NFL preseason DFS is back, baby. The NFL officially returns with the Hall of Fame game, with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers scheduled to face off. It’s gross, it’s ugly it’s low-scoring, but it’s professional football (kind of), and it’s beautiful.
While it’s amazing to have the NFL back, you can actually win money from this if you play your cards right. I’ve got you covered, as I’ll go over the slate, my top plays, and how to win at DraftKings.
NFL HOF Game Core Plays
- Either defense
- Carson Beck/Haynes King
- Either kicker
Starters don’t play much in the NFL preseason, and they damn sure don’t play in the Hall of Fame game. I will be ignoring most of the big names, so even if Jeremiyah Love ends up seeing work, I expect him to be super limited to the point where he won’t be worth the risk.
Both defenses are a good starting point. Why? Because 1. this game sucks and is almost always low-scoring and 2. they enter the slate with guaranteed points. We Like Points.
You don’t need to pair the defenses. You absolutely can, but I’d just pick one in most of my lineups. My preference is the Panthers, as I’m not a big believer in Carson Beck and I will be leaning into the Haynes King Experience.
Beck should play a good deal, but my top QB is King. Not only is he a dual threat baws, but he’s a better lock for massive playing time. Kenny Pickett will start this game and is also viable if you believe he plays up to a half, but the idea of getting 2+ quarters of King’s rushing floor is pretty appealing.
I also like Beck and will likely play both quarterbacks together. But if you have to pick one, King wins out since Arizona could play three QBs in this game.
GPP Picks for the HOF Game
- Ja’seem Reed
- Miles Davis
- Corey Kiner
I think anything outside of the core options is a crapshoot. Tourney plays can range from hoping Love smashes in limited action, to Trevor Etienne, Xavier Weaver, and so many others.
My favorite floor play for GPPs is Kiner. Arizona shouldn’t play Love much, while James Conner is old and both he and Trey Benson are also not 100% healthy. If true, Kiner could get a ton of work in this one. He’s not an elite talent, but he was efficient at Cincinnati and the 49ers thought enough of him to bring him into camp last year.
Davis ranks behind Kiner, as he wasn’t as impressive in college and he’s a bit riskier in terms of playing time. He’s was pretty efficient and is a decent athlete, though, so I do want to get to him a bit. Plus, the Panthers will sit their top two backs and they know what they have in Etienne and AJ Dillon. Those guys could still get work, but Davis may be the guy we see a lot of in the second half.
Lastly, there’s Reed, who is my favorite pass-catcher on the board. You can play around with Arizona’s scrubs, other Panthers WRs, and backup tight ends, but Reed is probably the “safest” high-volume target to consider. He is also a nice stacking option with King.
Reed blew up in his last year of college ball and has an alluring mix of size, athleticism, route-running, and pass-catching ability. He’s also drawn rave reviews in camp. It’s always possible Carolina protects him given some injuries to their WRs, but they probably also want to see what he can do in a game.
My Preferred NFL DFS HOF Game Picks
- Haynes King
- Carson Beck
- Corey Kiner
- Ja’seem Reed
This is how I want to start most of my NFL Preseason DFS lineups for the Hall of Fame Game. King is a lock for me and I am stacking him with Reed. Kiner should get a lot of work and is my third guy in. I’d also be locking Beck in quite a bit.
From there, we can mix and match as far as who is in the Captain slot (I prefer Reed and King), and we can also rotate the team defenses, kickers, and any secondary plays.
Noah Simpson is a New England-based DFS writer who has spent the better part of a decade obsessing over MLB DFS. He got his start playing DFS recreationally before realizing he was spending more time building spreadsheets than actually watching games, and decided to make it official. At DFSBuild, Noah covers MLB DFS strategy with a focus on finding edges that casual players overlook. When he’s not staring at Statcast data, he’s somewhere on a hiking trail in Maine with his two dogs, Sandboy and Johnner, who are undefeated at ignoring his lineup advice, because they are dogs. They don’t have the cognitive or motor skills required to operate a computer, let alone process complex theories and information.
Want more winning DFS plays like this? Get our daily core plays, leverage spots, and strategy sent straight to your inbox.
Leave a Reply