NFL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel: Preseason Week 3 (8/27/26)

August 27, 2026

The top daily fantasy football lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- NFL preseason Week 3 on Thursday August 27, 2026. Doug's NFL DFS analysis and sleeper picks.

Hey, Doug, why are you writing up the four-game Thursday night slate rather than the monster Friday night slate? That’s a great question, anonymous reader. Preseason involves a ton of research, a lot of luck, and there is an insane amount of uncertainty. 

An 11-game preseason slate doesn’t feel like an optimal way to make money, where we can limit our player pool and build concise lineups on a four-game slate. Limiting variance is the best way to be profitable, hence writing up the four-game slate. 

Here you will be provided daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Thursday night four-game slate of Week 3 of the NFL preseason on 8/27/26. 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

Ty Simpson (LAR at LAC)

Sean McVay tends to let his preseason starters play, but he gives them far more minutes than other coaches. In Week 1 of the preseason, Ty Simpson played a ton and looked awesome, throwing for 190 yards in a pair of touchdowns. Last week, Stetson Bennett IV got the majority of the playing time, but I think it goes back to Simpson this week. 

McVay has already said Simpson is going to play, and he hasn't made that comment about any of the other quarterbacks on the team. He knows what he has in Bennett, and this might be the only snaps Simpson gets to play until next year’s preseason. It would make sense to give him as much work as possible to get comfortable in a system that he is likely to take over in the next year or two. 

Through two weeks, the Rams have scored 54 points and thrown the ball 72 times. That is a ridiculous amount of volume for the preseason, and that makes Simpson an easy click as your top quarterback on this short slate of games.

Adrian Martinez (SF at LV)

The rest of this slate is far more uncertain at the quarterback position, but we can assume a lot of work for Adrian Martinez. Brock Purdy is definitely not playing in this game, and it’s unlikely Mac Jones will see much work as a known quantity and Purdy's primary backup. Kurtis Rourke is injured and won’t play in this game, leaving Martinez as the only other quarterback on the roster. 

Adrian Martinez zips it in for the TD 🎯

SFvsLAC on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/eGqYlM9iSl

— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2026

Is he any good? No, he’s a very bad quarterback, but talent is less important than volume in preseason. Through two games, Martinez has rushed six times and thrown for 216 yards with one score. The Raiders allowed three touchdown passes against the Cardinals in their first preseason game; their secondary is nothing to write home about. 

Martinez is a clear step below Simpson in my rankings, and talent-wise I would rather see what I get out of Aidan O’Connell or Taylen Green, but their playing time is more uncertain. You would only be playing them in tournaments for upside. If you want the safer pick of the three, it’s Martinez.

ALSO CONSIDER: Aidan O’Connell (LV), Taylen Green (CLE), Behren Morton (NE), Shane Buechele (BUF)

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Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Running Back

Jarquez Hunter (LAR at LAC)

Rams coach Sean McVay has already stated that Ronnie Rivers is the third running back, despite Jarquez Hunter having a stellar preseason. He leads the team with 103 yards and 21 carries. Given that he’s not among the top three on the depth chart, one would think Hunter will continue to get run in this game. 

Both the Texans and 49ers ran for over 100 yards against the Chargers this summer, making them a vulnerable unit that Hunter can take advantage of. I will not use him on teams where I am roster Simpson because he's not much of a pass catcher, but I will put him on just about any other team that I make.  

Dylan Laube (LV vs SF)

There is a true battle for the third running back spot in Las Vegas. Right now it appears to be a dead heat between veteran Dare Ogunbowale and second-year player Dylan Laube. With Ashton Jeanty banged up, I would not expect to see Mike Washington Jr. in this game, as they need him ready for Week 1. 

That should leave all the work for Laube and Ogunbowale. With the veteran being more of a known quantity, and Laube’s pass catching ability, I’m going with the young guy who has more to prove. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Hassan Haskins (NE), Amar Johnson (LAC), Sincere McCormick (SF), Davon Booth (CLE), Dare Ogunbowale (LV)

Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Wide Receiver

Dante Pettis/Skyler Bell (BUF vs PIT)

Every note that I read about Buffalo’s final preseason game mentioned Dante Pettis. He’s trying to make the roster, and after missing last week’s game, he has something to prove. The same can be said about rookie Skyler Bell, who has been injured this summer but, according to coach Joe Brady, is expected to get plenty of run in this game. 

Josh Allen won’t play, but both Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele are capable quarterbacks who can get them the ball. The only reason neither was written up is the uncertainty about how much playing time each will get. If we find out one will be playing more than the other, they would automatically become one of the top quarterbacks on the slate given the ease with which you can stack them. 

Jordan Watkins (SF at LV)

De’Zhaun Stribling has gotten all the hype this summer, and rightfully so, but Jordan Watkins has not been too far behind with his production. Watkins only has two fewer receptions (9) than Stribling (11), and he leads the team in routes run. He’s averaging 13 DraftKings points per game over the two preseason games, which is a big number for preseason. 

His roster spot is far from safe, and he should be the top target for Adrian Martinez. If I were to use Martinez as my quarterback, I might even double stack him with Watkins and Demarcus Robinson, who is also fighting for a roster spot after getting no run in the first two preseason games. 

Dalevon Campbell (LAC vs LAR)

Wrapping up our quartet of receivers fighting for a roster position is Dalevon Campbell. He has been the darling of training camp for the Chargers, but that hasn't played out in the preseason games. Ironically, he is fighting with last year’s preseason darling, Keandre Lambert-Smith. KLS has outperformed Campbell in games and may have the edge in winning this roster spot. 

I expect the Chargers to throw quite a bit in this game as they are still trying to decide on who their backup quarterback will be. Neither Trey Lance nor DJ Uiagalelei has excelled this summer, but they have been good enough to get the ball to their top receivers. I expect the quarterbacks to split snaps evenly, which will limit their personal upside, but if they are slinging it all game, that bodes well for guys like Campbell.

ALSO CONSIDER: Germie Bernard (PIT), Kaden Wetjen (PIT), Gage Larvadain (CLE), Malik Benson (LV)

Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Tight End

Max Klare (LAR at LAC)

Despite having a trio of successful tight ends, the Rams still spent a second-round pick on Max Klare. He has not disappointed this summer, racking up 11 receptions on 14 targets. That is an unheard-of amount of volume for a tight end, let alone a rookie tight end in preseason.  

Ohio State underutilizing Max Klare last year keeps me up at night pic.twitter.com/oLMxayUTsD

— BuckeyeMOB (@Buckeye_Mob) August 17, 2026

This is the least projectable position in preseason DFS, so to have a guy who has performed so well in both games makes it really easy to click him into your lineup. He is an easy cash-game tight end and should be your first tournament click as well, given the passing volume we expect from the Rams offense. If Ty Simpson ends up playing the entire game, that’s excellent for Klare, as a big tight end is always a safety valve for young quarterbacks.

ALSO CONSIDER: Robert Tonyan (PIT), Keleki Latu (BUF)

Thanks for checking this out, and good luck!

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