This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
Saturday DFS Preview
There are nine NFL preseason games on the docket Saturday but the featured DFS slates consist of the five games with kickoffs after 7 p.m. EDT. Those five matchups are Chiefs-Jaguars, Buccaneers-Bengals, 49ers-Titans, Seahawks-Chargers and Saints-Cardinals.
Saturday's featured DraftKings contest is the $70k Preseason Special, with $15 entries and a $20k top prize, while FanDuel's $10k Saturday NFL Preseason Rush contest has $9 entries and $10k to first place. Below, we'll break down preseason DFS strategy and recommended targets from Saturday's five-game NFL slate.
Roster Strategy
Both DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one DST unit. DraftKings uses PPR scoring with bonuses for 100-yard receiving or rushing performances and 300-yard passing games, while FanDuel has 0.5 PPR scoring. All players have the same salary cap hit in preseason DFS contests, so this format is all about finding the highest scoring fantasy players rather than balancing production against cost.
Teams typically rest key starters for the entirety or vast majority of preseason games, especially early in the preseason, so the strategy for preseason DFS contests centers on targeting youngsters or fringe roster players that are likely to see extensive playing time and make the most of it. Our RotoWire NFL Optimizer can help you pinpoint top DFS targets, in addition to the players highlighted below.
Quarterback
Kyle Trask, TB at CIN: The Buccaneers have four QBs on the roster, but with Baker Mayfield expected to be held out Saturday and Zack Annexstad on the active/non-football injury list, only Trask and John Wolford will play. Trask will get the start, as the 2021 second-round pick out of Florida is looking to solidify his spot as Mayfield's top backup. He has yet to log a regular-season NFL start after throwing for 4,283 yards with a 43:8 TD:INT in his final college season back in 2020, but Trask has steadily improved his performance in preseason, averaging 104.0 passing yards per preseason game in 2021, 152.3 yards in 2022 and 169.7 in 2023.
Honorable Mentions:
Spencer Rattler (NO at ARI), Malik Willis (TEN vs. SF), Mac Jones (JAC vs. KC)
Running Back
Kimani Vidal, LAC vs. SEA: Vidal is getting some sleeper hype in redraft formats as a rookie sixth-round pick due to the potential opportunities to move up the depth chart in a rejiggered Chargers backfield led by Gus Edwards and the injury-prone J.K. Dobbins. Edwards and Dobbins are both intimately familiar with offensive coordinator Greg Roman's system from their days together in Baltimore, so the veteran running backs are unlikely to see many preseason reps. Vidal should thus get plenty of run as he tries to secure the third spot on the depth chart over Isaiah Spiller. In his last year at Troy, Vidal rushed for 1,661 yards and 18 TDs in 14 games.
Deneric Prince, KC at JAC: Prince is reportedly pushing Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the second spot on KC's running back depth chart, but it likely will take a strong preseason performance for Prince to unseat Edwards-Helaire as Isiah Pacheco's top backup considering Prince didn't log a touch on offense in 2023 and spent most of the season on the practice squad after latching on with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. With Prince in the mix for a more prominent role in 2024, it would make sense for the coaching staff to give him plenty of work in game situations given his lack of such experience at the NFL level to this point. Kansas City's starters are expected to play Saturday but probably will be limited to a quarter at most.
Honorable Mentions:
Michael Carter (ARI vs. NO), Tank Bigsby (JAC vs. KC), Bucky Irving (TB at CIN)
Wide Receiver
Jake Bobo, SEA at LAC: Bobo was a preseason standout in 2023, which helped him make Seattle's roster as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA. While his roster spot should be secure heading into 2024, Bobo is once again looking to make a preseason splash to help earn a bigger role after he mustered just 196 yards and two TDs in his rookie regular season. Bobo logged two starts last preseason and racked up seven catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns during the exhibition slate. Seattle's backup QBs also have significantly more recent NFL experience than the majority of players you'll see under center in the preseason, as Sam Howell and PJ Walker logged 19 regular-season starts between them in 2023, with Washington and Cleveland, respectively.
Andrei Iosivas, CIN vs. TB: Iosivas has stood out in training camp for the Bengals and has the inside track on the third wide receiver spot over rookie third-round pick Jermaine Burton in a WR room that no longer includes veteran slot receiver Tyler Boyd. The 2023 sixth-round draft pick has gotten reps in the slot as Boyd's potential heir apparent there, but he has also lined up on the outside regularly as Ja'Marr Chase continues to sit out practices amid his contract dispute. Iosivas likely will be a featured target early in the game for Joe Burrow, and it wouldn't be surprising if Iosivas played a few more drives even after Burrow gives way to Jake Browning and the rest of the backups under center.
Brenden Rice, LAC vs. SEA: Rice isn't the talent that his father Jerry Rice was, but the rookie seventh-round pick out of USC has a chance to land a roster spot with the Chargers. It's possible that delivering on game day just runs in the family, as Rice didn't particularly wow at the NFL Combine but managed to lead USC with 12 receiving touchdowns in 2023. Despite the shoddy state of L.A.'s QB room while Justin Herbert works through a foot injury, Rice could get plenty of volume Saturday and is effective in the red zone based on his production at USC.
Honorable Mentions:
Bub Means (NO at ARI), Jacob Cowing (SF at TEN), Kyle Philips (TEN vs. SF)
Tight End
Dallin Holker, NO at ARI: Holker was highly productive at Colorado State in 2023, racking up 767 yards and six touchdowns, but the tight end didn't hear his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft and ultimately signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent. With Juwan Johnson recovering from a foot injury, Holker has a chance to push for a roster spot. While his middling athleticism suggests Holker may have trouble getting open against better athletes at the NFL level, the level of competition he'll be facing in the preseason will be closer to what he thrived against at Colorado State. Johnson's sitting out, veteran Foster Moreau doesn't need many preseason snaps and Taysom Hill is neither a traditional tight end nor likely to play much, so Holker should see plenty of playing time.
Honorable Mentions:
Jared Wiley (KC at JAC), Brenton Strange (JAC vs. KC), Elijah Higgins (ARI vs. NO)
Defense/Special Teams
Seattle Seahawks at LAC: Herbert probably wasn't going to play much, anyway, but his foot injury insures that he won't be on the field Saturday, further adding to the turnover on offense for the Chargers. Not only are the Chargers learning a new playbook under coach Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman, but they are also integrating plenty of new personnel after losing WRs Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, RB Austin Ekeler and TE Gerald Everett in the offseason. With L.A. prioritizing process over results at this point, the combination of Easton Stick, Max Duggan, Casey Bauman and Luis Perez at QB likely will struggle to move the ball effectively against Seattle's defense. There's a reason this game has the lowest over/under in the main slate at 34.5 points on FanDuel Sportsbook, while the other four are all somewhere between 38.5 and 40.5.
Honorable Mentions:
New Orleans Saints at ARI, Arizona Cardinals vs. NO, Tennessee Titans vs. SF
