By Ian Wharton
The 2022 NFL preseason kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night, featuring the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. Legends from each franchise are honored for their careers, as the Raiders celebrate Cliff Branch and Richard Seymour, while the Jaguars have their first-ever inductee in Tony Boselli. For the game itself, we’re breaking down your best DFS fantasy football lineup options on FanDuel and DraftKings for tournaments and 50/50 competitions.
Top NFL DFS picks for Raiders vs. Jaguars
Both DraftKings and FanDuel are offering Showdown Captain modes instead of traditional lineups. This means we have to choose one player as the captain, who will score 1.5x points, with the rest of the lineup being made up of flex options. We have a $60,000 salary cap for five players on FanDuel. Meanwhile, DraftKings gives us $50,000 to spend on six players total.
Each player typically has a different cost associated to each site. However, for Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game, all players are priced the same. On DraftKings, the Captain’s slot has an $11,400 price tag with $7,600 for each flex spot. For FanDuel, all players are priced at $12,000 whether as the Captain or in the flex. With this in mind, here’s a look at our top DFS picks for this week.
Quarterbacks
Jarrett Stidham, Raiders
This offseason, the Raiders traded for Jarrett Stidham and added free agent Nick Mullens to play behind Derek Carr. Stidham is in line to start, and there’s no reason to think he won’t play the majority of the first half.
After spending the last three seasons with head coach Josh McDaniels in New England, Stidham should be the sharpest of any quarterback who will play in this game. He has a strong arm and is accurate on short passes. The Raiders will give him relatively easy completions on rollouts and quick reads. Stidham could put together some scoring drives, though he’s at risk of losing touchdowns to this deep backfield.
Jake Luton, Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence will sit this game out, meaning it’s Jake Luton time in Jacksonville. Luton has barely played, and when given the chance, has played poorly. Maybe Doug Pederson can work some magic to help us forget the two touchdowns to six interceptions he tossed in six games in 2020.
A big, stiff pocket passer who thrives on explosive plays over consistent drives, Luton is a wild card. He’s as likely to walk away with the most or least production of any QB who plays in this game. Luton’s a good wild-card play but not necessarily the smartest option.
Running backs
Ameer Abdullah, Raiders
It seems unlikely that fourth-round or seventh-round rookies Zamir White and Brittain Brown will play for Las Vegas after missing several practices over the last few weeks. That’s a shame because both need to earn their role as soon as possible in this deep backfield. Additionally, I doubt we’ll see much of Kenyan Drake or Brandon Bolden since their roster spots are locked in.
Meanwhile, Ameer Abdullah is a veteran clawing for his career. He’s a talented scatback who could simply overwhelm the Jaguars’ backups with his speed.
Snoop Conner, Jaguars
I’m so excited to see Snoop Conner get a chance with Travis Etienne and James Robinson out. Conner is close to a must-play for me and should be considered for your captain role. He’ll benefit from playing a weaker Raiders front seven and also from Pederson’s favorable offensive run scheme. Don’t sleep on the fifth-round rookie as the MVP of this contest.
Ryquell Armstead, Jaguars
Still locked in a battle with Conner for the No. 3 RB spot, Ryquell Armstead should get a good number of touches in the second half against practice-squad competition. Armstead is a bigger back who can vulture red-zone touches. He has just 188 yards on 50 career carries. With every player costing the same for this game, you could do worse than betting on Pederson using Armstead as a subpackage player for scoring opportunities.
Wide Receivers
Laviska Shenault Jr., Jaguars
It’s possible Laviska Shenault Jr. is the most talented player who will play Thursday night. He has to earn his roster spot despite the intriguing versatility he brings to the table. It’s a shame the Jaguars don’t have a better backup QB situation, but Shenault might be able to earn some trade or roster value with a big performance.
Lujuan Winningham, Jaguars
If you’re wanting to bank on a camp winner emerging in games, it’s this undrafted rookie from Central Arkansas. The 6’3″, 195-pounder has earned praise for his ability to make tough catches downfield and over the middle of the field. He could be pushing Shenault for his roster spot.
Tyron Johnson, Raiders
Throughout the preseason, McDaniels has raved about Tyron Johnson as a speedy receiver. The Raiders should be able to stash him on the practice squad if he doesn’t make the final 53, but that doesn’t mean Johnson can’t push veterans Demarcus Robinson or Keelan Cole. I’d love to see Stidham or Mullens give Johnson a couple of deep opportunities.
Keelan Cole, Raiders
The Raiders’ final outside receiver role is an open competition between Robinson, Mack Hollins, and Keelan Cole. Hollins is more of a deep specialist and special teamer, so playing him in DFS would be a flier on him connecting with a young quarterback.
Robinson and Cole are smarter plays. It’s hard to guess how much they’ll play, but Cole should be an easier target for Stidham and Mullens to find since he’s a shiftier presence and can play in the slot.
