FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Preseason Helper: Week 3, Thursday

Typically, in Week 3 of the preseason, teams consider this week to be the "dress rehearsal" week. Teams will usually play their starters for the first half and, in some cases, longer. 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 Thursday preseason NFL slate gives us six 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

Trace McSorley - There is a pathway for McSorley to see plenty of playing time tonight. The Baltimore Ravens were missing three out of their starting five offensive lineman in Tuesday's practice, so it's possible that the Ravens will limit Lamar Jackson's snaps. The former Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback has completed 17-of-35 passes for 159 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions through two preseason games. He's also ran for 33 yards on 4 rushes. McSorley will need a big game in order to convince the team to carry three quarterbacks on the roster to start the season.

Mike Glennon - Glennon has completed 28-of-39 passes for 375 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in two preseason games. Reportedly, the Oakland Raiders are concerned about the field conditions tonight (the game is being played in Winnipeg), so it wouldn't be a surprise if the starters sit out. That would open up plenty of snaps for the former North Carolina State Wolfpack signal caller.

Andy Dalton - Dalton and the rest of the Cincinnati Bengals starters are expected to play the entire first half. If the first two preseason games are any indication, I would expect a ton of passing volume from Dalton. The Bengals quarterback has attempted 18 passes in only three drives.

Others to consider: Tom Brady (if he plays), Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Josh Rosen, Ryan Fitzpatrick

Running Backs

Joe Mixon - Mixon is expected to see a lot of work this week. First-year Bengals head coach, Zac Taylor, wants to see how his offense operates with Mixon on the field. One half of football should be plenty of time for the AFC's reigning rushing leader to stuff the stat sheet.

DeAndre Washington - Washington has been utilized a ton this preseason (14 carries for 41 yards and 3 receptions for 56 yards in two games). With the Raiders possibly resting their starters tonight, I'd expect Washington to play plenty of snaps. The team is reportedly evaluating him this preseason as he's finally healthy.

Kalen Ballage - Miami Dolphins head coach, Brian Flores, is excited to see how Ballage performs tonight. The former Arizona State Sun Devils running back figures to get his first extended action of the preseason. With Kenyan Drake sidelined, a big game from Ballage could vault the young running back to the top of the depth chart.

Others to consider: Giovani Bernard, Jordan Ellis, Rod Smith, Paul Perkins, Justice Hill, Sony Michel, James White, Damien Harris, Ryquell Armstead, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Miles Sanders

Wide Receivers

Jakobi Meyers - Meyers has been arguably the most impressive player in the 2019 NFL preseason. Through two preseason games, the former North Carolina State Wolfpack standout has caught 12 passes for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns. With the New England Patriots thin at wide receiver, the rookie pass catcher played 78% of the team's offensive snaps in last week's preseason game.

Tyler Boyd - Boyd has caught 4 passes for 33 yards on 5 targets in two preseason games (three drives). With the Bengals missing three of their top five wide receivers (A.J. Green, John Ross, and Cody Core), though, there should be plenty of opportunities for the emerging star pass catcher.

T.J. Jones - Jones has been phenomenal through two preseason games as he's managed to catch 9 passes for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tonight's game will offer Jones another opportunity to cement a roster spot.

Others to consider: Curtis Samuel, Allen Lazard, Preston Williams, Keelan Doss, Mack Hollins, Kenny Stills, Keon Hatcher, Golden Tate, Auden Tate, Terry McLaurin (if he plays), D.J. Chark

Tight Ends

Robert Tonyan - Tonyan figures to see a lot of snaps with Jimmy Graham nursing a thumb injury. The third-year tight end managed to catch 3 passes for 17 yards on 5 targets in last week's preseason game. Additionally, the 25 snaps that Tonyan logged last week led all Green Bay Packers tight ends.

Mason Schreck - The Bengals are exceptionally thin at tight end tonight. Schreck should see some good playing time with Tyler Eifert likely limited (and once C.J. Uzomah departs with the starters). This could be a showcase game for the 25-year-old tight end as he's the subject of trade rumors.

Others to consider: C.J. Uzomah, Benjamin Watson, Matt LaCosse, Joshua Perkins

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.