of that battle during the preseason. All reports from camp is that he has been the best WR on the field, and that is including Kelvin Benjamin. The Panthers do run more than any other team so even if he is on the field a lot there could still be better plays at WR. He offers as much upside though as any player on the slate.

Michael Thomas WR, Saints

Thomas was a star at Ohio State, and has been a star so far at practice. Saints beat reports are famous for over hyping a WR every season, but this time I am buying what they are selling. The Saints love to play their rookies a lot in the preseason, in order for them to adjust to the next level. I expect Thomas to spend much of the game involved and put up a nice stat line.

Justin Hardy, WR Falcons

Hardy played a ton last preseason and will likely play a ton again this year. He is currently the third WR on the depth chart, and the Falcons are desperate to develop weapons aside from Julio Jones. Hardy should play about a half worth of football making him one of the more attractive players on the slate.

Kenny Bell WR, Bucs

If you are looking for a GPP home run guy Bell could be your man. He is a big play threat who will be thrown the ball by Mike Glennon who has a big arm. Bell has looked good in camp and in a battle for the third WR position.

Tight Ends

Jace Amaro TE, Jets

The Tight end position can be very scarce among preseason DFS options. It is a position that doesn’t typically produce much during the preseason. The Jets have 5 tight ends on the roster, blocker only Kellen Davis, Zach Sudfeld, Brandon Bostick, Wes Saxton and Jace Amaro. Of all of these tight ends Amaro carries the most value. He is looking for something to prove after missing all of last season with a torn labrum. He has lost weight and has been a camp stand out according to reports. He should be on the field with both Fitzpatrick and Geno, and possibly even some time with Petty. He caught 100 balls his last year in college and should catch a few Thursday.

Jeff Heuerman TE, Broncos

Heading in his second season Heuerman is on pace to start in Gary Kubiaks TE friendly system. Last year Virgil Green played a lot and I would expect Heuerman to play even more. I would say he plays with both Sanchez and Siemian. Heuerman is currently even with Virgil Green for the starting gig, a big preseason game from Heuerman could make him the Broncos starter.

Maxx Williams TE Ravens

The Ravens spent a second round draft pick on Williams last season and he had a disappointing rookie campaign. For the most part you can throw away a tight ends rookie season as they are rarely successful. The Ravens haven’t given up on Williams, though they did sign Ben Watson. The Ravens have 5 TE on the roster, but three are currently banged up. Williams could be in line to play the entire game if things fall the right way. He left the practice field on Monday with an undisclosed injury that was believed the be serious. He is a guy that you need to make sure is playing, but if he is in the lineup he should be in yours.

Trey Burton TE, Eagles

The former Florida quarterback is entering his third season and has been tearing up camp. Reports have said he has been one of the best players in camp. They have even speculated that the Eagles tight ends are their best weapons and will be using a lot of three tight end sets. Burton will have every opportunity to prove himself this preseason and make a case for serious playing time.

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