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
Lions vs. Panthers NFL Preseason DFS Picks
Detroit Lions Targets
QB Jared Goff seems unlikely to play much, if at all, on Friday night, and behind him, the Lions only have two viable quarterback options in Teddy Bridgewater and Nate Sudfeld. Bridgewater is also doubtful to play more than a series or two, leaving Sudfeld by default to be in for the majority of the game.
Sudfeld has had a dreadful preseason so far, completing just north of 50% of his passes with a 1:3 TD:INT ratio. This will likely lead DFS casuals to steer clear of him on Friday night, which we know could be a huge mistake. The name of the game in preseason DFS is playing time, and Sudfeld is in line to see a huge portion of it. He also knows he will need to play much better in the finale if he wants a chance to secure a regular-season roster spot.
Chase Cota has been one of few featured receivers for Detroit so far this preseason, as he has commanded the team-high in targets (11) through the first two games and turned it into a 6-69-1 line. Cota is a big-bodied UDFA who secured the aforementioned Sudfeld’s only touchdown pass of the preseason back in Week Two. Pairing together the two of these Lions could end up beneficial as a low-owned stack with upside on Friday night.
Carolina Panthers Targets
The Panthers’ offense has generally stunk through two preseason games thus far, but rookie RB Spencer Brown has seen enough volume to be a considered play against the Lions on Friday. To this point, the 24-year-old out of AUB has rushed 18 times for 60 yards and hauled in another four passes for 11 receiving yards.
Miles Sanders is not going to play on Friday, and this will be the last chance for Brown to try to surpass Raheem Blackshear for the number three running back duties. I would expect him to run hard and aggressively all night, and he should have a chance to plunge into the endzone at some point.
A player with some former preseason success in his back pocket, Shi Smith was unsurprisingly the most-targeted Panthers receiver against the Giants last week. He pulled in four balls for 59 yards, including a 27-yard catch at the start of the fourth quarter to set the Panthers up in the red zone.
Smith should see ample playing time again on Friday night, and when the reserves of both teams are in, he is one of the more talented players on the field. Looking through the depth chart top to bottom, Smith has the best chance of returning DFS value in Carolina’s final preseason game.
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