FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 2 Thursday

Welcome to the FanDuel NFL Lineups column for Week two of the NFL Preseason.  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.

Thursday night provides a three game slate, allowing us to focus on only six teams and narrow our options down at each position more easily.  This slate provides plenty of good defense, challenging our offensive options, but also allowing us to stack against the few bad defenses on the field Thursday night.

After seeing the majority of the teams play third string, or later, players on their depth charts for the bulk of the time on the field, we could see more time from the top two lines on Thursday, as each team is approaching their week three preseason dress-rehearsal games.  So we may try to target some starters, but we’re still expecting most of the production to come later in the game.

Here’s a look at the scheduled games for the Preseason Week 2 Thursday slate:

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins (7pm EDT)

Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles (7pm EDT)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Jacksonville Jaguars (8pm EDT)

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A reminder, with all players having a similar salary ($6,000), 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 2 Thursday – Quarterbacks

Ravens vs. Dolphins

Several Dolphins beat writers have confirmed Jay Cutler ($6,000) will be starting Thursday night. Cutler has taken every first-team snap during camp, since joining the team, and the Dolphins will obviously want to test-drive their new offensive leader before the start-of-season dry run in week three.

So, Cutler could see a lot of time on the field Thursday.  With some great offensive targets, Jay is a decent option at quarterback, even with limited time.

Matt Moore ($6,000) only had one throwing opportunity last week, so while Cutler is starting, we can expect to see more of Matt on the field Thursday, likely most of the second quarter and maybe into the third.  Brandon Doughty ($6,000) and David Fales ($6,000) were exciting options last week, but with limited time and weaker talent, I’m more interested in Cutler and Moore from the Dolphins.

With Flacco out all preseason, we could see another heavy dose of Ryan Mallett ($6,000) for the Ravens. Mallett had a few great passes, but had a lot of bad on the field too.  While the Dolphins struggled on defense last season, it was mostly with the run game.  Josh Woodrum ($6,000) looked solid toward the end of the game last week, and he’s the best QB option from the Ravens.

Bills vs. Eagles

The Bills quarterback rotation may not seem drastically different from last week.  Former Hokies start quarterback, Tyrod Taylor ($6,000) should see one or two series.  I wouldn’t rule out an entire quarter either.  But with week three still available for a dress-rehearsal, we will see more of TJ Yates ($6,000) and Nathan Peterman ($6,000).

With Peterman getting most of the time last week, the Bills likely leave Yates out on the field for the bulk of the game against an inexperienced and historically bad pass defense.  Yates is a great quarterback play on Thursday.

Carson Wentz ($6,000) and the Eagles first offensive unit looked solid to start the game last week, and Pederson confirmed he’ll have Carson starting the game and playing several series with Alshon Jeffrey.  So Wentz could be one of the better plays Thursday night, as the Eagles continue to develop the report between Wentz and his new receivers.

However, Wentz shouldn’t have many yards and with Nick Foles likely out again this week, Matt McGloin ($6,000) and Dane Evans ($6,000) will get the bulk of the time.  Evans didn’t see as much time on the field last week so Dane is your best shot at the most action under center for the Eagles.

Buccaneers vs. Jaguars

Last week, Jameis Winston ($6,000) led the Buccaneers with the most passing yards and tied with the most passing attempts, thirteen.  Last season, the Bucs had Winston start the game in preseason week two and he lasted most of the first quarter.  I expect that’ll happen again.

We could see more from Sefo Liufau ($6,000) and Ryan Griffin ($6,000).  But with three more quarterbacks to use after Winston gets the first few series, Jameis is the best of the four on Thursday against a very good passing defense.

Blake Bortles ($6,000) should get another start but he is struggling during preseason and don’t expect many great plays while he’s under center.  The Buccaneers pass defense is one of the worst in football, so Blake may have a great series, but I’m more interested to see what Chad Henne ($6,000) does after a great start last week.  Brandon Allen ($6,000) should get some good looks as well, but expect Chad to be more productive against a struggling Bucs defensive backfield.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 2 Thursday – Running Backs

Ravens vs. Dolphins

Terrance West ($6,000) appears to be the lead back for the Ravens and had a productive 23 yards on five carries and a touchdown in the Ravens first quarter last week.  Danny Woodhead ($6,000) could get some carries, but is more likely to get some passing targets in the second game after a quiet first week.

But it’s hard to avoid the UVA Cavalier rookie’s production last week, Taquan Mizell ($6,000) last week.  With a 3.4 yards per carry, Taquan’s average was only behind West among all the Ravens running backs in week one, and the Ravens went to Mizell 15 times for 51 yards.  The Ravens may be testing each young back in the second half of each game, but it’s likely they’re very interested in keeping Taquan on the squad this season.

