NFL Preseason Week 2 Picks & Players to Watch: August 17
Get ready for another action-packed weekend of NFL preseason as Week 2 will start ripping with a 13-game slate on Saturday, August 17. Week 2 is likely the week we’ll see the most out of the team’s starters, though most coaches seem more hesitant than ever to put their first-team on the field.
In preseason Week 2, we find out who was a fluke in Week 1, and who could be primed to make an impact on their team in 2024.
Here, we’ll break down picks from every NFL preseason Week 2 game for DFS, including top players to watch for every team.
Don’t forget that the PrizePicks NFLP board will be live all day, giving you the chance to pick more or less on players to get a sweat on meaningless football. What’s better than that?
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Preseason Week 2 Schedule: Where to Watch?
26 NFL teams will take the field for Preseason Week 2 on Saturday, August 17. There will be NFL action all day long. NFL Network will host four of the games on TV, back-to-back.
Here’s the TV schedule for preseason Week 2:
- Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears — 1 p.m. ET
- Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs — 4 p.m. ET
- Buffalo Bills @ Pittsburgh Steelers — 7 p.m. ET
- Dallas Cowboys @ Las Vegas Raiders — 10 p.m. ET
Atlanta Falcons @ Baltimore Ravens — 12 p.m. ET
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.
As expected Penix played a whole half last week, but did fall just short on his PrizePicks projection. Still, he was a top pick for a reason, and he should continue to make some big plays. Expect similar playing time for Penix this week with QB Kirk Cousins out, as the Falcons look to get their first-round pick integrated.
Falcons WR Casey Washington
The sixth-round pick is on the roster bubble, but he’s been impressive in camp, then came through late in preseason Week 1 with nine targets, hitting the More on his PrizePicks projection. Washington should be heavily involved again this week, and if he continues to create separation and sees targets, we could see a big game here.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears — 1 p.m. ET
Bengals WR Jermaine Burton
Third-round rookie Jermaine Burton caught three passes last week for 82 yards a touchdown. It’s clear the Bengals want to see what they have with the rookie, as he has a chance to play the WR3 role for this team if things shake out right. I’d expect Burton to get more run here after how he played last week, as he’s second-string on the depth chart.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert
The Bears RB room is loaded, so don’t expect any to get a ton of work. However, Khalil Herbert led the team in carries last week with nine, mixing in with the second and third team. Expect a similar role in Week 2.
New York Giants @ Houston Texans — 1 p.m. ET
Giants WRs Jalin Hyatt & Isaiah Hodgins
Giants are down first-round WR Malik Nabers after his ankle injury at Sundays practice, and they’re expected to play starters in this game. That means Jalin Hyatt and Isaiah Hodgins should get the most playing time, as they are fringe first-team WRs (without Nabers), and core second-team players. Darts on either of these two make sense in terms of playing time.
Texans WR Robert Woods
Robert Woods was tied with Cade Stover for the lead in targets in preseason Week 1, and now Woods is being discussed as a potential trade option. Woods has personal incentive, as he’s fighting for a roster spot on a stacked Texans squad, but the Texans also have incentive to play him. Expect solid playing times from Woods here with the second team.
Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs — 4 p.m. ET
All Chiefs Starters — Patrick Mahomes, Isaiah Pacheco, Xavier Worthy
Andy Reid revealed that starters will play a full half on Saturday, which makes all of them some of my favorite picks on Saturday’s preseason slate. Xavier Worthy should especially see an expanded role as a rookie, but also as WR1 Marquise Brown went down with an injury earlier this week.
Not listed here are the fringe first-team, core second-team players, like RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (was battling an illness earlier this week) and WRs Justin Watson and Skyy Moore.
Lions WR Antoine Green
Lions aren’t expected to play starters here, and as I wrote last week, Green is a dynamic player who can be used all over the field, which gives him more reasons to play deeper into preseason games. He secured all three of his targets last week for 13 yards, so it looks like the Lions want to find ways to get him the rock.
Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns — 4:25 p.m. ET
Vikings QB Sam Darnold
J.J. McCarthy is done for the year, which you’d think leads to Sam Darnold getting more reps in preseason Week 2. Darnold played a few possessions last week, but should see more here. QB Jaren Hall is now the QB2, and could also see additional snaps with no McCarthy.
Vikings WR Trishton Jackson
Look, Justin Jefferson called Trishton Jackson a “dawg” this week. That’s all I got to say.
But in reality, Jackson is getting his opportunity to fight for a roster spot, and he’s making the most of it. In Week 1, he had 4 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, including a 45-yard touchdown that was one of the top highlights of Week 1. (Sadly, it’ll be McCarthy’s last touchdown pass for a while.)
As the Vikings plan on resting plenty of starters here, Jackson should get another chance to shine.
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Seattle Seahawks @ Tennessee Titans — 7 p.m. ET
Seahawks WR Dareke Young
I’m not too excited about any of these Seahawks second-team WRs, but Dareke did get the best PFF grade last week after leading the team in receiving yards on four targets. He should get playing time with the second- and third-team.
Titans QB Mason Rudolph
Rudolph played a whole half last week, going 10-for-17 with 126 yards. There’s no indication that his playing time will change here, with the first- and second-team expected to get the first half. Rudolph, with plenty of NFL experience, should have solid success against a third-team defense.
