NFL Preseason Week 4: DFS Picks for Thursday, August 29th

NFL Preseason Week 4: DFS Picks

Vikings @ Bills

Minnesota Vikings: The biggest question for the Vikings, surprisingly, is if third-string QB, Kyle Sloter, can continue his historical preseason dominance over the past three seasons. This year he is 23 of 27 for 280 and 3 TDs. In his previous two seasons (combined), he went 72 of 99 for 779 yards and 7 TDs having yet to throw an INT in his career. If he ends up being cut, he should have plenty of options across the NFL. The other key role players to keep an eye on are RB Mike Boone and WR Chad Beebe.

Buffalo Bills: Matt Barkley has looked great through three preseason games for Buffalo which should come as some relief to the Bills who are certainly in need of a reliable backup to a mobile QB who does stuff like this…

Another interesting headline for the Bills is former rugby player Christian Wade. Wade was not a part of the game-plan in Week 3 which could be taken one of two ways; they were saving him from injury or he is likely to run his course with the Bills. I’ll be interested to see how he is used on Thursday. A few other names in the heat of a battle with the bubble would be WR Duke Williams, TJ Yeldon and Senorise Perry.

Players to use in DFS: Kyle Sloter (QB-MIN), Mike Boone (RB-MIN), Ray-Ray McCloud (WR-BUF)

Steelers @ Panthers

Pittsburgh Steelers: After a nice performance by the starters in a brief appearance against the Titans last week, the Steelers will look to wrap up their preseason with a better-developed game plan in their QB depth chart among other positions. Unfortunately for DFS players, the mobile Joshua Dobbs will split time with not only Mason Rudolph but also undrafted free agent Devlin Hodges this Thursday.

The second point of interest which has been a theme of the Steelers preseason is the WR position. Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer should get a little bit of gas this week as they fight it out for the slot receiver role in Ben Roethlisberger‘s offense. Due to his longevity with Pittsburgh, I’d give Rogers the edge but Switzer will put in the final touches of his resume on Thursday night.

Carolina Panthers: With a very tight race between backup QBs Kyle Allen and Will Grier (you can even throw in Taylor Heinicke), Thursday night will be an important test to guide the Panthers roster decisions. Will Grier will likely squeak onto the 53-man roster as the third-string backup or will land on the practice squad, and this week’s matchup against the Steelers could play a huge part in that.

The other interesting battle which could play out on Thursday would be at running back. Behind Christian McCaffrey and Cameron Artis-Payne lie two rookies (Jordan Scarlett and Elijah Holyfield) as well as Reggie Bonnafon. Expect to see all three on Thursday which may decide whether or not Bonnafon makes the roster.

Players to use in DFS: Eli Rogers (WR-PIT), Terry Godwin (WR-CAR)

Ravens @ Redskins

Baltimore Ravens: TRACE MCSORELY. Trace has been excellent so far and will look to continue cementing his vice grip on the #2 QB spot in the Ravens depth chart. Expected to play at least 2-3 quarters, McSorely is one of my favorite plays on the DFS slate in his homecoming, growing up a Redskins fan. With the starters all expected to sit in the preseason finale, expect to mostly see McSorely and other bubble players battle the Redskins on Thursday.

Washington Redskins: With Case Keenum winning the starting role in Colt McCoy‘s absence, Dwayne Haskins will now have further time to develop as an NFL ready QB. With Keenum sitting on Thursday, Haskins should at least play into the second half on Thursday making him another top play on the DFS slate (can’t go wrong in this matchup). On a smaller scale, RB Samaje Perine will continue to fight for his roster life with Craig Reynolds and Byron Marshall (special teams) biting at his heels.

Players to use in DFS: Trace McSorely (QB-BAL), Dwayne Haskins (QB-WAS), Craig Reynolds (RB-WAS)