Finally cleared from a concussion, Jay Ajayi ($6,000) would be a5 risk to play on Thursday, as Adam Gase has yet to confirm he’ll play, and it’s more likely they’ll be cautious with the young back. Damien Williams ($6,000) and Kenyan Drake ($6,000) should see most of the carries in the first half, followed by another heavy dose from Storm Johnson ($6,000) or De’Veon Smith ($6,000). But outside of Ajayi, this backfield is unimpressive and they’re facing one of the best run defenses in the NFL.  Dolphins running backs are a heavy fade.

Bills vs. Eagles

LeSean McCoy ($6,000) would be a great option in Philly.  The veteran star running back for the Bills would run hard against his old team, but don’t expect to see much from McCoy on the field Thursday.  Sean McDermott was in Philly with McCoy and already knows what he can do and will want to give his vet some rest.

That narrows our Bills running back options down to Jonathan Williams ($6,000) and Joe Banyard ($6,000).  We were high on Banyard last week, but he only had 17 yards on five carries.  But Joe also had two receptions for nine yards.  Still, the Eagles defense and defensive line is very good, and appears to be getting better, so I’m fading the Bills running backs on Thursday night.

The Eagles running backs did very little against the Packers defense last week, but that should change in Philly against the Bills terrible run defense.  Doug Pederson said second year Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood ($6,000) is a game-time decision, which is an odd comment for preseason.  We can’t imagine Smallwood sees time on the field Thursday.

The Eagles already know what they have in Darren Sproles ($6,000), so like McCoy, I wouldn’t expect the coaching staff to push Darren during preseason.  So that narrows the first half carries down to LaGarrette Blount ($6,000) and Donnell Pumphrey ($6,000) with Corey Clement ($6,000) and Byron Marshall ($6,000) sharing the second half.  Pumphrey struggled to keep the ball in his hands and the Eagles may try to push him to make him more comfortable with each carry.  But Blount could also have a very good start, and offer a lot of FanDuel NFL point production in a short time.  Either is a great play on Thursday.

Buccaneers vs. Jaguars

The Jags have one of the most intriguing set of backs on Thursday night and are facing last season’s 22nd best run defense.  Corey Grant ($6,000) exploded last week with 120 yards on eight carries and a touchdown, due mostly to a 79 yard run for a touchdown in the third quarter. Overall, Grant looked very good on the field and the Jags should want to see a lot out of Corey again on Thursday night.

Leonard Fournette is one of my favorite stories to watch this preseason, and he did not disappoint last week, with 31 yards on nine carries and his first touchdown.  But Fournette has a foot injury and is sitting the game out on Thursday.  So, the bulk of the early carries will go to Chris Ivory ($6,000) and TJ Yeldon ($6,000).  Ivory is the proven veteran and should see less carries than Yeldon, who’s now fighting for a role on the team.  A Yeldon/Grant stack on Thursday at running back is a smart play against a bad run defense.

Since Doug Martin ($6,000) is out for the first three weeks of the regular season due to a PED suspension, he may see a lot of work this preseason.  Martin only saw four carries last week, but the Bucs may push for more this week, and he’s a solid option.

Among the other options in the Bucs crowded backfield, Jeremy McNichols ($6,000) and Peyton Barber ($6,000) have a shot at a productive heavy load of carries in the second half of the game.

McNichols is a talented rookie from Boise State, like Martin, and has enormous upside.  Jeremy averaged six yards per carry last week, on only two attempts.  Barber had eight carries last week and may continue to get a lot of looks on Thursday.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 2 Thursday – Wide Receivers

Ravens vs. Dolphins

While Tim White ($6,000) and CJ Board ($6,000) were the only two Ravens receivers with 30+ yards last week, they each only had one reception.  With 14 passes, the Ravens targeted eleven receivers making them a less than ideal receiving target for FanDuel NFL on Thursday night.

However, like last week, our favorite target is Quincy Abedoyejo ($6,000), who had two receptions for 24 yards last week.  Abedoyejo has some hype surrounding him in camp and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Ravens continue to look his way often in the second half.

The Dolphins shouldn’t target their starting receivers often until next week, but DeVante Parker ($6,000) could see some looks as he’s trying to build on his disappointing first two seasons.  The more intriguing options for the Dolphins are Demore’ea Stringfellow ($6,000) and Leonte Carroo ($6,000).  Carroo had a 33 yard touchdown and Stringfellow had a 99 yard touchdown, totaling 116 yards on two receptions against the Falcons.  Both should get several looks from the Dolphins tonight to see how consistently they can keep up this production.

