After an exciting first week of preseason games, we’re onto Week 2. Week 2 of the preseason, since they cut from four games back to three, has often been referred to as the “real” preseason, or the “dress rehearsal” for the season. Week 2 is generally the week we see more starters, and the week they see the most time. However, that won’t be the case for every team. Let’s dive into this 2026 NFL preseason Week 2 preview and best bets and find the best advantages we can for betting.
Week 2 of the preseason once again kicks off Thursday night. We have two games on tap for Thursday, three games on Friday, with a bulk of the action happening on Saturday, August 22nd. The Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans will square off on Sunday as the lone game giving us a taste of NFL football again on a Sunday night. It will be aired on Fox, though, not the typical “Sunday Night Football” programming on NBC.
The biggest news headed into Week 2 of the preseason is that the Houston Texans have decided to sit their starters. Originally, CJ Stroud and company were set for a solid workload against the Las Vegas Raiders. But wide receiver Jayden Higgins tore his ACL on Tuesday in a joint practice between the squads, and the Texans have decided to play it safe. A few starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, and Dak Prescott are among those already ruled out. Many others like Jalen Hurts, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, and Matthew Stafford are among those expected to either not play or play very little this week.
NFL Preseason Betting Trends: Every Head Coach’s Against the Spread Record
Las Vegas Raiders Over Houston Texans -1.5 (-108)
As mentioned in the open, the Texans have shifted their thought process after the Higgins injury and decided to sit their starters. It appears rookie #1 overall NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendonza will see a “significant” amount of playing time on Thursday evening. Mendonza looked great in his four drives in Week 1, and should be even more comfortable going up against the Texans backups. Preseason is the perfect time for the Raiders’ future star to ball out, and I fully expect the Texans to be conservative and not play anyone they expect to have a decent role on the team. Raiders roll on this one under the guidance of Fernando Mendonza.
Omarion Hampton Over 13.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
Omarion Hampton is confirmed to be playing in Thursday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers. The young star running back for the Chargers did not play Week 1, but the Chargers will be playing their starters here in Week 2. Hampton was mentioned on the team’s official website as #1 in the “players to watch” category. That’s certainly notable. It’ll only be one, maybe two series that Omarion plays, but that’s all we need. Jim Harbaugh loves to run the ball, and he wants to get his workhorse ready for the real Week 1. Four simple carries of 3.4 yards per carry, easy day! This is Hamoton’s tune-up game for the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers Over New York Jets +1.5 (-105)
Will Howard and Drew Allar are what have me excited for this game. The two young Steelers quarterbacks both looked very strong in Week 1 of the preseason. Howard, the former Ohio State quarterback, will get the start in this game. He went 7/9 for 86 yards last week. Allar is expected to see significant playing time as well. He impressed last week going 10/13 for 154 yards and three total touchdowns.
These two quarterbacks are duking it out for the backup role to Aaron Rodgers, and potentially the future starting job here in Pittsburgh. Both have a lot to play for. On the other side, Geno Smith may or may not start, but it doesn’t matter much either way. The Jets were in a good spot last week and still couldn’t even win a preseason game. Give me the better depth, better quarterback room, and better coaching as the underdog in this game.
New England Patriots Over Philadelphia Eagles +2.5 (-115)
I love good teams that are underdogs in the preseason. The New England Patriots highlight reels have been rolling in the two teams’ joint practices this week. We don’t know if starters are playing for either team; it looks unlikely for the Eagles and possible for the Patriots. Which would give New England an early game advantage if that was the case. Nick Sirianni has made it very clear he doesn’t care about the outcome of preseason games either. He’s strictly looking at the players more than the situations.
In the preseason, Sirianni is just 6-9-1 in his career in the preseason ATS. The Eagles got blown out by the Ravens last week to add to that loss column. Mike Vrabel, on the other hand, is just a winner through and through. Over his 12 seasons, he entered this year 7-3-2 ATS in preseason games. Add a cover last week as the Patriots were underdogs and secured the ATS win via a tie, moving Vrabel’s record to 8-3-2. The Patriots need good things on the field to talk about a rough off-season.
