NFL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel: Preseason Week 2 (8/22/26)

August 22, 2026

The top daily fantasy football lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- NFL preseason Week 2 on Saturday August 22, 2026. Doug's NFL DFS analysis and sleeper picks.

Week 2 of the 2026 NFL preseason is upon us and wrapping up at the time of this slate. Last week I gave you a look at the first slate of the week, and this week you’re getting the last one. I followed the money, and DraftKings has made this their main slate for the week.

While there are more games in the 1 PM window, there are still a healthy four games at 7 PM and many worth a look for Fantasy. This slate has a lot of uncertainty, so we take what we know and roll it into our cash games while taking some chances in our tournaments.

Here you will be provided daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Saturday night four-game slate of Week 2 of the NFL preseason on 8/22/26. 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 Picks - Quarterback

Gardner Minshew II (ARI vs DAL)

Gardner Minshew II looked incredible last weekend against the Raiders, completing 14 of the 16 passes. He threw for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck are both likely to miss this game, leaving only Minshew and Kedon Slovis as Arizona's available signal-callers. 

Coach Mike LaFleur has already said that Minshew will play the entire first half and could even get reps in the third quarter. That is more guaranteed snaps than any other quarterback on the slate, and it is coming from the one who has seen plenty of live NFL regular season action. 

With the backfield banged up, Arizona will likely want to air it out in this game. That makes Minshew the easiest click of the weekend for me as my starter in cash games and as an anchor for tournament lineups. 

14/16 for 101 yards and 2 TDs.

Gardner Minshew was accurate and efficient for the @AZCardinals in his first preseason action 🎯 pic.twitter.com/h6UD28EKht

— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2026

He stacks easily with Jalen Brooks, Reggie Virgil, and Simi Fehoko. Arizona will be my most rostered passing offense by a large margin on this slate. 

Justin Fields (KC at TB)

Justin Fields projects to get the start for Kansas City in this game, and Coach Andy Reid has said that he should play about one and a half quarters. Well, that’s not nearly as much time as someone like Sam Howell; Fields should be in a much better position to have success. 

He went a perfect four for four passing last weekend, and added nine yards on the ground on two carries. Well, those numbers won’t blow you out of the water; if you extrapolate them across three or four series and add a touchdown, he could be a very safe play. 

Fields is easy to stack because you have training camp phenom Cyrus Allen taking the field for Kansas City as well. My biggest concern with Fields is that Andy Reid often says he will let his starters go for a few series, then yanks them after one if it is successful. 

There are very few “safe” quarterbacks on the slate, so I’m willing to gamble on the upside of the Kansas City offense in tournaments. The uncertainty keeps me off him in cash games, though.

ALSO CONSIDER: Joe Milton III (DAL), Miller Moss (CIN), Cole Payton (PHI), Garrett Nussmeier (KC)

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Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Running Back

Hassan Haskins (NE vs PHI)

When Terrell Jennings was placed on season-ending IR, it opened up an opportunity for somebody to step up and grab the third-string running back role for the Patriots. At that time, Hassan Haskins wasn’t even on the New England roster. He was immediately signed as someone with experience playing with Mike Vrabel during their time together in Tennessee.

 In the short time that he’s been on the team, Haskins has been making waves and is currently in a real fight for that third running back position. He has a huge experience advantage over the likes of Lan Larison and Jam Miller, both of whom saw more work than Haskins last week. 

Haskins only received five carries last week, but should get far more playing time this week to show that he is capable of winning that roster spot. He is also a big running back, making him a bigger threat around the goal line. He is my top rusher on the slate, and will be a fixture for my cash lineup.

Salvon Ahmed (CHI at CIN)

With Kyle Monangai banged up, D’Andre Swift unlikely to play, and Roschon Johnson continuing to underwhelm, there is opportunity in the Chicago backfield. The two players vying to capitalize on that opportunity are Britain Brown and Salvon Ahmed. 

Brown got slightly more work on the ground last week, and both were used heavily in the passing game. Brown had two catches and a touchdown, while Ahmed caught three passes for 55 yards and a score. 

