Typically, in Week 2 of the preseason teams will play their starters around a quarter. However, that's not always the case, so it's necessary to sift through the news and figure out which players may project for high volume.
FanDuel's Friday Night Preseason NFL slate gives us three games. Since every player on the slate has the same price tag, salary cap is not an issue.
With that said, let's get into several players who stand to benefit from injury situations and/or project to play a lot of snaps.
Quarterbacks
Josh Rosen – The second-year pro could see the lion's share of quarterback snaps this week as Miami continues to evaluate the starting quarterback job. I would expect the passing volume to be there for Rosen this week because a) he’s expected to play a lot, and b) he attempted 20 passes in last week’s opener. This leads me to believe that the Dolphins want to get a good long look at their young passer.
Ryan Griffin – The third-string quarterback threw for 330 yards and one touchdown on an astounding 43 passes in the team’s preseason opener. Stuck behind two established veteran quarterbacks (Jameis Winston and Blaine Gabbert), Griffin should still see plenty of snaps. Winston isn't going to play much more this week than he did in the opener (one series).
Chase Daniel – With starter Mitchell Trubisky expected to sit out, expect Daniel and Tyler Bray to split duties under center. Daniel has started and shined in the preseason before (preseason Week 3 in 2018), as he threw for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns along with rushing for 47 yards.
Others to consider: Tyler Bray
Running Backs
Paul Perkins and Rod Smith – With Wayne Gallman missing practice this week, along with the team seemingly intent on leaving Saquon Barkley in bubble wrap during the preseason, look for Perkins and Smith to get plenty of snaps. Perkins played 39% of the offensive team snaps and Smith played 27% of the offensive team snaps in last week’s preseason opener.
Kerrith Whyte Jr. - Whyte Jr. could be in line for a busy night. After rushing 6 times for 35 yards and catching a pass for 7 yards, Whyte Jr.'s role could expand with David Montgomery, Mike Davis, and Tarik Cohen not expected to play much, if at all.
Ryan Nall - Both Nall and Whyte Jr. should have a busy night (they combined for 11 of the team's 19 rushing attempts in last week's preseason opener). Since Chicago plans to minimize usage from their top three running backs for the rest of the preseason, I have no problem doubling up on the Bears' backfield tonight. Nall rushed for 223 rushing yards in last year's preseason (in the same offense), which was good for second in the league.
Others to consider: Mark Walton, Myles Gaskin, Kalen Ballage, Taquan Mizzell, Dare Ogunbowale, Reggie Bonnafan, Elijah Holyfield, Devin Singletary
Wide Receivers
TJ Jones – The former Detroit Lions wide receiver hauled in 6 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown on 45% of the team’s offensive snaps in the New York Giants’ preseason opener. He was targeted a team high six times.
Preston Williams – After catching 4 passes for 97 yards on 5 targets in the team’s preseason opener, Williams started to see some reps with the starters this week. He also might double as a punt returner in this week’s game. Williams should see plenty of playing time with injuries to Jakeem Grant, DeVante Parker, and Albert Wilson.
Spencer Schnell – The former Illinois State product had a massive stat line in the Buccaneers’ preseason opener. Schnell hauled in 7 receptions for 119 yards on 9 targets. He’s taking advantage of playing time due to Scotty Miller’s injury. Schnell continued his momentum this week with by performing well in joint practices with the Dolphins.
Others to consider: Reggie White Jr., Isaiah Ford, Terry Godwin, Robert Foster, Isaiah McKenzie
Tight Ends
Chris Manhertz – Manhertz appears to be the main beneficiary of Ian Thomas missing this week’s game. As a result, Manhertz is in line to play a significant amount of snaps and has come alive in the red zone during practice this week.
Tanner Hudson – Much like Spencer Schnell, Hudson made the most out of the team’s first preseason game. Hudson caught 7-of-9 targets for 84 yards. Hudson has followed that up by producing against the Miami second team defense in joint practices this week.
Others to consider: Tommy Sweeney, Michael Gesicki, Ian Bunting, Dax Raymond, CJ Conrad
Matthew Hiatt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matthew Hiatt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username easternmh. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.