Hall of Fame Game Preview and DFS Strategy
Football is back!! It may not be at its peak form Thursday night when the Lions and Chargers square off in Canton, Ohio, but it will give us our first glimpse of the NFL since the Super Bowl in February. News about player usage has slowly started to trickle in, so we can use that to our advantage when projecting the best plays. While it seems that a starter or two may get some run, the Hall of Fame Game is typically one where it's necessary to dig deep into the team's respective depth charts. DraftKings is featuring a large contest to kick off the preseason with their $15 Enshrinement Ceremony GPP and $50k to first.
Roster Strategy
On both FanDuel and DraftKings for showdown preseason slates, there's an MVP/Captain slot followed by five FLEX positions. Given that all players also have the same salary, there is plenty of flexibility to simply pick the players projected to score the most possible points.
Teams typically rest key starters for the entirety or vast majority of preseason games, especially early in the preseason, so the strategy for preseason DFS contests centers on targeting youngsters or fringe roster players that are likely to see extensive playing time and make the most of it. Our RotoWire NFL Optimizer can help you pinpoint top DFS targets, in addition to the players highlighted below.
Last year's optimal lineup in the HOF game featured a QB, one RB, two WRs and a pair of TEs. A TE caught a touchdown for each team in the Bears' victory over the Texans, although the often limited workload at the position certainly brings in risk. Defenses tend to be safe plays as they're the only ones that don't have to be worry about splitting playing time.
Quarterback
Coach Jim Harbaugh announced Tuesday that Trey Lance will start and play into the third quarter. At this point, it's little secret who Lance is as a player and the on-field results often aren't pretty. However, he averaged 220.7 passing yards and 56 rushing yards per preseason game last season. It will be a rollercoaster, but Lance is a good play at quarterback on Thursday night.
We're also likely to see plenty of both Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen, with Hooker presumably getting more of the playing time. Despite suffering a significant knee injury earlier in his career, Hooker still has some mobility, so he deserves to be prioritized over Allen.
Overall, I'd order the options Lance, Hooker and Allen. Lance is likely to be very heavily rostered, particularly in the captain slot. Regardless of the exact choice, it makes sense to make the quarterback the MVP/Captain.
Running Back
Let's start in Los Angeles, where we have at least some known information. Najee Harris (eye) won't be available, while Omarion Hampton will see action. Hampton will likely play one series, so now isn't the time to plug him into rosters. From there, things are hard to distinguish. Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal are likely to get several series apiece, so those options would be my preference.
In Detroit, don't expect Jahmyr Gibbs or David Montgomery. Sione Vaki (leg) is currently limited to individual drills, so he may need to wait another week to see game action. That could leave Craig Reynolds and Kye Robichaux to carry most of the workload and potential options to roster.
Wide Receiver
There are a wide array of options at wide receiver, but there should be better quality relative to the running back position. I'd look to fill more of my roster spots with wide receivers as a result.
In Los Angeles, Derius Davis, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Dalevon Campbell have all generated some positive buzz. Tre Harris could also enter the mix, though I'd project him to play very little unless we hear otherwise. Davis won't have the most hype of the group, but I'd prioritize rostering he and Lambert-Smith.
Similarly, don't expect the regulars in Detroit. Tom Kennedy will show up with the highest combination of depth chart position and likelihood to play a significant number of snaps, but he hasn't taken much advantage of that opportunity in past preseasons. Both Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett have gotten positive reviews in camp, so I'd expect them to be among Detroit's better pass catchers come Thursday night.
Tight End
Due to the flexibility of the format, tight ends shouldn't be a popular target in this contest. The exception could be Oronde Gadsden, who is essentially a glorified wide receiver and has emerged as a hyped downfield threat during training camp.
Kicker/DST
Both teams only have one kicker on their roster, Jake Bates and Cameron Dicker, for the Lions and Chargers, respectively. The Hall of Fame game isn't typically known for its offense and the over-under sits at 32.5, so this isn't necessarily the game to look to roster kickers.
Because of some of the sloppy offense we could see, the defenses are worth considering. Detroit would be the pretty clear choice. Last preseason, Lance took six sacks and also threw five interceptions, creating a lot of opportunities for opposing defenses to put up fantasy points.