Salvon Ahmed takes the screen 49 yards for a TD 😤

CLEvsCHI on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/O8AlWhLUED

— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2026

Both look like solid plays this weekend, but beat reporters are talking up Ahmed and his need to prove a little more to make this roster. That leads me to believe that he should get more playing time to prove that he belongs.

I’m very encouraged by his work in the passing game, which makes him an excellent play in both cash and tournaments this weekend. Given the active competition between the two, I am not opposed to playing both Bears running backs in tournament lineups.

ALSO CONSIDER: Brittain Brown (CHI), Corey Kiner (ARI), Emmett Johnson (KC), Tahj Brooks (CIN), Malik Davis (DAL)

Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Wide Receiver

Jalen Brooks (ARI vs DAL)

De’Zhaun Stribling of the 49ers has gotten all of the publicity, but Jalen Brooks has put up equally impressive numbers this preseason for Arizona. In two games, he has combined for nine catches, 152 yards, and one touchdown. 

Gardner Minshew gets the start for Arizona in this game, and he found Brooks for a touchdown late in the first half last week. The Cardinals plan to let Minshew get at least two quarters of playing time, possibly even into the third quarter. He is more skilled than your average backup or third-string quarterback, and he should be able to pick apart the Cowboys backup defense. 

Brooks is far from a lock to make the Arizona roster, meaning he should continue to see the field while Minshew is in the game. He’s now shown it for two weeks in a row, and some players just excel through the entirety of a preseason. I’m not missing out on another big game from Brooks. He will be a part of my cash core and is most likely going to be my most rostered wide receiver, especially in Arizona stacks.

Kaden Davis (CHI at CIN)

Chicago has a fairly settled receiving room with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, and Jahdae Walker likely to lock down roster spots. Veteran Scotty Miller is a safe option for Chicago, but Zavion Williams and Kaden Davis are pushing him. 

Williams has an inside track over Davis, meaning Davis has far more to prove in this game. He played fantastically last weekend, leading Chicago with four catches and 88 yards. He continues to shine during joint practices and in camp, meaning the offense will most likely lean on him heavily once again in this game. 

A big game from him could lead to a roster spot over Miller. Davis is the far more exciting player, and I am looking to get him into cash and tournament lineups, given his expected snap share. I have no problem pairing him with Williams in tournament stacks as both should have an opportunity to perform against a less-than-stellar Bengal secondary. 

Cyrus Allen (KC at TB)

Is this the game where the Cyrus Allen hype finally comes to fruition in a real-life setting? Allen has been the talk of Chiefs camp all summer, outplaying every veteran receiver on the roster. He was on the field with the starters last weekend and got pulled relatively quickly after recording 20 yards on two catches. 

He’s continued to shine during joint practices, and should be a reliable target for Justin Fields in this game. I don’t expect to see Allen play a long time in this game, but if Fields is going to play 20 or so snaps, then Allen should be on the field for all of them. 

A limited snap share doesn’t always mean that a player isn’t viable for fantasy. Look at what Stribling has done in San Francisco in a limited playing time. A game like that out of Allen completely breaks the slate, and you’re not cashing without him in that case. 

I don’t know if I can play him in cash games because of the uncertainty of how long he will be on the field, but his upside makes him an excellent tournament play, especially as a stacking partner with Fields. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Colbie Young (CIN), Darius Cooper (PHI), Zavion Thomas (CHI), Dohnte Meyers (CIN), Andrew Armstrong (KC), Jonathan Mingo (DAL)

Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Tight End

Jack Endries (CIN vs CHI)

Tanner Hudson has been a preseason cheat code for the last few years, and all I took was one game for Bengals rookie Jack Endries to make everyone forget about him. Endries led the team with three receptions in Week 1 of the preseason, one of which resulted in a touchdown. 

Another of his catches went for 17 yards, which is very Tanner Hudson-like. This shows that Endries is more than just a goal-line threat; he is a downfield option as well. The Bengals have several NFL-ready tight ends, meaning snaps should still be available for Endries even after last week’s strong performance. 

Given the relative weakness of the position, I’m going to take the route of playing the guy who has already shown an inability to make plays in the preseason rather than hope for a one-yard touchdown from someone else. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Sam Roush (CHI), Jake Briningstool (KC), Eli Raridon (NE)

Thanks for checking this out, and good luck!

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