Week 1 of the NFL preseason continues tonight and the first game kicking off on the docket tonight will feature the Atlanta Falcons hitting the road to meet the Detroit Lions. As with all of these games, you can create lineups and score big in Captain’s Showdown mode of DraftKings daily fantasy.
Preseason games can be tricky to predict considering how each team decides to divide up snaps between their starters and backups. However, we’ve got you covered and have picked out some players to consider for Falcons-Lions tonight.
Lions-Falcons DraftKings Showdown DFS strategy
Captain’s picks (all prices $11,400)
Desmond Ridder, QB, Falcons
Both coaches have indicated that they will play their respective starters and one would imagine that they’d get about a quarter of action. For the Falcons, that means we’ll most likely see plenty of Desmond Ridder under center after starter Marcus Mariota gets a few series under his belt.
The rookie will be getting his first taste of NFL action and has been impressive in camp according to various reports. He’ll be in the game long enough to possibly lead a few scoring drives and warrant captain consideration tonight.
Jermar Jefferson, RB, Lions
Jefferson made a sporadic number of appearances as a rookie last season and is currently sharing RB3 duties with Craig Reynolds according to the Lions’ first unofficial depth chart. He is progressing, however, as head coach Dan Campbell cited him as one of the second-year players who have made a significant leap from last season.
Once the starters have filtered out, I’d expect to see plenty of Jefferson in the second half and there’s a possibility of him punching in a touchdown if the Lions make it to the red zone.
Value Plays (all prices $7,600)
Maurice Alexander, WR, Lions
The Lions brought in Maurice Alexander last week after Quintez Cephus went down with a leg injury. Alexander was last seen in the USFL with the league runner-up Philadelphia Stars, serving as both a pass catcher and a special teams weapon.
This is a perfect spot for Detroit to find out what they’ve got in this wideout, so expect him to get plenty of action this evening.
Quadree Ollison, RB, Falcons
The Falcons’ running back depth behind Cordarrelle Patterson is a huge question mark and a guy who could possibly jump up to that RB2 role is Qadree Ollison. The fourth-year veteran is the largest running back in the room at 232 pounds and he’s been using his size to his advantage in camp so far.
Expect to see plenty of Ollison from the second quarter onward in this game as the Falcons try to sort out their skill position depth.