FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Hall of Fame Slate

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The first preseason slate for FanDuel NFL is honestly underwhelming.  We only have four games to pick through, and most of the top players on each team are already confirmed to be sitting during the game.  So picking the best options is going to be extremely difficult.  Also, with most of the players handed the same salary, $6,000, the value component is irrelevant.  Your focus should be centered on who will have the most time on the field, and while on the field the biggest impact to the game.

Here’s a look at the scheduled games for the HoF slate:

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals – Thursday, August 3rd (8pm EDT)

Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers – Wednesday, August 9th (7:30pm EDT)

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So, before you pull up your lineup options and get super excited that Cam Newton is priced at the same salary as Cooper Rush, hold off on immediately picking Cam.  Between the four teams within this slate, it’s extremely likely the top two quarterbacks on each team’s depth chart will not be playing in their team’s first preseason game.  So who will be playing?  And who will likely get the most time?  Let’s investigate.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Hall of Fame Slate – Quarterbacks

Arizona Cardinals

With Palmer and Stanton already confirmed to take the night off, all eyes should immediately point to Blaine Gabbert ($6,000) and Trevor Knight ($6,000) as the top two quarterback options for the Cardinals.  It’s likely Gabbert starts the game and plays at least the first quarter, if not the first half.

Last season, Blaine played in six games for the San Francisco 49ers, including five starts, and averaged 13.2 FanDuel NFL points.  However, that number is impaired by a short ten throw stint against the Bears in Chicago, leading to only 1.5 FanDuel NFL points.  It’s hard to identify Knight’s impact, likely in the second half.

Trevor was a tremendous talent in college football, but we don’t know what we’re getting with Knight in his first start.  To be safe, if you like the Cardinals offense during the HoF game, go with Gabbert.

Dallas Cowboys

With Prescott taking the night off, it’s easy to want to jump to Kellen Moore ($6,000) with the Cowboys stout offensive line and tremendous rushing game, opening up the passing lanes for Moore.  Kellen suffered a terrible broken ankle injury this time last season, ending his 2016 season quickly.

With the Cowboys likely keeping Moore on a tight leash, this will likely be the Cooper Rush ($6,000) show.  Rush was a tremendous talent at Central Michigan and there’s hype he could immediately hop Moore into the backup quarterback position, to Prescott.  I don’t like the Cardinals defense, so I’m fading the Cowboys offense, but Rush is your best QB option from the Cowboys.

Carolina Panthers

There’s absolutely no chance the Panthers are starting Newton with a bad shoulder, so expect to see Joe Webb ($6,000) and Garrett Gilbert ($6,000) under center for the Panthers in their preseason debut.

Webb is a jack-of-all-trades, playing quarterback, and at times wide receivers, for the Vikings and is now backing up Newton and Anderson.  With neither of the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart likely to play this preseason game, Webb should get the nod to start.  Webb and Gilbert are in a battle for the third spot, and the Panthers have plenty of young talent around them on the field Wednesday night.  Even with a good Texans defense, either play could be a good option at quarterback.

Houston Texans

Deshaun Watson ($6,000), Brandon Weeden ($6,000), and Tom Savage ($6,000) are the top three quarterbacks in this slate.  Savage and Weeden both have great NFL experience and Watson is the hottest rookie quarterback in camp this summer.  There’s already buzz Watson could be better than expected, and many believe he could start quickly this season.  We should see all three on the field, but Watson will likely get the most time.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Hall of Fame Slate – Running Backs

Arizona Cardinals

While David Johnson won’t be on the field, the Cardinals play-calling suits Andre Ellington ($6,000) well, and we could see a lot of catches from Ellington out of the backfield on Thursday night.  The Cardinals also like to use the two-running back set, and when they do so, Chris Johnson ($6,000) is often used.  But given Johnson’s age, I’m skeptical we’ll see him on the field often.

TJ Logan ($6,000) is very likely to see the bulk of the carries in the second half of the HoF game, and could be the biggest winning of the carries that night.  If you’re looking at stacking the Cardinals RB’s, I’d go Ellington and Logan.

Dallas Cowboys

Last season, Rod Smith ($6,000) was mostly slated in the fullback position, but saw the field more than Alfred Morris ($6,000).  This season, the Cowboys are plugging Smith back into the tailback position to see what he can do, and Smith is already expected to skip over Morris for the third spot on the depth chart at RB.

Either Smith or Morris is a great play for the HoF game.  Both will likely see the ball often, have a great offensive line ahead of them, and the Cardinals are better at attacking the pass than the run. Between the two, I like Smith the most, but stacking Smith and Morris is also a good idea.

