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

By Alex McKinnon

NFL DFS: CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 8, 2019: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Dwayne Haskins #7 during a timeout in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on August 8, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by: 2019 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
NFL DFS: CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 8, 2019: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Dwayne Haskins #7 during a timeout in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on August 8, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by: 2019 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 24: Los Angeles Rams running back Darrell Henderson #27 runs the ball for a gain during the preseason football game between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams on August 24, 2019 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 24: Los Angeles Rams running back Darrell Henderson #27 runs the ball for a gain during the preseason football game between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams on August 24, 2019 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

NFL Preseason Week 4: DFS Picks

Rams @ Texans

Los Angeles Rams: Similar to plenty of teams across the league, head coach Sean McVay will not play his starters on Thursday Night. There are a few small position battles between guys like QB Brandon Allen and QB John Wolford to try to sneak onto the roster as the third-stringer behind Jared Goff and Blake Bortles. From a DFS perspective, I have some expectations for John Kelly and Darrell Henderson and if you need a deep pull in a lineup, Simba Webster has been pretty consistent.

Houston Texans: The Jadeveon Clowney news has dominated the news cycle for the Texans this week as trade rumors swirl. With the Clowney situation and a potential running back acquisition in the pipeline, the Texans roster may not be settled until after the final 53-man roster cuts. An interesting position to keep an eye on is at TE. The Texans don’t have a star at the position but seemingly plenty of depth. I would expect a lot of Jordan Thomas and Jerell Adams on Thursday.

Players to use in DFS: Brandon Allen (QB-LA), Darrell Henderson (RB-LA), Karan Higdon (RB-HOU), Jordan Thomas (TE-HOU)

Titans @ Bears

Tennessee Titans: Outside of a ‘maybe’ from Mike Vrabel on the chances of Derrick Henry getting some work in on Thursday, the starters will be staying far away from this contest in Chicago. One of my favorite players of the preseason, RB Jeremy McNichols, will get one last shot at convincing the Titans brass to keep a 4th running back on the roster.

QB Logan Whiteside and WR Kalif Raymond are in similar situations as McNichols trying to carve out a spot on the roster with the preseason finale. With Ryan Tannehill having locked up the #2 QB spot and likely to cause controversy should Marcus Mariota struggle, I see Whiteside getting a majority of the snaps on Thursday. I love all three (Whiteside, McNichols and Raymond) for DFS lineups.

Chicago Bears: The Bears are participating in the first game of the season vs. the Packers next Thursday night. That being said, expect their roster to be finalized by Friday as opposed to the normal timeline of Saturday final cuts. Having seen very little of the starters, I would expect most of the decisions already being made prior to the 4th preseason game.

With that being said, there are at least two interesting positions and roster battles at key skill positions worth noting. With the Bears lacking a FB this season, the addition of another RB is a likely possibility. I would expect Ryan Nall, a strong runner, to edge out the speedy Kerrith Whyte Jr. for that last spot, but Thursday’s performance should solidify that question. The Bears also may hold on to five tight ends heading into the season, meaning Bradley Sowell, Ian Bunting and Dax Raymond will be competing for a pair of those roster spots.

Players to use in DFS: Logan Whiteside (QB-TEN), Jeremy McNichols (RB-TEN), Kalif Raymond (WR-TEN), Ryan Nall (RB-CHI), Ian Bunting (TE-CHI)

Buccaneers @ Cowboys

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Blaine Gabbert going down and the Bucs deciding to protect Ryan Griffin and keep him away from this game, Vinny Testaverde Jr will get his first start. Son of the great Vinny Testaverde, Vinny Jr. will likely play the entire game. With or without this factor, some of my favorite DFS plays are in this matchup, specifically on the Tampa Bay side. RB Dare Ogunbowale, WR Justin Watson and TE Tanner Hudson are all fighting for roster spots and positioning in the depth chart and are all viable plays. Don’t hesitate in creating some variation or combination of the four (Testaverde, Ogunbowale, Watson and Hudson).

Dallas Cowboys: Despite the circus that is the Ezekiel Elliott contract negotiations with the Jones family and their star receiver Amari Cooper dealing with a lingering foot issue (should be good for Week 1), the Cowboys seem to be in pretty good shape. RB Tony Pollard has been shockingly impressive in his short time on the field and should be able to hold down the fort with other backs in Elliot’s absence. Their defense has also looked great, with the one caveat of it not being regular season football. WR Devin Smith has also been incredibly successful with the targets he has been given this preseason and will be expected to lock up a roster spot with another solid performance on Thursday.

Players to use in DFS: Vinny Testaverde Jr (QB-TB), Dare Ogunbowale (RB-TB), Justin Watson (WR-TB), Tanner Hudson (TE-TB), Jordan Chunn (RB-DAL), Devin Smith (WR-DAL)