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The NFL 2022 season is here. That means it is time for your season-long fantasy football drafts. But more important, right now, it is time to get back into our daily fantasy groove.
In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for the slate on Saturday, August 13th, 2022. Both DraftKings and FanDuel will have opportunities for play during the preseason. And this is not only where we get our feet wet and earn a few dollars but brush up on the rules and strategies that will propel us through preseason and the regular season.
During preseason both sites will have a uniform price for the players. Currently, on FanDuel it is $6,000 and on DraftKings is $5,500. On each site, you will have the option of 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1Flex, and 1 Defense. The main difference to keep in mind is that scoring on DraftKings is a full PPR, and FanDuel is a half PPR.
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Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers
Matt Rhue is a desperate man in desperate times. Who better to navigate that desperation than Mayfield? There is talk that there is a “serious quarterback competition” in Carolina.
Mayfield should get his share of snaps, as will Sam Darnold (presumably). It would make sense to have Mayfield play one quarter, Darnold another, and rookie Matt Corral going the second half. Make sense, right?
It also helps that Washington had the eighth-ranked run defense last season and the 29thranked defense against the pass, allowing 254.9 passing yards per game.
So, seriously couldn’t fault you for playing any of the Carolina quarterbacks.
Andy Dalton, New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston will be out with an injured foot. Dalton has the resume to make a preseason game count. Going against the Texans’ defense who gave up an average of 19.5 DraftKings fantasy points and 18.6 FanDuel fantasy points to the quarterback position helps. Also stacking Dalton with the rookie wide receiver (more on that later), Chris Olave won’t hurt either.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
To be honest, this was a toss-up between Fields and Mitchell Trubisky. Both starters should get playing time as both need to prove something.
But Fields is playing with a new regime, and the options behind him are a bigger drop-off (no disrespect to Trevor Siemian or Nathan Peterman).
And then there is the fact that Fields is honest to goodness dual-threat quarterback. In his 12 games last season, he averaged six carries per game and had 10 red zone carries and two touchdowns on 420 rushing yards.
Kansas City's defense was also a bit generous to the quarterback position allowing 21.3 average DraftKings points per game and 20.3 FanDuel points per game.
Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
The 11th overall pick in the NFL 2022 Draft led Ohio State in receiving yards in 2019 and 2020. He has 4.36 speed, and his route running is a clinic.
He will be in a target share with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara in the regular season. But this isn’t regular season, and neither of those two is expected to play. So, this is Olave’s time to show why he was the sixth offensive player chosen and the third highest betting favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (per FanDuel).
It also helps if he is receiving passes from veteran Dalton (a possible stack opportunity) against the Texans defense who gave up an average of 37 DraftKings and 29.8 FanDuel fantasy points to the wide receiver position last season.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickens fell in the 2022 NFL Draft because of a knee injury. Before the injury as a freshman, he led the Georgia Bulldogs in receptions and receiving yards. In his sophomore year, he missed two games, still tied for a team-high in receptions, and was second (by one yard) in receiving yards. Then Covid and then the ACL tear hit.
But if training camp is any indication, he is over that.
He now has an opportunity to translate his highlight reel training camp to actual on-the-field highlights.
Seattle’s defense is suspect and their team is in a state of flux. Losing Bobby Wagner isn’t helping. And last season, with a reasonably solid defense, they surrendered 34.8 DK and 26.9 FD fantasy points on average to the wide receiver.
It shouldn’t matter who is under center. Pickens will continue to carry over his training camp exploits to the field.
Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills
This game has the second highest expected point total on the Saturday slate. It is true that quarterback Josh Allen will not be playing. It is also true that Cole Beasley is no longer a slot receiver in Buffalo.
Jamison Crowder is in Buffalo but has missed most of his training camp time. Enter McKenzie. This is McKenzie’s opportunity to take the slot role.
Last season in Week 16, McKenzie had 11 receptions, one touchdown, and 125 yards against the New England Patriots.
This is his opportunity to own the slot position. The Colts’ defense is under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley so they will be adjusting.
Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Running Backs
Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins
Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Sony Michel, and Myles Gaskin...no wait, there are more backs in Miami, too! Rookie ZaQuandre White, Salvon Ahmed, and Gerrid Doaks are all men who are currently listed on the Dolphins' running back depth chart (per Ourlads.com).
This leaves veteran Gaskin fighting for a position. Last season he finished with a 3.5 average yards per carry on 175 rushing attempts and 612 rushing yards.
The new head coach Mike McDaniel bought in Edmonds, Mostert, and Michel. This doesn’t bode well for Gaskin. Now is his time to prove that he is valuable and at the very least put on tape for other teams.
The Buccaneers had the third-best defense against the run. But this is preseason, and Gaskin will not be running against the first team.
Phillip Lindsay, Indianapolis Colts
There is no argument that this is Jonathan Taylor’s backfield. That is precisely the reason he will not be suiting up for this game.
Lindsay is looking to make good on his one-year deal with the Colts.
Lindsay is no stranger to making a preseason statement. The undrafted running back out of Colorado beat out the Denver Broncos’ 2018 third-round pick Royce Freeman in that preseason to claim the number one position in Denver.
In Lindsay’s 2018 rookie year he had 192 rushes for nine touchdowns and 1037 rushing yards. He also had 241 receiving yards on 35 receptions.
Don’t Lindsay out especially when he gets a preseason opportunity to show what he has.
Mike Boone, Denver Broncos
Speaking of the Broncos, Boone has an opportunity to shine in the preseason. Fellow running back Melvin Gordon is limited with a foot injury and Javonte Williams is too valuable to play substantial time in the first preseason game.
Boone is a five-year veteran who is in his second year in Denver but has only seven offensive snaps in his Broncos resume.
However, with the starters sitting the first preseason game Boone has a chance to solidify his number three position on the Broncos’ depth chart.
Preseason NFL DFS Picks - Tight Ends
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
Dulcich is not only a coach’s favorite, but he is a reformed wide receiver. With Tim Patrick out the Broncos need to replace his production. Last season Patrick accounted for 85 targets, 17.3% target share, 53 receptions, 734 yards, and five touchdowns.
Dulcich the third-round rookie was already fighting Albert Okwuegbunam for the TE1 spot.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There will be no Rob Gronkowski on the field this year. That leaves Cameron Brate and Kyle Rudolph and now perhaps Otton.
Otton had an ankle injury that dropped him to a fourth-round selection.
Now in his first preseason game, he will be gathering passes from Kyle Trask.
Otton is 6’5” and 247 pounds. He missed the NFL Combine because of an ankle injury and was cleared to play just before the start of training camp.
He has good hands and is athletic. While he may split preseason time with Rudolph it is more likely that without Tom Brady on the field the Buccaneers will need to see if Otton is the tight end Brate has yet proved to be.
Thanks for checking out my picks and good luck in your contests!
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