NFL football is finally back. And yes, the preseason counts as real football. The news. The stories. The starters playing one series. The backups vying for roster spots. The veterans clinging to their football lives playing deep into games. The rookies getting their first taste of real action. It’s all so beautiful. And when it comes to preseason DFS, all of that stuff matters. As DBro says, “preseason DFS is gawd’s game.”
Preseason DFS may be for the true degens, but it’s also for those trying to cash in on soft lines from DFS sites. And if you’re following our NFL News Desk and chatting with experts like DBro in the FantasyPros Discord, you’ll have all the information you need to gain an edge over the other degens. In this series of articles, we’re providing our top targets from every team, for every matchup throughout the preseason. In addition to the picks we’re providing, be sure to check out DBro’s Guide to NFL Preseason DFS for help determining your overall strategy.
- How to Approach NFL Preseason DFS
- 2023 NFL Training Camp News for Every Team
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
Colts vs. Bills NFL Preseason DFS Picks
Indianapolis Colts Targets
Everyone and their mothers will be starting QB Anthony Richardson in DFS on Saturday, providing the perfect opportunity to take a contrarian edge in this NFL Preseason Week 1. Richardson will not see much more than a few drives if that, and incumbent “second stringer” Gardner Minshew should play the remainder of the first half.
With only three quarterbacks on the entire Colts’ roster, that should leave nearly a full half of play for third-year QB, Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger is battling for the backup role in Indy, and Colts’ brass will surely want to see how he performs throughout the preseason. He’ll have the benefit of going up against third and fourth-string defenders on Saturday as a quarterback that has already made three career NFL regular season starts.
With Jonathan Taylor away from the team and both Zack Moss and Deon Jackson going down to injuries in the past couple of weeks, no player has a greater chance to make a name for himself than rookie back Evan Hull. Plucked up in the fifth round back in April, Hull managed a 488-2417-18 rushing line across four collegiate seasons at Northwestern.
Knowing that he will need a strong preseason performance to secure a roster spot in what could be a wide-open competition for the Colts, Hull will surely be running with a chip on his shoulder this Saturday. He will also likely see extensive run, given the current state of the Indy RB room. He should be a popular DFS pick across the board, and one that could plunge into the endzone once or twice.
Buffalo Bills Targets
A longshot to make the Bills’ roster in such a crowded receiver room, rookie pass catcher Justin Shorter will need to ball out exclusively during his time on the field this preseason. The 23-year-old has prototypical size at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds and he should be looking to utilize that frame against the Colts’ backup DBs on Saturday. By all accounts, Shorter has had a solid camp for Buffalo so far, and he will look to take that momentum into live game action for the first time this weekend.
Competing for the second-string role in the Bills’ backfield, aging veteran Latavius Murray is looking to make a mark for his fifth team over the past four seasons. The 33-year-old could very well start in the Bills’ first preseason showing, as RB James Cook could be rested, while Damien Harris may not play due to injury. That would leave just Murray and recently signed Darrynton Evans as backfield options. I really like Murray’s odds to score a short touchdown on Saturday if those predictions all stay true.
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