NFL

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Preseason Helper: Week 2, Saturday

Typically, in Week 2 of the preseason, teams will play their starters around a quarter. However, that's not always the case, though, so it's necessary to sift through the news and figure out which players may project for high volume.

FanDuel's Saturday night preseason NFL slate gives us four games. Since every player on the slate has the same price tag, salary cap is not an issue.

With that said, let's look at several players who stand to benefit from injury situations and/or project to play a lot of snaps.

Quarterbacks

Patrick Mahomes – The reigning MVP is expected to play the first half. In Week 2 of the 2018 preseason, Mahomes threw for 138 yards along with one touchdown and one interception in a half of football. He can do a lot of damage against the Pittsburgh Steelers -- a defense we project to be fairly league average in 2019 -- in one half.

Joe Webb - Webb is poised for another big role in this week's game after Houston Texans coach, Bill O'Brien said the starters might not play. O'Brien may be content to sit the starters after they received 80 reps in joint practices with the Detroit Lions. With A.J. McCarron out last week (he's also sitting this week), Webb completed 25 of 40 passes for 286 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also ran for 47 yards on six carries.

Jarrett Stidham - Stidham was efficient in his first taste of professional football. The former Auburn Tigers' quarterback completed 14 of 24 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown against the Lions. Stidham should take plenty of snaps under center since Tom Brady probably won't play much, and Brian Hoyer is the only other quarterback on the roster.

Running Backs

Damien Williams – Williams is back at practice and getting goal-line work after missing the team’s preseason opener. Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough also pronounced Williams the team’s starting running back. Barring a setback, Williams should see plenty of snaps with the Chiefs' starters.

Darrell Henderson - After a lackluster debut (six carries for 17 yards), the rookie running back should get an increase in playing time, per reports. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said he wants to see more from the third-round pick.

Ty Johnson - By all accounts, the former Maryland running back has had a good camp, and the Lions think they've unearthed a steal in Johnson (a sixth-round pick in 2019). It appears that the Lions may give Johnson a significant amount of snaps in this week's game.

Others to consider: Nick Brossette, Darwin Thompson, Benny Snell Jr., Ty Johnson, Damarea Crockett, Karan Higdon, Mike Weber, Tony Pollard.

Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill – Hill should see action through the end of the first half along with the rest of KC's starters. The cheetah caught four passes for 87 yards and one touchdown in Week 2 of the 2018 preseason, playing the entire first half in that one.

Jakobi Meyers – The rookie out of North Carolina State Wolfpack had a monster game in the New England Patriots’ preseason opener. The pass catcher caught six out of eight targets for 69 yards and two touchdowns. With the New England Patriots receiving corp. thinning out due to injuries, Meyers will have plenty of opportunities in this week's game.

Tyron Johnson - The undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma State Cowboys is known for his elite speed. Johnson had two receptions for 48 yards on four targets in the team's preseason opener. He should receive ample playing time in this week's game.

Others to consider: Dontrelle Inman, Braxton Berrios, Chris Lacy, Devin Smith, Jon'Vea Johnson, Mike Thomas, Khadarel Hodge.

Tight Ends

Travis Kelce – Unlike most coaches, Andy Reid has no problem playing his starters for the entire first half in Week 2 of the preseason. The trio of Mahomes, Hill, and Kelce will be very popular tonight. Kelce caught one pass for 36 yards on one target in one quarter of action in last week’s preseason opener. He could do more -- a lot more -- today.

Codey McElroy - McElroy figures to receive a ton of snaps in this week's game. It appears that the Dallas Cowboys' top three tight ends will sit out. The 26-year-old rookie will look to build off the preseason opener in which he hauled in two passes for 24 yards (five targets).

Others to consider: Ryan Izzo, Johnny Mundt.



Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.