Welcome back for yet another FanDuel NFL Lineups column, the Preseason Week 1 Saturday night edition. We’re a Daily Fantasy Football column focused on top picks and best value for your weekly FanDuel NFL lineups. We arm you with information for a big FanDuel NFL payday each week.
After an action-packed Thursday night of preseason week one football, the NFL gave us two straight nights of three-game football for the weekend. But the limited schedule provides greater potential to nail down the right picks.
One unique part about tonight’s set of match ups is the fact that two of the six teams are now on their second preseason game. So while we’ve seen most teams fade their starters, or have a set starter schedule, the Cowboys and Cardinals are now in their second phase of preseason, potentially pushing their starters a little further or giving their young talent a long leash during the game.
Here’s a look at the scheduled games for the Preseason Week 1 Saturday slate:
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets (7:30pm EDT)
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams (9pm EDT)
Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals (10pm EDT)
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A reminder, with all players having a similar salary, we need to drop the value part of our picks for FanDuel NFL preseason. We are focused mostly on who has the most time on the field, but also may have the greatest opportunity for yards and touchdowns.
We’ll review each game, narrow down who will see the most time on the field, and highlight our top picks. We’ll also check an initial list of lineup picks for this slate.
FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 1 Saturday – Quarterbacks
Titans vs. Jets
Marcus Mariota ($6,000) hasn’t played a game since fracturing his fibula on Christmas Even last season. So coach Mularkey would like to start with Mariota on Saturday night, but his time should be limited. Matt Cassel ($6,000) could see considerable time after that, but it’s more likely we’ll see Alex Tanney ($6,000) and Tyler Ferguson ($6,000) for the bulk of the game. But with Mariota starting, most of the signal callers time will be limited for the Titans on Saturday.
For the Jets, Josh McCown ($6,000), Christian Hackenburg ($6,000), and Bryce Petty ($6,000) should all see a lot of time on the field, likely sharing nearly equal time as they are all fighting for the top two spots on the QB depth chart. However, none of these options are exciting as the Jets are in a bad place in almost every facet of the game.
Cowboys vs. Rams
While we could finally see Dak Prescott ($6,000) on the field for the Cowboys second preseason game, Kellen Moore ($6,000) should get the majority of the snaps Saturday. Luke McCown ($6,000) and Cooper Rush ($6,000) are also a strong consideration at quarterback.
The Rams are also an intriguing quarterback option under the new coaching of Sean McVay. Jared Goff ($6,000) is returning for his second season and is fighting to prove he’s finally ready for the starting spot. Goff should get a good amount of time on the field with the starters and second line receivers. Sean Mannion ($6,000) and Dan Orlovsky ($6,000) will likely see most of their time in the second half.
Raiders vs. Cardinals
Like the Cowboys, the Cardinals are playing their second preseason game of the year, and we could see Carson Palmer ($6,000) on the field for a short period. If Palmer doesn’t get some time on the field, Drew Stanton ($6,000) will start, but could see time after Palmer as well. But the heavy snap-count will be aligned to Blaine Gabbert ($6,000) and Trevor Knight ($6,000), each fighting for a third QB spot on the roster.
Raiders fans are eager to see Derek Carr ($6,000) back on the field. But Connor Cook ($6,000) and EJ Manual ($6,000) are going to get a lot of action on Saturday night, with Cook likely getting a long look.
FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 1 Saturday – Running Backs
Titans vs. Jets
Don’t expect DeMarco Murray to take the field on Saturday night, but we could see a heavy early dose of Derrick Henry ($6,000). While there’s also three young rookie running backs on the depth chart, they’ll share carries in the second half and David Fluellen ($6,000) is a better target for the running back pick Saturday night.
With Matt Forte and Bilal Powell each taking a seat on Saturday night, look for Elijah McGuire ($6,000) and Jordan Todman ($6,000) to get a heavy dose of running chances and passing targets from the Jets.
Cowboys vs. Rams
The Cowboys may be repealing Elliott’s six-game suspension, but they’re definitely thinking about how to replace Zeke for the first seven weeks of this 2017 season. So we should expect to see Darren McFadden ($6,000) start the game with several carries followed by a heavy dose of Alfred Morris ($6,000) and Ronnie Hillman ($6,000).
Todd Gurley ($6,000) should get several looks as the Rams are trying to get Gurley back on track. But Malcom Brown ($6,000) is going to see the majority of the carries through the four quarters of this game, with a long list of backs getting carries toward the end of the third quarter and through the fourth.
Raiders vs. Cardinals
Raiders fans are dying to see a glimpse of Marshawn Lynch ($6,000) on the field in silver and black, and that’s exactly what they’ll see. We could see Lynch offer a signature mean burst on the field to start the game for a touchdown, but we don’t suspect he’ll get much playing time, if suited at all.
