NFL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel: Preseason Week 2 (Saturday, 8/16/25)

August 16, 2025

The top daily fantasy football lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- NFL preseason Week 2 on Saturday, August 16, 2025. Doug's NFL DFS analysis and sleepers picks.

Saturday brings us two big slates of preseason football, with six games in the early window and five games in the evening. This article will focus on the five-game slate starting at 7 p.m. This slate is highlighted by the preseason debut of Justin Herbert, who has never taken a snap in the summer in his career. He won’t play much, so you don’t want him on your team, but it’ll be fun to see him out there with the Chargers' first-team offense.

The fantasy highlights of this slate will come from backups and players who are on roster bubbles. I’ll be at Met Life watching Jaxson Dart to see if he can follow up his strong debut last weekend, while the battles for the third running back spot on the Broncos, the fourth running back spot on the Rams, and the backup quarterback battles in Dallas and Pittsburgh will help determine our DFS lineups. 

Here you will be provided daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Saturday night five-game main slate of Week 2 of the NFL preseason on 8/16/25. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from high-end players and elite options to backup and contrarian players on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Thanks for reading, and good luck, RotoBallers!

Preseason NFL DFS - Quarterbacks

Stetson Bennett IV (LAR vs LAC) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

Preseason has been Bennett time for the Rams each of the past two summers, and this year appears to be no different. He was the only quarterback to take the field for Los Angeles last weekend, throwing 24 passes and looking good doing so. He accumulated 188 yards and two touchdowns, which are both significant numbers in the preseason. 

In a sport where getting half of a team’s snaps is considered significant volume, Bennett has a massive advantage over the majority of the field, as he will once again get the majority of the snaps for the Rams. He’s a strong cash game option, and in tournaments, you can stack him with receivers Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, and Brennan Presley or running back Cody Schrader. 

Joe Milton III (DAL vs BAL) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000) 

While Milton didn’t take every snap for Dallas last weekend, he did throw 29 of the 32 passes for the Cowboys. He also rushed five times for 22 yards, something Stetson Bennett doesn’t do. Milton is once again expected to start for Dallas and see the vast majority of work at the quarterback position. 

The Cowboys want him to win the backup job over Will Grier, and they’ll give him every opportunity to do so. Quarterbacks like Dart and Jarrett Stidham may have more raw passing ability, but Milton gets the nod over them for the volume he’s expected to see in this game.  

ALSO CONSIDER: Jaxson Dart (NYG), Trey Lance (LAC), Skylar Thompson (PIT), Adrian Martinez (NYJ), Clayton Tune (ARI), Jarrett Stidham (DEN)

Preseason NFL DFS - Running Backs

Tyler Badie (DEN vs ARI) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

The top two running backs for the Broncos are set in stone with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Harvey may see some playing time in this game, but it won’t be enough to use him in a fantasy lineup. Instead, we should focus on the battle for the third running back spot in Denver as incumbent Jaleel McLaughlin is battling with Badie. 

Badie has garnered massive praise from coach Sean Payton because of how explosive he’s looked in practice the last couple of weeks. He looked good last week with 6.4 yards per carry on five carries, and he should get more involved this weekend against the Cardinals. 

Is Tyler Badie the most slept on running back on the Broncos? #Broncoscountry pic.twitter.com/oBGVeP0jgN

— Moose (@Moose_NFL) August 11, 2025

Cody Schrader (LAR vs LAC) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

Rams running back Blake Corum stole the headlines with two touchdowns last weekend, but Schrader may have outplayed him. Schrader averaged 11.8 yards per carry on five rushes, including a run of 25 yards. That run was one of three that went for more than ten yards. Schrader had the second-best rushing grade on the weekend per PFF. 

He also found the end zone on a nine-yard reception from Bennett. Fourth-string running back Ronnie Rivers is banged up and unlikely to play, so Schrader should once again get enough work to pay off in your tournament lineups. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Dante Miller (NYG), Sean Tucker (TB), Josh Williams (TB), Phil Mafah (DAL), Kaleb Johnson (PIT), Max Hurleman (PIT)

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Preseason NFL DFS - Wide Receivers

Tez Johnson (TB at PIT) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

Seventh-round pick Johnson, out of Oregon, missed last week’s preseason game, but he’s expected to be ready to play in tonight’s game against the Steelers. Johnson was drafted because his size and speed can be helpful in the return game, but he’s also impressing the coaching staff as a receiver. He should get on the field a ton to help make up for missed time earlier this year, possibly even getting snaps with quarterback Kyle Trask early in the game. 

While Emeka Egbuka can go a long way in making up for a potential absence of Chris Godwin at the start of the season, the Buccaneers are looking for depth, and Johnson is well within that mix. He’s more of a home run type of play than a possession receiver, so your exposure to him should be in tournaments rather than cash games. 

Beaux Collins (NYG vs NYJ) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

Collins, a rookie out of Notre Dame, was playing well in camp, and then he got banged up, causing him to miss last week’s game in Buffalo. When he was healthy enough to return to practice, all reports are that he picked up right where he left off, including getting reps with the first-team offense. 

Reports have indicated that he’s developing a good rapport with both Russell Wilson and Dart, both of whom should be throwing him the ball in this game. Collins should be on the field frequently against the Jets, making him an ideal cash game receiver as well as the top stacking option in your Dart lineups. 

Beaux Collins continues to see first-team reps.

"You are getting first-team reps, that means something, at this point in the summer," said Jordan Raanan.

"Definitely a name I am keeping an eye on." pic.twitter.com/NicrIcQXmP

— Big Blue Film Room (@BigBlueFilmRoom) August 15, 2025

LaJohntay Wester (BAL at DAL) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

The big talking point from Wester’s preseason debut last weekend was his 87-yard punt return touchdown, but he also did well in the passing game. He caught two passes for 41 yards, which accounted for 69% of the total passing yards for the Ravens. Wester was second in the NFL among rookies in yards per route run in Week 1 of the preseason, making him a downfield threat who can take the top off of a defense. 

Wester is a tournament-only option because of how poorly the Ravens' passing game is when Lamar Jackson isn’t on the field, but he’s a sneaky play that you can stack with the Ravens D/ST to try to get double points on a return touchdown. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Roman Wilson (PIT), Emeka Egbuka (TB), Jalen McMillan (TB), Tre Harris (LAC), Konata Mumpfield (LAR), Brennan Presley (LAR), Montrell Washington (NYG), Arian Smith (NYJ)

Preseason NFL DFS - Tight Ends

Oronde Gadsden II (LAC at LAR) (DK: $5500 I FD: $6000)

As an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, Gadsden wasn’t expected to do much for the Chargers, but he’s been the talk of their camp all summer long. He’s proving to be a matchup nightmare, and his hands have been surprisingly reliable. Multiple beat reporters for the Chargers have praised Gadsden’s play, with Daniel Popper of The Athletic saying he is “consistently contributing to the passing game.” 

He was targeted on 31% of his routes in Week 1 of the preseason after getting open frequently in the Hall of Fame game. He should be on the field plenty in this game to continue to adapt to the speed of the NFL. He has as high an upside as any tight end on this slate and is a perfect stacking piece with Trey Lance and Tre Harris.  

If you watch rookie TE Oronde Gadsden’s tape with the Chargers, you’ll see that if Justin Herbert remembers to look his way, he’ll find nice windows for critical redzone targets
pic.twitter.com/dyDxAq4DUh

— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) August 15, 2025

ALSO CONSIDER: Devin Culp (TB), Payne Durham (TB), Jeremy Ruckert (NYJ), Thomas Fidone II (NYG)

Thanks for checking this out, and good luck!

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