NFL Preseason 8/15/26 DraftKings Slate

The first slate is here, and we are breaking down the six-game slate!

The games are as follows!

• Lions at Bengals

• Packers at Steelers

• Colts at Patriots

• Chargers at Texans

• Cardinals at Raiders

• Titans at 49ers

We will go position by position, highlighting my favorite plays below

Quarterback

The Lions will feature Luke Altmyer, who I think will play most of the game. Joshua Dobbs just signed with the team after Teddy Bridgewater retired. On the Bengals, Josh Johnson is a longtime veteran, and I like Sean Clifford to see more playing time. On the Packers, I don't like the situation at quarterback with Kyron Drones and Kyle McCord seeing time. On the Steelers, this will be a showcase for Drew Allar to prove he is better than Will Howard. On the Colts, I don't like much here. On the Patriots, Behren Morton is one of my favorite options on the slate. The team only has Tommy DeVito and Drake Maye ahead of him. For the Chargers, DJ Uiagalelei is a gross click, but he will be the team's main option. On the Texans, I love Graham Mertz to see the most playing time with only three options on the team. On the Cardinals, I do like Carson Beck, and he looked fantastic in the Hall of Fame Game. On the Raiders, I am fading these guys with a busy room. On the Titans, I am only slightly leaning toward Henderson Hooker just simply due to the rushing ability. On the 49ers, I don't mind Kurtis Rourke as a low-owned option on the slate.

Runningback

On the Lions, I like Jabari Small and Jacob Saylors. They both will be fighting for the third-string snaps, and I think they can beat out Raheem Blackshear. On the Bengals, Jamal Hayes and Kentrell Bullock are two rookies that could see time. The piece I like to get his feet going for the season is Tahj Brooks. I like the situation on the Packers. I expect to see Damien Martinez, and he looked okay on the Seattle Seahawks. Pierre Strong is a bulldozing running back. On the Steelers, Kaleb Johnson needs to see the run bad. Travis Homer is a scatback that could earn catches. On the Colts, Seth McGowan is the only back I am keeping an eye on. On the Patriots, Lan Larison and Terrell Jennings are my two favorite options on the team. Terrell Jennings we have seen have snaps on the team, while Lan Larison is a rookie. Don't count out Jam Miller as well to find the end zone. On the Chargers, Jaret Patterson is a veteran and can catch passes as well. Greg Desroisiers is a name being talked about, and I like him as a low-owned option. On the Texans, the running back room is short. I like Noah Whittington, who is quick as nails, and the veteran Jawhar Jordan to find the end zone. On the Cardinals, Corey Kiner is going to be a workhorse. On the Raiders, this room is short. I am all in on Roman Hemby and Dylan Laube (goal-line back) to see the workload. On the Titans, Nic Singleton could try to steal the show. This room is busy though. On the 49ers, Sincere McCormick and Patrick Taylor could combine to see the most run. Khalil Herbert could prove his worth and why he earned a contract.

Wide Reciever

Might I say, Tim Kennedy, the preseason darling on the Lions? Another two to take a look at are Lucky Jackson to break off a long touchdown, and Dominic Lovett could see some nice grabs in this game too. On the Bengals, a name to highlight is Mitch Tinsley if they want to get him snaps. On the Packers, Will Sheppard and Michael Sturdivant will be two rookies to look at. Skyy Moore will be fighting for a job. On the Steelers, I do like Germie Bernard to prove his worth as a rookie. On the Colts, Deion Burks as a rookie stands out. Anthony Gould is a veteran who is fighting for a spot. On the Patriots, Kyle Williams could catch a deep pass, which we have seen that he is known for. Efton Chism is an interesting option to see catches too. On the Chargers, KeAndre Lambert Smith could see a few looks. I do like Luke Grimm, who could catch a couple passes. On the Texans, Josh Kelly could be a stacking partner with Mertz. On the Cardinals, we saw Reggie Virgil look fantastic along with Jalen Brooks. No Raiders for me on this slate. On the Titans, I do like Xavier Restrepo and Lance McCutcheon fighting for a spot. On the 49ers, we saw Will Pauling show flashes at Notre Dame. Trent Irvin is a veteran who could see playing time.

Tight End

There are no tight ends that stand out to me on the Detroit Lions. On the Bengals, I want a piece of Erick All Jr who will want to play badly coming off injuries and is ready to go this year. No tight ends stand out to me on the Packers. On the Steelers, Jaheim Bell is a big tight end who could find the end zone. On the Colts, Will Mallory stands out to me, and we know he has shown his worth in the preseason before. On the Patriots, Eli Raridon has been a name being talked about in training camp. No tight ends stand out to me on the Chargers. On the Texans, Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan are two veterans fighting for a roster spot. On the Cardinals, Rivaldo Fairweather was the go-to option in the Hall of Fame game.  No Raiders for me on this slate. I don't like any tight ends on the 49ers. On the Titans, this room is empty, and I love it. I want Kylen Granson here for me.

The video breakdown is below!