Jalen Richard ($6,000) and DeAndre Washington ($6,000) are more likely to see a lot of carries in the first half, and are worth a pick. But rookie Elijah Hood ($6,000) should see the most time and has the greatest potential for FanDuel NFL points on Saturday from the Raiders tail-backs.
David Johnson ($6,000) didn’t play in the first preseason game, but he could hit the field Saturday night. But don’t expect the Cardinals to feature their signature back this early in the preseason. Andre Ellington ($6,000) got five carries an and two receptions for 32 total yards and a touchdown. Ellington could see more touches in the second game and is a great target, but he’s likely out by the end of the second quarter.
I’d love to see TJ Logan again, but he’s out with an injury sustained in the first preseason game. The aging Chris Johnson ($6,000) probably won’t see my preseason game-time, but Kerwynn Williams ($6,000) looked good against the Cowboys and should see another solid set of carries Saturday night.
FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 1 Saturday – Wide Receivers
Titans vs. Jets
It’s likely the Titans will want to see Rishard Matthews ($6,000) and Eric Decker ($6,000) on the field with Mariota to start the game. Matthews and Decker could see enough productivity from that time to lay down some great FanDuel NFL points. But Taywan Taylor ($6,000), Tajae Sharpe ($6,000), and Harry Douglas ($6,000) are a better bet for high number of targets Saturday.
I don’t like the Jets quarterback situation and their wide receiver depth chart is a joke. There may be some hidden talent in that group, and there will likely be some receivers emerging with a few targets, some yards, and a touchdown. But it’s very hard to pin-point who those receivers will be, so I’m fading the Jets receivers Saturday night.
Cowboys vs. Rams
With Goff likely getting a decent amount of time on the field, I expect Robert Woods ($6,000) and Cooper Kupp ($6,000) to get plenty of meaningful targets. Kupp is a hot name in camp and he could see the most targets among the three wide outs.
While Dak could make an appearance on the field Saturday night, Brice Butler‘s injury means Andy Jones ($6,000) and Ryan Switzer ($6,000) should get the most meaningful targets for the Cowboys on Saturday night. Switzer sat out of the Hall of Fame game with a Hamstring, so you need to keep an eye on his status if you’re playing him.
Raiders vs. Cardinals
While Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper could see some targets early in the game, it’s more likely they sit this one out. The top two targets for the Raiders should be Cordarrelle Patterson ($6,000) and Seth Roberts ($6,000), with Roberts fighting for the most targets and on the cusp of a big receiver role for the Raiders.
Brittan Golden ($6,000), Marquis Bundy ($6,000), and Jeremy Ross ($6,000) all had great games against the Cowboys during the Hall of Fame game. The Cardinals should continue to give looks their way on Saturday night, but we may see JJ Nelson ($6,000) and John Brown ($6,000) in the first quarter or two as well.
FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 1 Saturday – Tight End / Kicker / Defense
For the tight end spot, we had great results from Rico Gathers ($6,000) last week, and its difficult to find a better option on Saturday night. Gathers showed some promise last season, and there’s a rumor around camp he could be the future of the tight end position in Dallas. During the Hall of Fame game, Rico landed the first touchdown, and I expect the Cowboys to target Gathers again on Saturday.
For the kicker spot tonight, there is fortunately plenty of easier options. It’s sometimes hard to know who’s going to get a shot at the field goals, but most of our kickers on Saturday have no competition. That’s certainly the case for Ryan Succop ($6,000) who will have plenty of opportunities against the Jets.
While we’re targeting the Jets with offense, we’ll continue to target them on Defense. The Jets appear to be sold on the ‘Trust the Process’ approach to building a team, but for the NFL. Their depth chart is atrocious and I feel bad for their fans this season. It’s preseason, so anything can happen, but we’ve noticed a trend of good defenses dominating bad teams in week one, so we’re going to keep riding that trend with the Titans defense on Saturday night.
So after reviewing all the options, we put together our favorite lineup for the night. Here’s a look at our Final FanDuel NFL Preseason Week 1 Saturday Lineup:
QB – Goff (LAR)
RB – Morris (DAL)
RB – Fluellen (TEN)
WR – Kupp (LAR)
WR – Douglas (TEN)
WR – Roberts (OAK)
TE – Gathers (DAL)
K – Succop (TEN)
D – Tennessee Titans
Once again, we have $6,000 left over, but there’s no way to avoid it. Still, we have FanDuel to thank for finding a way to make the first week of preseason a more enjoyable event!
Next: Dolphins Fantasy Breakout, Bust, or Sleeper
Good luck with your FanDuel NFL plays Saturday, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!