This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
Week 1 of the NFL Preseason is here following last week's return to the field, as the Browns took down the Jets 21-16 in the Hall of Fame Game. Two games Thursday night kick off the week, starting with the Texans at the Patriots, followed by the Vikings at the Seahawks — both of which will be televised on NFL Network. DraftKings features its $15 Preseason Special contest with a $50k top prize, beginning at 7 p.m. EST. FanDuel's $9 contest pays $10k to the winner.
Check out our NFL Preseason Optimizer for full projections.
Quarterback
Drew Lock had a hot start to his preseason last year, going 11-for-15 with a pair of touchdowns in his exhibition debut, and that was with Geno Smith playing half the game. Smith isn't expected to play Thursday, so it's possible that Lock will play more than half the game before giving way to Holton Ahlers.
In the other game, Bailey Zappe will start for the Patriots and has the benefit of playing with New England's top players. He threw for more than 200 yards in Week 1 of the preseason last year and showed his potential with 309 passing yards with two TDs in his Week 6 start last year. He has the backup job, so the Pats might also want to give Malik Cunningham, an undrafted free agent out of Louisville, a decent amount of playing time as well.
Running Back
New England's running back room is led by Rhamondre Stevenson and Ty Montgomery, but the Pats don't have any reason to play Stevenson, and Montgomery has been dealing with a leg injury and is unlikely to play. The next man up and likely starter is Pierre Strong, a fourth-round pick in 2022 out of South Dakota State who saw limited action last year, rushing 10 times for 100 yards and also catching seven passes. He could see some third-down work come the regular season. J.J. Taylor and Kevin Harris also figure to play Thursday for New England.
The Vikings certainly will want to see what they have in their young backs in the post-Dalvin Cook era. That begins with their seventh-round draft pick in DeWayne McBride, considering starter Alexander Mattison is not expected to play and Kene Nwangwu missed the team's most recent practice. McBride dazzled at UAB last year, rushing for more than 1,700 yards and 19 TDs. Meanwhile, Ty Chandler looks like the team's backup behind Mattison and should play, though he could see as much playing time as McBride.
Wide Receiver
If you're looking for a WR to pair with Zappe, look no further than Kayshon Boutte. The LSU product was New England's sixth-round pick this year and flashed with nine touchdowns in just six games as a sophomore. Look for him to play the first half as Zappe's primary target with JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne on the bench.
Another player in this game I'm excited to see for the first time is the Texans' second-round pick from 2022, John Metchie. Metchie tore his ACL in the 2021 SEC Championship before sitting out all of last year due to leukemia. He caught a whopping 96 passes for Alabama in 2021 and his big-play potential makes him an intriguing pick on the slate. Much like New England, Houston's top trio of WRs (Nico Collins, Robert Woods and Noah Brown) are unlikely to suit up.
Tight End
Tight end is usually a position to fade altogether on the preseason showdown slates, but we don't have that luxury on the two-game slate. One player to look at on Minnesota is Josh Oliver, as the Vikings signed him to a 3-year, $21 million deal in the offseason. Known for his pass-blocking ability, he should play a decent amount and did catch 14 passes, including two touchdowns, for the Ravens last year.
Meanwhile, Anthony Firkser and Scotty Washington should be the primary pass-catching options for the Patriots. Either makes for a reasonable target, with Firkser having a couple of 30-catch seasons with Tennessee.
Defense
The Vikings have the lowest implied total on the slate at only 15.5 projected points, making Seattle the primary target. Minnesota will use a combination of Nick Mullens, a veteran backup and Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick out of BYU.
