There were 32 NFL Teams in action this weekend, and that led to some BIG winners and losers that 95% of NFL DFS players and Best Ball drafters weren’t paying attention to. Here’s everything we learned from the Week 1 preseason NFL DFS and Best Ball takeaways.
Preseason NFL DFS Takeaways
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Running Back Time Shares
In Washington, there is a true time share with Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson splitting work almost evenly. Similarly, in Pittsburgh, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are dividing the workload in a nearly equal manner.
Wide Receiver Threes: Rookie Stock Falling
Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs started as the top 2 wide receivers in Houston, with Tank Dell also contributing in three-receiver sets. The team ran 11 personnel (three wide receivers) on 62% of their plays last season, which is middle of the pack and may lower Dell’s projection.
Rome Odunze participated in 53% of snaps with the starters, while the Bears utilized Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore on over 80% of snaps. This was somewhat expected given that Odunze is still acclimating to the offense. The Bears ran 11 personnel on 66% of their plays last season.
Stock Rising: Denver Broncos
Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims did not see any playing time with the first-team Broncos offense over the weekend. If things remain as they are, Josh Reynolds and Tim Patrick will start alongside Courtland Sutton. Currently, both Franklin and Mims are going undrafted.
Stock Rising: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are running many three-receiver sets, with Ray-Ray McCloud and Darnell Mooney getting significant playing time with the first team. Rondale Moore is out for the season, making McCloud a strong last-round pick in Best Ball drafts that have been ongoing since May.
Stock Rising: Pittsburgh Steelers
Van Jefferson played 90% of snaps with the Steelers first team, indicating he is clearly the No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh and is currently going undrafted.
Tight End Time Shares
Gerald Everett might be splitting tight end duties with Cole Kmet. Dawson Knox shared first-team snaps with Dalton Kincaid, suggesting that Knox will have a larger role in the offense at the start of the season than Kincaid’s Best Ball draft position would imply. Additionally, the Rams sat Colby Parkinson with their other starters, indicating he has secured the starting job while Tyler Higbee is out.
Bell cow Backs
Zamir White played 80% of the Raiders’ first-team snaps last weekend, though he will likely be substituted in passing situations by Dylan Laube. Alexander Mattison is currently draftable primarily as a handcuff.
James Cook appears to be the bell cow in Buffalo, having played 100% of snaps with the starting offense this week. Jerome Ford is the top option with Nick Chubb out, as he played 95% of the running back snaps with the first-team offense. It seems the Chiefs were accurate in their claim that Isiah Pacheco would be the primary back this season after the loss of Jerick McKinnon, as Pacheco played 100% of first-team snaps.
Stock Up: High End Guys
- James Cook
- Isaiah Pacheco
Stock Up: Mid-Tier
- Zamir White
- Xavier Worthy
- Jerome Ford
Stock Up: Later in the Draft
- Darnell Mooney
- Gerald Everett
- Ray-Ray McCloud
- Tim Patrick
- Josh Reynolds
- Colby Parkinson
- Dawson Knox
Stock Down: High End Guys
- Tank Dell
- Dalton Kincaid
Stock Down: Mid-Tier
- Rome Odunze
- Marquise Brown
- Cole Kmet
Stock Down: End of Draft
- Marvin Mims
- Troy Franklin
- Alexander Mattison
Get ready for our NFL DFS Projections! For NFL Week 1, we’ll be offering our top-tier data to give you the best NFL DFS projections projections available, helping you create winning lineups from the very beginning.
