NFL Preseason Football Week 4 DFS Picks & Strategy (DraftKings, FanDuel)

DFS Picks NFL Preseason Week 4
Keelan Doss knows he’s everyone’s favorite from Hard Knocks.

Alas, the final week of Preseason NFL is upon us! With just over ONE WEEK AWAY from kickoff to the regular season, the excitement and anticipation skyrockets as our season-long and Best Ball drafts propel the urge to whet the pallet a few days ahead of time with some Daily Fantasy entries before the Fantasy Player Salary Cap is actually something to worry about when filling out your Week 1 rosters.

The final outing of the preseason feels like the Wild West of DFS when it comes to finding the opportunity volumes for fantasy production, but there are some guiding lights when it comes to roster positions remaining to be fought for (along with potential depth chart leap-frogging) across the league. Plus we’ve got all 32 teams suiting up for this slate, so there are several opportunistic plays to weigh at your discretion when comprising your given roster construction. And as I alluded to, don’t forget this is the last week you can pick players at will without having to keep fantasy salary caps in the forefront of your roster considerations. Spend away if you like the player!

Let’s delve into our angles of approach for this slate first before finally getting to a few of the player options at hand within a feasible scope of playability.

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The Gameplan

Discovering a gold mine of opportunity volume may seem difficult to pinpoint this week. But looking back on the flow of the first three weeks of action, combined alongside reports from practices, we’re steered in some sort of direction with who is fighting for positions before the 53-man roster cut (from potentially 90 players total per team) which comes at 4 p.m. ET on this Saturday, August 27th. The other thing to keep in mind is that ownership should be fairly spread out, especially considering the full display of 16 games that we’ll have to roster from.

The ultimate guideline to retain is avoiding any first string players in general, as they should see little to no playing time and are not worth rostering. With that being said, even second string is going to be tapered back significantly as this week is putting a magnifying glass on third and fourth string players vying to retain their jobs and potentially take a step up on the depth chart, depending on the circumstances of the given team and how the player performed in preseason with their share of opportunities to this point. There will also be another portion of players who are already deemed to be on rosters yet are trying to carve out a niche role for themselves within their standout abilities.

The distribution of snaps per position will be contingent on the coaching staffs of course, but I’ll be aiming in the direction of the low-mid tiers of each team’s positional depth and dig into some blurbs from team practices that may suggest which direction opportunity volume will be headed.

Quarterback

Jarrett Stidham (New England Patriots)

Well, it’s looking like a leapfrog scenario on the Patriots depth chart may be in mid-form (and no shit, not with Tom Brady). Brian Hoyer is still the listed next-in-line at quarterback behind Brady but the Patriots preseason has been dominated by the rookie out of Auburn. Brian Hoyer is serviceable as a backup but there is much to be proven by Stidham, hence why I feel there will be a solid amount of volume for him.

Throughout the entire Preseason, Stidham has a 69.4 completion percentage on 43 completions on 62 attempts, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. I believe he’ll be looking to make his case to eventually take over as backup to TB12, and should get at least a half of playing time in this exhibition finale against the New York Giants.

I would consider him for both Cash Games as well as GPP’s, and will likely make have the most ownership exposure to Stidham (sure, call me a homer).

Trace McSorley (Baltimore Ravens)

Fighting to retain a spot with the Ravens, who are up-in-the-air about rostering a third quarterback behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III, Trace McSorley is seeking to put on full display why he should be worthy to be one out of Baltimore’s 53 players.

Despite a shaky first outing following up Lamar Jackson in Week 1 of Preseason (9/22, 85 YDS, 1 INT), he’s since combined for a 65.8 completion percentage on 27 completions of 41 attempts, two touchdowns, and one interception in his last two outings. He’s started showing confidence in reading defenses and directing the Ravens offense from week to week since the questionable beginning.

That’s not to say Joe Callahan couldn’t get his share of snaps as well, but I think that McSorley will be the one on majority share of volume and everything from Ravens camp seems to be pointing in the very direction of opportunity for McSorley on Thursday night.