Carolina Panthers

While everyone is excited to see Christian McCaffrey ($6,000) on the field in Carolina, I’m skeptical he gets a bunch of carries, or passes, in their first preseason game, to keep McCaffrey fresh for the season and use him mostly in the third preseason match up.

We should see Chrisitan often to start the game, but the Panthers will likely quickly flip the bulk of the tailback work over to Fozzy Whittaker ($6,000) and Cameron Artis-Payne ($6,000).  With the Texans defending the Panthers run, I’d stay away from the Panthers running game, but Whittaker and Artis-Payne should be your best bet if you’re stock on Carolina’s offense.

Houston Texans

D’Onta Foreman ($6,000) is by far my favorite running back tonight.  Foreman was arrested earlier this summer on marijuana and possession of unlawful firearm charges, but hasn’t been suspended…yet.  So you know the Texans are going to want to test-drive their hot young tailback talent as much as possible in the preseason.  Akeem Hunt ($6,000) should also see a lot of field time, and this stack is one of my favorites.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Hall of Fame Slate – Wide Receivers

Unfortunately, it’s going to be easy to miss at the WR position.  Each team will likely spread the targets around the receiving corp, and there’s a big luck factor in a receiver scoring.  However, after pouring through each team’s depth charts and reviewing their camps, we can highlight the guys we believe have the best chances of seeing the most targets, and time in the end zone.

Arizona Cardinals

There’s a ton of hype around Chad Williams ($6,000) in the Cardinals camp.  I expect Williams should see the bulk of the targets against the Cowboys and has the best potential for a 100 yard game and a touchdown.

However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cards target Jeremy Ross ($6,000) often for the first half of the game, and Brittan Golden ($6,000) is fitting hard to climb the WR depth chart.

Dallas Cowboys

After watching him tear up the open field against ACC defenses for the last several years, we’re very excited to see Ryan Switzer ($6,000) fill into a Beasley-type role.  Unfortunately, it looks very unlikely we’ll see Switzer on the field against the Cardinals, but keep him in your back pocket for the following week.

That presents opportunities for guys like Brice Butler ($6,000), Andy Jones ($6,000), and Noah Brown ($6,000) to see the bulk of the targets.  Butler should see most of his playing time in the first half, but could have a big one.  Jones and Brown could be active from the middle of the second quarter through the rest of the game, and have potential for big games, but all three are facing a tough set of defense backs.

Carolina Panthers

With Benjamin and Funchess likely limited, Keyarris Garrett ($6,000), Austin Duke ($6,000), and Damiere Byrd ($6,000) should get plenty of targets in the Panthers offense.  Byrd is making a play for a top four receiver spot on the roster, while Garrett and Duke are two hot rookie names in camp.  While Shepard should see some looks too, my favorite pair among this group is Byrd and Garrett, two guys the Panthers want to see excel quickly.

Houston Texans

With Watson as our favorite quarterback, I love the Texans young receiving corps the most as well. Jaelen Strong ($6,000) and Braxton Miller ($6,000) are returning for their sophomore seasons and have a ton of athletic talent, and Justin Hardee ($6,000) has the potential to emerge as a top wide receiver a few years from now, so he’ll get plenty of targets.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Hall of Fame Slate – Tight End / Kicker / Defense

With limited options at tight end, and the likelihood some of these picks won’t even see the field, my favorite pick is Dallas Cowboys Rico Gathers ($6,000).

Gathers is floating around the third spot on the Tight End depth chart, and is not only fighting for a roster spot but looking to back up Witten.  While that may seem like a lofty goal, there is a lot of hype surrounding the fan-favorite from training camp, and the Cowboys will likely target Rico often during the Hall of Fame game.

With only four games on the slate, picking a kicker or defensive team is sort of dice-roll. However, I expect the Cardinals defense to do well against the lower-end of the Cowboys depth chart, and Bailey will likely get a lot of kicking opportunities, so I’m picking each for my lineup.

Here’s a look at our Final Lineup:

QB – Watson (HOU)

RB – Ellington (ARI)

RB – Logan (ARI)

WR – Strong (HOU)

WR – Miller (HOU)

WR – Hardee (HOU)

TE – Gathers (DAL)

K – Bailey (DAL)

D – Arizona Cardinals

We have $6,000 left over, but we can blame FanDuel for that.  There’s no way to avoid it.  Still, we should also thank FanDuel for finding a way to make the Hall of Fame game a more enjoyable event.

Next: Top Five Rookie Running Backs

Good luck with your FanDuel NFL plays today, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!