This article will cover the Sunday preseason DFS slate, and our main goal is to identify players who will a) see quite a bit of playing time and b) who have a chance to excel. There are two important things to remember before finalizing your lineup:
1. Players are frequently deactivated, and often for no reason, 90 minutes before kickoff. This article will be written many hours before the inactive list comes out. It is recommended that you check the latest news page on RotoWire an hour before kickoff to make sure you players are active.
2. All salaries are the same for players during preseason.
My philosophy when handicapping players in the second week of preseason is that there are two types of players who tend to see significant action — second-string players battling for a job and rookies who need to be evaluated. Unlike next week's games, when starters usually play more than a half, we're still at the point where most backups will see the most playing time.
QUARTERBACK
Teddy Bridgewater (Saints vs. Chargers) - On a two-game slate, we don't have many options, but we do know that Bridgewater looked sharp playing the entire first half last week. Look for him to see significant work again this week. And after completing 14-of-19 passes for 134 yards and a TD last week, he could easily improve on those numbers as he could see more field time with the better skill-position players on the roster.
Honorable mention: Paxton Lynch (Seahawks vs. Vikings)-
RUNNING BACK
Alexander Mattison (Vikings vs. Seahawks) - After being selected in the third round of this year's draft to back up Dalvin Cook, Mattison ran for 3.3 yards per carry last week. He should match at least the nine carries he had last week, which will give him a path to volume and provide the potential for production, especially for a player who has 75th percentile explosiveness to go with average agility. It was also a bonus that he was targeted twice in the preseason opener, so if he can see a few targets, that'll boost his fantasy value even more.
Dwayne Washington (Saints vs. Vikings) - In the preseason opener, Washington made use of his above 80th percentile speed, explosiveness and burst by turning eight carries into 36 yards. As he finds himself in a battle for the No. 3 running back role on the Saints, he should see another strong workload, with much of that coming against backup defenders. Between opportunity and his physical ability, he could be in line for a productive performance.
Honorable mention: Mike Boone (Vikings vs. Seahawks)
WIDE RECEIVER
Tre'Quan Smith (Saints vs. Chargers) - It's common for starting caliber WRs to play two or fewer preseason games. Fortunately, the Saints seem to still be evaluating Smith, especially since teammate Ted Ginn doesn't seem to be going away. With 83rd percentile speed and 85th percentile explosiveness, he easily could take a downfield pass and take it to the house. And his chances increase as long as he's getting multiple targets like he did last week with three.
Malachi Dupre (Chargers vs. Saints) - Few WRs on this two-game slate can confidently project to see more than a pair of targets. With Dupre fighting for a roster spot, he'll need to follow his 2-32 performance from last week with another impressive outing. Should he get a repeat of last week's three targets, his above average speed and 96th percentile explosiveness could turn into a big play that he'd need to come through for fantasy.
DK Metcalf (Seahawks vs. Vikings) - Sure, Metcalf had just a single catch for four yards last week, but the Seahawks targeted him four times. Assuming he continues to see targets, he has elite-level speed and explosiveness, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he found the end zone this week.
Honorable mention: Chad Beebe (Vikings vs. Seahawks)
TIGHT END
Irv Smith Jr. (Vikings vs. Seahawks) - Few players last week were able to match the seven targets that Smith saw. Even though he caught just three for 21 yards, it's the opportunity that we're chasing. With the Minnesota coaches moving him all over the formation, he'll continue to be a volume-based lineup option.
DEFENSE
Saints (vs. Chargers) - It's unlikely we'll see a lot of the Chargers' first-team offense, and that's enough of a reason to look at the Saints defense on this small slate.
