FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Preseason Helper: Hall of Fame Game
Daily fantasy football is back!
Yeah, it's the Hall of Fame Game and it's just a single-game format, but it's still true: NFL contests are back on FanDuel.
Tonight, the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons square off in a game with a lowly total of 34.5 points, per Super Bowl odds.
We have two unique angles in play: it's the preseason, and it's a single-game contest. Who can we roster with some sort of confidence?
What to Expect
There won't be an abundance of touchdowns, as we can tell from the total. Over the past six Hall of Fame Games, the average combined point total between the two teams has been 31.5 (27, 44, 30, 17, 38, 33).
We'll need to do our best to get exposure to the touchdown makers, whether that's a goal line back or a big-play receiver. As for quarterbacks, they need some volume to post fantasy stats, and one passer from each team should see some extended run.
Every player is priced evenly at $12,000, so the salary cap doesn't matter.
Quarterbacks
Kurt Benkert - Benkert is an undrafted passer from Virginia after a transfer from East Carolina. He was highly inefficient (6.3 adjusted yards per attempt in his career). That shouldn't matter much, as Matt Ryan won't see any action, and Matt Schaub played 14, 23, and 13 snaps in three preseason games last year, per FantasyData.
Drew Lock - The other viable passer in this game is Lock, a second-rounder from Missouri. Lock had just an 8.0 yards per attempt average in college but generated 14 touchdowns on deep throws last season, per ProFootballFocus. The problem is that Denver will play Kevin Hogan, Lock, and Brett Rypien. The big-play ability keeps Lock in firm consideration for the MVP slot, however,
Running Backs
Qadree Ollison - The 6'1", 228-pound back from Pittsburgh could see goal line work for the Falcons. He generated a 103.6 size-adjusted speed score, per PlayerProfiler, and had a middling 7.2% target share in college. With running backs in the preseason, we need volume and/or pass-catching ability. Atlanta's depth chart should make Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith non-factors in this extra exhibition game, and Ollison, a fifth-rounder, should be given a chance to rack up snaps.
Other than Ollison, not a whole lot stands out, given that we need some modicum of volume for running backs. Two possible Denver options include Khalfani Muhammad and Devontae Jackson. Muhammad is a former California Golden Bear with a 90.7 size-adjusted speed score; he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 draft. Jackson, the Gulf South Conference player of the year, lacks the pedigree (West Georgia) and athleticism (78.3 size-adjusted speed score) but could see extra work as a result.
Wide Receivers
Olamide Zaccheaus - Zaccheaus caught 86 and 94 balls over his final two seasons at Virginia for 14 total touchdowns. He's just 5'8" and 188 pounds with disappointing speed (82.4 on the size-adjusted speed score scale), but that does mean that he played the 2017 season with Benkert as his quarterback.
The Broncos should have opportunity, given the status of Emmanuel Sanders (returning from injury), Courtland Sutton (proven), DaeSean Hamilton (proven), Tim Patrick (more proven than most of the roster), and River Cracraft (oblique injury). The issue is pinpointing who takes advantage.
Jamarius Way - Way's profile is very interesting, as he is a 6'3", 215-pound prospect who should play against some undersized defenders in this game. Though his 40-time is just 4.63 seconds, that gives him a size-adjusted speed score of 96.1, best among the group of receivers who will be relevant in this game. A 77th-percentile college dominator rating in addition to the size gives Way a strong chance to haul in a much-needed touchdown in this game.
Kelvin McKnight - At 5'8" and 185 pounds, the undrafted rookie from Samford may seem like a speedster, but he isn't. His 71.8 height-adjusted speed score (from a 4.68-second 40-yard dash) puts him in the second percentile among receiver prospects. However, he put forth a 62nd-percentile college dominator rating and should have a path to snaps. He could be the type to get us something along the lines of six catches and 60 yards, but perhaps a touchdown isn't in the cards.
Fred Brown - Brown is 6'1" and 199 pounds out of Mississippi State back in 2015. He's got a balanced athletic profile with a 94.5 height-adjusted speed score but never really produced (his college dominator is in the fourth percentile). Brown turned 23 targets into 13 catches and 90 yards in last year's preseason with the Los Angeles Rams (7 catches on 11 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown in 2017 with the Indianapolis Colts).