Running Back

Boston Scott (Philadelphia Eagles)

While the distribution here could also end up going to Josh Adams, Corey Clement, and Donnel Pumphrey, I believe based on his sturdy outing in Week 2 against the Jaguars with 43 yards rushing on 7 carries and a touchdown, he may get one more opportunity to showcase in a crowded backfield on Thursday against the New York Jets.

He was signed in hopes of having special teams fortitude, but has seemed to not be turning out as hoped in that regard. The projected running backs to comprise the Philadelphia backfield to are Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Corey Clement, and Darren Sproles. With three of them likely not playing (or possibly all four), the remaining three backs will be left to fight it out.

I would say this is strictly a GPP play since we aren’t quite sure on how much action each of these bottom-tier backs will garner a piece.

Trey Edmunds (Pittsburgh Steelers)

At the same time that Benny Snell Jr. will be presumably be the third back listed on the roster, Coach Mike Tomlin has already been outspoken about the role that he’s seeking for him to showcase on Thursday night in the special teams on kickoff and punt returns. Tomlin even said that his usage may surprise people assuming he’ll get touches.

Which means Trey Edmunds, Malik Williams, and Joshua Dobbs should fill out the majority share of carries for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. You could honestly make a case for any of the three here, and is another GPP play regardless of the selection due to the uncertainty in that regard.

I would lean with Edmunds though, based on the consistency and productivity, as he’s battling for his spot as a long shot alongside Williams and Dobbs.

Wide Receiver

Reggie White Jr. (New York Giants)

Showing some promising spark with a handful of big boom plays during the Preseason, Reggie White may be on the outside looking in when in comes to the final roster cuts, with Brittan Golden, Russell Shepard, and Alonzo Russell all standing in the way of his making the team.

White has amassed 100 yards on just six catches through the Preseason so the value is certainly there. Yet he hasn’t provided much demonstrative worth in the Special Teams category to this point and he’ll have to provide reason in his favor on Thursday when he’ll likely get a solid number of snaps on the field. He could potentially see his share on special teams also, which could hopefully lead to a breakout touchdown.

While any of the above receivers could be placed in your player pool for roster consideration, based on the circumstances of looming desperation, things look as if Reggie White could receive a bulk of last chance opportunities.

Keelan Doss (Oakland Raiders)

Proving himself a standout stud for the Raiders throughout the Preseason, Keelan Doss has been nothing short of consistent in his strides on the field. The rookie has been smashing to the combined tune of eleven receptions on fourteen targets, 99 receiving yards, along with a touchdown in his three games of action.

The Raiders offense during Preseason has been flowing, and Doss has been a steady piece to that mix while melding his way firmly into the 53-man roster. Even though he may be well-proven in the small window of time he’s had to display his ability fit to the team, I believe he’ll still have snaps to prove even further on Thursday night.

I would roster Doss in Cash Games along with GPP’s. However, De’Mornay Pierson-El would seemingly be a viable candidate to roster in GPP formats as well.

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Tight End

Dan Arnold (NO)

Don’t get me wrong: this guy has made some [crucial] drops. Just ask Saints fans. But Dan Arnold is in a positional battle for a third spot on the tight end depth chart (or possibly fourth if coaches deem the additional position necessary) with five-year veteran A.J. Derby, who is also totally considered rosterable.

Despite a lackluster Week 2 of the Preseason, Arnold amounted for two receptions on two targets for 27 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, and led the team in receptions in Week 3 of exhibition with five receptions on six targets and 83 receiving yards. And there’s nothing like a [positional] war to keep your job in order to get your gears burning.
I expect to see more of the same in this Saints Preseason finale at home against the Dolphins, and would play Arnold in both Cash Games and GPP’s alike.

For a limited time at DraftKings.com, both new and existing users can get a deposit bonus up to $500! Enter promo code SGP!
New users ALSO get a FREE shot at ONE MILLION DOLLARS with your first deposit! Just enter promo code SGP!

Other Picks

• Daniel Jones (QB, New York Giants)
• Mack Brown (RB, Oakland Raiders)
• C.J. Prosise (RB, Seattle Seahawks)
• Jakobi Meyers (WR, New England Patriots)
• Greg Dortch (WR, New York Jets)
• Jeremy Sprinkle (TE, Washington Redskins)

 

NFL Preseason Football Week 4 Daily Fantasy Picks

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