NFL DFS Preseason Week 3 Friday Picks: Jalen Milroe Is A Smash Play

We get our final big DraftKings NFL DFS Main Slate of this 2026 Preseason, with nine games for us to break down here for Friday night. We can equally expect some teams to ramp up starters, as we can for them to completely give the backups the entirety of the game. We already know of a couple teams giving the backups all four quarters here, already making for an exciting slate as we start to close out the preseason.

Quarterback Picks On Friday's NFL DFS Preseason Slate On DraftKings

Let's start off with the Seattle Seahawks, who are going to be without starters and key backups here against the Chiefs. This will rule out Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, leaving Jalen Milroe to start. He is expected to start and play the entire game. Given his rushing upside as well, he currently looks like the overall best QB play of the slate, and is hard to get away from with the current news that we have.

The Green Bay Packers are going to be without Jordan Love on Friday, and seem to have Tyrod Taylor securely placed as their QB2. Last week Taylor played and got a quick pull, we can expect that to be consistent here in their final preseason game. This will leave Kyle McCord to get a majority of the snaps here. He stands out and is firmly in play.

Lastly, let's look at the Kansas City Chiefs, who also have a QB projected to get all four quarters. They will be without Patrick Mahomes, and the current status of Justin Fields is that he will keep his arm ready in case of emergency. This is leaving the floor wide open for Garrett Nussmeier to get the entire game here. This is a great opportunity for him to show what he's got and have the entire game to get into a rhythm and make a name for himself. Any QB playing the entire game in preseason is going to look great, and we are getting that here with Nussmeier.

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Running Back Picks On Friday's NFL DFS Preseason Slate On DraftKings

Running back news on these slates has been coming down until the last hour before lock when we get each teams' active/inactive list. Be sure to check on teams with pending injury news, as a player or two being out can open up the entire game for certain RBs, and change the slate instantly. However, there are some teams early who already look enticing.

The New York Jets seem as if they are going to have a pretty limited RB room to end the preseason. Breece Hall has been out with a groin injury, Braelon Allen is being held out along with the other starters and Isaiah Davis has been out with a knee injury. This leaves Kene Nwangwu and Chip Trayanum. My expectation is that we will see Nwangwu start the game here and get a good chunk of the first half. Then we will see Trayanum, who is fighting for a roster spot here as a UDFA, and this is his last chance to prove himself.

My next look is at the Arizona Cardinals. I’m not expecting starters to play here. James Conner is also hurt, and Trey Benson was waived. This will leave Corey Kiner and Evan Hull to get a majority of the work here, followed by Tre Stewart to get the clean-up work at the end. Kiner and Hull have both looked good here all preseason, and should again get plenty of opportunities to put up good performances in their preseason finale vs the Packers.

Wide Receiver Picks On Friday's NFL DFS Preseason Slate On DraftKings

First let's look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are going to be without their starters in this preseason finale. They ran a tight WR rotation in Week 2 with a few guys getting a majority of the looks. The standouts here are Dean Patterson and Kameron Johnson. Patterson secured 6 catches for 56 yards in Week 2, and Johnson added 4 catches for 56 yards. We should see a similar rotation here, making these two look like solid options.

The Minnesota Vikings are a team that may also have some concentrated usage at WR. Expected to be without starters again, they have two WRs who have been standouts, and we can expect to get good work to end the preseason. They are Jeshaun Jones and Dillon Bell. They combined for 11 catches on 15 targets in Week 2, getting a majority of the looks. Another name to point out is Tai Felton, who started the game and got a majority of the first half, but was pulled after that. He is playable to take a shot on.

Wide receiver news as a whole is pretty slim at this moment. And, similar to RBs, news closer to lock is very important. We could see a couple WR rooms shrink to just 5-6 active players, making them look a lot more enticing. Stay alert for news as we get closer to game time, as we should get more good plays opening up.

Tight End Picks On Friday's NFL DFS Preseason Slate On DraftKings

Tight end is the hardest position to project, as snap counts are generally spread out, and target shares are not high compared to the wide receivers and running backs. But let's look at a few players here who should get considerable playing time to end the preseason.

The Seattle Seahawks have been without starters, and that shouldn't change for their preseason finale. The majority of their TE room has been limited in preseason thus far, except for one player. Elijah Arroyo has been on the field an absurd amount, playing 72% of snaps in Week 2, and hauling in 2 catches for 50 yards and a TD. We cannot expect him to catch another bomb like he did last week, but he looks like a very safe TE play here, as he has been on the field a ton.

Rivaldo Fairweather of the Arizona Cardinals has been a bright spot for the team thus far through preseason. In Week 2, he ran 20 routes and caught 5 passes for 39 yards. He has led the team's TE in snaps and targets, and there's no signs of that changing here.

As I've mentioned with each position, make sure to check active/incactive. TE news in preseason is never going to get the spotlight, but if a lot of TEs pop up inactive for a team, this can give you an edge to get a smash play and win you a slate.

Our final large slate of the preseason looks like a rollercoaster to say the least. With 9 games to pick players from, there is going to be a ton of opportunity to get immense upside at low ownership. Don't be afraid to take a shot on someone who isn't high owned, as anything can happen in one preseason and all it may take is one catch to push you to the top. Good luck, and let's win some contests!

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Published Aug 28, 2026, 5:19 PM ETUpdated Aug 28, 2026, 5:19 PM ET