Buffalo Bills @ Pittsburgh Steelers — 7 p.m. ET
Steelers QB Justin Fields
Hard to know what we’re going to get in terms of playing time out of Justin Fields. He played about a quarter in Week 1, but now will back up Russell Wilson, who draws the start. Fields will surely get at least the second quarter here, but may be a bit risky to count on for playing time.
Bills QB Mitch Trubisky
Similar to Rudolph, QB Mitch Trubisky got a whole half of playing time last week, but struggled to turn it into much as the Bears walloped the Bills. That said, he’s the player with the most likely playing time that we can count on. RB Frank Gore Jr. also had solid success last week, with a team-high seven carries.
New York Jets @ Carolina Panthers — 7 p.m. ET
Jets WR Malachi Corley
The Jets threw the ball in Corley's direction a lot last week, as he had five targets and a team-high four catches. It’s natural for teams to give their draft picks a longer leash in preseason, and we’re seeing that from the former Western Kentucky star. He should get plenty of time here. Also look for Malik Taylor to emerge this week, as he’s been the talk of camp.
Jets QB Adrian Martinez
No Aaron Rodgers means more playing time for the backup QBs. The Jets went way down the depth chart last week as Martinez played about a half. His passing upside isn’t huge, as he’s a small-bodied QB who is more successful with his legs, so consider that if he shows upon the PrizePicks board. That said, he can be an exciting player to watch.
Washington Commanders @ Miami Dolphins — 7 p.m. ET
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels preseason debut couldn’t have gone much better, as he went 2-for-3 for 45 yards, along with a rushing touchdown from inside the five. It’s likely the Commanders want to continue to protect Daniels, so don’t expect more than a quarter here.
Instead, we should see undrafted rookie QB Sam Hartman get the second-most playing time here — he had a great connection with second-round rookie TE Ben Sinnott last week.
Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson
As I wrote for preseason Week 1, the Dolphins are expected to only roll out two quarterbacks in preseason Week 2, which sets up well for Thompson to play a half.
Thompson surpassed his PrizePicks yardage projection in Week 1, going 8-for-19 with 95 yards, a TD, and an INT. While it wasn’t pretty, it did exceed what Mike White did. Thompson should be the more productive of the two.
Arizona Cardinals @ Indianapolis Colts — 7 p.m. ET
Cardinals QB Clayton Tune
Clayton Tune played for almost the entire game last week, and we may get a similar amount of play in this game from the 2023 fifth-round pick. Last week, Tune went 15-for-24 with 163 yards passing and a touchdown.
Colts RB Evan Hull
The starters shouldn’t play much for the Colts, so Hull — the 2023 fifth-round pick — should be in-line to lead the backfield in opportunities again, as Trey Sermon will sit out. Last week, he had eight carries for 16 yards and a score. This week, he’s taking the RB2 carries in practice. He should get the same amount of opportunities in Week 2.
Los Angeles Rams @ Los Angeles Chargers — 7:05 p.m. ET
Rams QB Stetson Bennett
The Rams decided to play Stetson Bennett for the entire game last week. And he was absolutely horrible, throwing 4 INTs, all of which were directly into the hands of defenders. But the thing is… if they do it again, he’s going to be a great pick for fantasy.
Also, last week, the WR rotation was tight as well, as rookies Jordan Whittington had nine targets and went 6-74, while Sam Wiglusz was 3-36 on eight targets. Both are solid options again here.
Chargers RB Jaret Patterson
Paterson was a mediocre prospect last year who has hung onto a roster spot in his second season, then led the team in carries last week. He ended up with seven carries for 53 yards as the chargers put up only three points. Not a lot to be excited about here, but Patterson should lead in opportunities again.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Jacksonville Jaguars — 7:30 p.m. ET
Bucs RB Sean Tucker
Sean Tucker had a great week in Week 1, rushing 10 times for 68 yards. He split most of the carries with rookie DJ Williams, who also had 10 carries. I pick Tucker of the two because he was a freak in college and a 2021 All-American. This is the kind of spot where talents like him can thrive, and he’s getting the opportunity to right now.
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan
Although I’m a bit concerned about play time as McMillan is already playing snaps with the first-team, I expect this is the game the Bucs get an extended look at McMillan. Another college stud at Washington, the rookie was on Michael Penix’s WR1 before injuries hampered his senior year. He’s the kind of high floor, explosive player I want on lineups.
Dallas Cowboys @ Las Vegas Raiders — 10 p.m. ET
Cowboys QB Trey Lance
Dak Prescott isn’t going to play in preseason Week 2, as he just returned to practice. That is going to leave almost all of the QB work to Trey Lance, who the Cowboys are giving plenty of opportunity to this offseason. Last week, he went 22-for-41 for 188 yards. His accuracy was questionable, but that’s a ton of snaps. Expect the same here.
Cowboys RB Malik Davis
Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are familiar faces who will get playing time this season from the jump. Maik Davis, although he’s the RB3, has a chance to be a part of this offense. The second-year RB had 38 carries for 161 yards and a TD in 2022, and could push for snaps again. Expect the Cowboys to give Davis the most backfield work here again.
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Build an NFL Preseason Week 2 Lineup on PrizePicks
The best part about preseason is following the depth chart narratives and players who we may never see again. While we will probably never pick some of these players in a lineup again, it gives us a chance to get to know more players and flex our knowledge before the regular season hits (it’s soooo close).
Be sure to check out the NFL Preseason (NFLP) board on PrizePicks to lock in your lineup for Week 2 — or even a couple lineups — as you lock into all day football. There’s nothing better than football sweats on a Saturday.