Bills vs. Eagles

Last week, we were high on Eagles rookie Mack Hollins ($6,000) and he rewarded us with four receptions, 64 yards, and a touchdown.  With the trade Jordan Matthews to the Bills, who are ironically playing the Eagles on Thursday, many think Hollins could fill in for Matthews as the new slot receiver.  While Alshon Jeffrey ($6,000) will finally get some time with Wentz in a game, I expect the Eagles will extend Hollins time further and allow Mack to have another several targets.

We could see some Eagles targets to Torrey Smith ($6,000) and Nelson Agholor ($6,000), but speedy Bryce Treggs ($6,000) had seven receptions for 91 yards last week and is fighting for a role in a now crowded set of receivers.  The Eagles may see if Treggs can stay hot all preseason.

A sleeper for the Eagles at wide receiver is Greg Ward Jr. ($6,000).  Ward is a former quarterback for the Houston Cougars and has tremendous speed offering a high FanDuel NFL point ceiling if very active in the Eagles passing game.

The Bills traded Sammy Watkins away and replaced Watkins with Jordan Matthews, who then suffered a chip fracture in his sternum.  So that didn’t work out well so far.  Veteran Anquan Boldin ($6,000) may get some time on the field, but rookie Zay Jones ($6,000) has a tremendous opportunity to emerge this preseason against a struggling Eagles defensive backs unit.

Although the Bills have a great receiving match up on Thursday, their receiving core is still developing and likely struggles this week.  Outside of Jones, I’m fading their receiving options as they’ll spread the ball around the remaining depth chart with no solo receivers getting the bulk of the targets.

Buccaneers vs. Jaguars

Chris Godwin ($6,000) is my favorite total game target for the Buccaneers on Thursday night. Godwin is a tremendous talent out of Penn State and the Bucs are likely expecting Chris to fit into their top four receivers on the depth chart.

But it’s hard to ignore the production the Bucs had from Winston to Mike Evans ($6,000) last week. Evans lead the team in receptions, four, and yards, 58.  We typically don’t see this much preseason production from a starting quarterback and top receiver.  But I went back to tape for the Buccaneers first two preseason games last season and it was similar.  Evans was productive in the second game as well, so he should be on your list of targets for receivers.

For the Jags receivers, we get more excited when Bortles exits the game and Henne is slinging the rock.  Last week, we were high on Dede Westbrook ($6,000) and he had a reception for a 42 yard touchdown.  Also, Cole Keelan ($6,000), another rookie, had a 97 yard touchdown totaling two receptions and 108 yards.  Keelan and Westbrook could have another great night on Thursday.

FanDuel NFL Lineups: Preseason Week 2 Thursday – Tight End / Kicker / Defense

It’s often hard to target tight ends for the first two weeks of preseason, as many of the teams are trotting out vanilla playbooks and often focus on run and pass blocking skills with their tight ends. But there are a few intriguing offensive weapon options, including OJ Howard ($6,000) for the Bucs.

We liked Howard last week, and he had a disappointing performance, but should still be on the top of your list.  But our focus on Thursday is going to be the Bills third-string TE, Logan Thomas ($6,000).  Thomas was originally drafted as a quarterback into the league, but transitioned to the tight end position more recently to provide a longer NFL career.

While Thomas has limited tight end experience in the NFL, he started as a tight end with the Virginia Tech Hokies in college, while Tyrod Taylor, the Bills current starting quarterback, was there. In fact, Taylor threw a touchdown to Thomas in college.  The Eagles struggle against athletic TE’s like Thomas, and later in the game he could have several opportunities and will be a target in the end zone.

Completing our lineup, I’m going to target the Eagles only starting kicker, Caleb Sturgis, as the Eagles are most likely to score the most points.  And while the Dolphins offense is emerging and they have Cutler to start the game, the Ravens have the best defensive match up and are our pick for Thursday night in that slot.

So after reviewing all the options, we put together our favorite lineup for the day.  Here’s a look at our Final FanDuel NFL Preseason Week 2 Thursday Lineup:

QB – Yates (BUF)

RB – Blount (PHI)

RB – Grant (JAC)

WR – Evans (TB)

WR – Hollins (PHI)

WR – Treggs (PHI)

TE – Thomas (BUF)

K – Sturgis (PHI)

D – Baltimore Ravens

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 Thursday, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!