Typically, in Week 2 of the preseason, teams will play their starters around a quarter. However, that's not always the case, though, so it's necessary to sift through the news and figure out which players may project for high volume.
FanDuel's Sunday preseason NFL slate gives us two games. Since every player on the slate has the same price tag, salary cap is not an issue.
With that said, let's look at several players who stand to benefit from injury situations and/or project to play a lot of snaps.
Quarterbacks
Teddy Bridgewater - Bridgewater completed 14 of 19 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown against his former team in the preseason opener. It seems the New Orleans Saints want to see a lot of Bridgewater this preseason as they evaluate him for the post-Drew Brees era.
Taysom Hill - The swiss-army knife completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards, one touchdown, and one interception along with rushing for 45 yards on six carries in the second half of the team's preseason opener. He should receive ample time behind center if Drew Brees sits out or is limited.
Paxton Lynch - The former first-round pick played well in the Seattle Seahawks' preseason opener. Receiving 58% of the team's offensive snaps, Lynch completed 11 of 15 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown along with running for 38 yards and another score. Lynch figures to take the majority of snaps under center as Geno Smith will probably miss tonight's game after having surgery, though Smith did recently return to practice.
Running Backs
Troymaine Pope - Pope was held in check in the Los Angeles Chargers' preseason opener. He rushed for 15 yards on six carries along with catching two passes for 20 yards on three targets. Expect Pope to see plenty of snaps as the Chargers try to ensure that Justin Jackson and Austin Ekeler are healthy for the regular season.
Alexander Mattison - The Boise State product is in the driver's seat for the back-up running back job behind Dalvin Cook. With Cook's status unclear for tonight's game, Mattison could find himself playing with the starting offense. Mattison received 10 touches and scored a touchdown with Cook out in the preseason opener.
Dwayne Washington - Washington led the New Orleans Saints in carries in the team's preseason opener (eight rushes for 36 yards). With Alvin Kamara's status unclear, Washington could see plenty of playing time in the first half and then some more snaps into the third quarter.
Others to consider: Jacquizz Rodgers, Detrez Newsome, Travis Homer, Xavier Turner, Mike Boone, Ameer Abdullah
Wide Receivers
Emmanuel Butler - The undrafted rookie wide receiver was a full participant in practice this week after missing the team's preseason opener. After turning heads early in training camp, Butler will need to have a big game in order to crack the Saints' 53-man roster.
Gary Jennings Jr. - Jennings Jr. posted failed to catch a pass on two targets in the team's preseason opener. However, he should not be overlooked on this short slate after receiving rave reviews from Russell Wilson and having his best day of practice on Monday, per reports.
Olabisi Johnson - The former Colorado State receiver received praised from coach Mike Zimmer following the team's preseason opener. Johnson played 33 snaps and managed to catch two passes for 35 yards and one touchdown. He'll likely need another big game in order to crack the 53-man roster.
Others to consider: Simmie Cobbs Jr., Cyril Grayson, Geremy Davis, Artavis Scott, D.K. Metcalf, Jazz Ferguson
Tight Ends
Irv Smith Jr. - The first-round pick out of Alabama managed to catch three passes for 21 yards on seven targets in his first taste of professional football. It certainly looks like the Minnesota Vikings will give him plenty of opportunities in the preseason, and that should continue today.
A.J. Derby - Tight end is an ugly position on a two-game slate. In the preseason opener, Derby caught two of four targets for 13 yards. He figures to run with the second- and third-team offenses this week. That's enough playing time for him to warrant consideration on this slate.
Others to consider: Nick Vannett
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 may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.