Daily Fantasy NFL Preseason Week 1 Picks for DraftKings

Welcome to Week 1 of the NFL preseason. While I am not nearly excited for the preseason as I am the regular season, there has to be some kind of excitement heading in. As I am sure you know, the preseason is a whole different monster, especially in week 1. While it sort of matters how good someone is, we are basically just looking for the guys who are going to get the most playing time, touches, or throws. With only 7 games on the docket, we are going to have a huge edge if we can find some value. Let's get right into it!

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Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo - New England Patriots

This is a spot that we are going to take advantage of all preseason. With Tom Brady suspended for the first 4 games of the regular season, Bill Belichick is going to be down to 2 guys in Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. While they will likely split the game here, I prefer Garoppolo as he will be playing with the better receivers and is just a better quarterback overall. Belichick recently made a comment saying that his goal for the preseason was to "Get Garoppolo ready", so we can definitely expect a fair share of reps under center. If you are looking to get sneaky, however, I do not mind Brissett as he brings some upside with his passing and running game.

Marquise Williams - Green Bay Packers

First of all, this pick is contingent on both Aaron Rodgers and Brett Hundley taking this game off. Both Rodgers and Hundley are facing some minor injuries and I expect them to take at least 1 week off, but keep an eye out just in case they play. That leaves us with Marquise Williams, the dual threat monster from the University of North Carolina. If you played college DFS last year you are very well acquainted with the name Marquise Williams. HE was absolutely dynamic in college and while I do doubt he can carry it over, he may be able to against the likes of second string defenses in the preseason. As a plus, the Packers WR depth chart is very competitive and these receivers will not be falling down, but will be fighting for every last yard they can gain.

Running Back

Kenjon Barner - Philadelphia Eagles

Kenjon Barner is likely going to be the chalk here and rightfully so. With Ryan Matthews and Wendell Smallwood out, the Eagles are going to be limited to 3 backs in Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner and Cedric O'Neal. They know exactly what they have with Sproles and O'Neal is the 6th guy on the depth chart, which leaves us with a whole lot of Kenjon Barner. Barner is a back with a ton of explosiveness that may see some kick and punt returns as well as a whole half of football next to the QB. In cash games, Barner is almost a must play. In tournaments, I do not recommend fading him, though there is always a case to be made.

Ka'Deem Carey - Chicago Bears

One thing I love to do in preseason football is to target the guys who are just in that bring of having a certain job. Whether it be the starting job, the backup job or even making the roster, it is always good to have a guy that is fighting for something. Ka'Deem Carey is certainly going to be fighting for that backup job as well as a third down pass catching back behind Langford. Carey is a very talented back out of the University of Arizona and will look to making the next leap in his career this season. While Langford and Rodgers will see some reps, I expect Carey to get a ton as the Bears really want to see what they have with him. Carey is a great play in all formats, though I prefer him in tourneys.

Wide Receiver

Jared Abbrederis - Green Bay Packers

Moving on to WR, we are going to take a look at Jared Abbrederis. As I mentioned, the Packers WR depth chart is backed and this is the guy who has the best chance of making the roster as the 5th receiver. Top end receivers will receove little to none playing time in the first week which basically excludes Randall Cobb and Davante, let alone Ty Montgomery and Jordy Nelson due to injuries. That leaves us with Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis as the top 2 guys that are followed by a whole bunch of guys looking to take their spot. While I think Janis is a great way to go as well, I expect Abbrederis to be lesser owned and he has the same upside in my opinion. While Abbrederis is a fine 1-off, I prefer to play him in a QB-WR combo with Marquise Williams or Brett Hundley.

Chris Harper - New England Patriots

Looking at another QB-WR battery here, we have Chris Harper of the New England Patriots. While the Pats WR chart is packed as usual, Amendola and Edelman will miss this game which is going to bump up a few guys mightily, one of which being Chris Harper. Harper has shown his upside in the past and I actually expect him to have a huge preseason and I could see that resulting in him seeing some real regular seasons snaps, especially if he gains chemistry with Garoppolo. Chemistry is another thing to keep in mind here as Harper and Garoppolo have been working on the 2nd team practice field all training camp(before Brady suspension).

Kevin White - Chicago Bears

The Bears WR situation is a bit cloudy as Alshon Jeffry, Marquess Wilson and Eddie Royal are all battling injuries. If all 3 of these guys or even 2 of them miss the game, Kevin White is going to be a fantastic play. White missed all of last season with a shin injury and will look to have a great "rookie" season in 2016. White was drafted in the top 15 only 2 years ago, so he obviously has the pedigree to be a legitimate receiver. Basically, we just have to wait on whether or not any of those 3 guys are going to miss the game. Remember, DraftKings has late swap so you are able to swap out anyone up to their respective game time start.

Tight End

Logan Paulsen - Washington Redskins

The TE spot is always a very difficult one in the preseason. All in all, you are just looking for a guy that is going to receive a few targets. The reason I went with Paulsen here is because the Redskins offense is shaped for a tight end and the Falcons scheme is very poor against opposing tight ends. With Jordan Reed a little banged up, I would not be surprised to see a full quarter and a half out of Paulsen as the other ends on the roster are just flat out horrible and/or blocking TE's.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment below and I will make sure to get back to you as quickly as I possibly can. Thank you so much for reading and good luck!